Hong Kong power firm’s new system predicts tree growth near overhead cables to prevent electricity disruption
- System will help prevent disruption in New Territories, Lantau Island and parts of Kowloon, CLP Power says
- Researchers identity 200 species, including kapok, camphor wood, bauhinia and Chinese banyan, along power grids
A Hong Kong power company has worked with scientists to develop a model that predicts the growth rate of trees near overhead cables in an effort to prevent them from disrupting electricity supply in the New Territories, Lantau Island and parts of Kowloon.
The monitoring system was introduced last April, and CLP Power’s vegetation management team carried out 80,000 pruning works based on alerts issued by the system over the past year.
“The system’s most significant feature is the ability to predict the growth of trees … to identify those that may pose a potential risk to nearby overhead cables,” said Michael Lau Ho-yin, a north region director at CLP Power.
“When CLP Power’s vegetation management team carried out tree maintenance in the past, it was difficult to grasp the growth of trees within the range of overhead cables.”
He added that the new system could save more than HK$1.5 million (US$191,000) in annual operating costs as it would help allocate resources and labour more efficiently.
The power company created a database using geographic information system (GIS) technology to record information on more than 170,000 trees, including their species, age and pruning history.
More than 200 species, including kapok, camphor wood, bauhinia and Chinese banyan, have been identified along the power grids in the New Territories, Lantau Island and parts of Kowloon, amounting to about half of the tree species documented in the city.