A pervasive monitoring system for electrical components can enhance the operation and maintenance of infrastructure used for energy transmission and distribution, thereby improving the quality of electrical service. This document describes the demonstrative implementation of monitoring systems based on IoT technologies, specifically Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, with a focus on specific application cases. LPWAN technologies, which are well-established and increasingly widespread, offer wireless connectivity, wide coverage, low energy consumption, minimal bandwidth usage, and a variety of low-cost sensors.

The use of LPWAN technologies in the electrical sector presents some challenges, particularly concerning the installation conditions of the sensors, which the developed demonstrative systems aim to address. To assess the applicability and reliability of these technological solutions, a unique architectural platform was created to collect sensor measurement data and network operational data, making them available to other applications. This platform was used for specific use cases requiring updated electrical and environmental measurements at low frequencies and with minimal power consumption. The considered cases, identified in the previous year, involve monitoring of overhead and underground electrical lines under critical operational conditions, which may lead to significant service disruptions and user inconvenience.

Monitoring of overhead lines aims to detect ice sheath formation. Based on the identified functional requirements and the operational conditions of the overhead lines, commercial IoT sensors were selected that measure environmental conditions and cable tilt using LoRaWAN technology. This system was installed at various sites across the country.

The monitoring of underground lines focuses on the operational conditions of medium-voltage underground cables. In this case, a custom prototype device was developed, equipped with an integrated harvesting system, which measures soil and line status and can use two different data transmission modes (NB-IoT and LoRaWAN).

In addition to these critical environment applications, a monitoring system for environmental parameters (CO₂ and Temperature/Humidity) was set up within RSE laboratories to test other types of sensors.

The acquired measurements are currently accessible through two implementations of the same architecture on separate platforms—one dedicated to monitoring overhead lines and environmental data from the laboratories, and another for monitoring underground cables. There are plans to unify the management of measurements from the two sensor networks onto a single platform in the near future.

Activities will continue with the analysis of transmitted data and the operational data of the installed devices, in relation to installation conditions, to verify the reliability and performance of the systems and sensor power solutions.