Clay Electric has adopted some new technology in its ongoing efforts to reduce outages and stay on top of system maintenance. This camera detects temperature differences in objects. A piece of distribution equipment that is hotter than normal might indicate that something has happened to cause the electricity flow to be impeded. Excessive heat can cause damage, and damaged equipment can lead to outages. We see our world in the visible light spectrum.
Objects appear brighter or darker relative to the amount of light energy they reflect.
If you could switch your vision to the infrared spectrum, the world would look quite different. The warmer an object the more it stands out from the background. A refrigerator would be dark inside, expect for the tiny glowing light bulb. Pop open the hood on your car after you've driven some distance and the engine would glow yellow and white. Allen Crawford, Clay's Power Systems superintendent, began looking into the use of infrared cameras after talking with an employee of another co-op in Florida that has an infrared preventative maintenance program.