Smart meters are great, limits remain: An outage further up the delivery chain for power means no information for them to consolidate and analyze.
It is now well known that the U.S. power grid has reached its twilight years and requires massive capital investment to overhaul. Sensor technology is a less-expensive option than replacement that can help extend the useful life of elderly equipment.
The average age of U.S. transformers is 45 years even though most were only designed to last 40 years.
