AI-based novelty detection for real-time thermal monitoring of power transformers

The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme meteorological events attributed to climate change have necessitated a paradigm shift in power grid resilience. Initiatives such as the RESISTO project address this challenge by bolstering critical infrastructure through the integration of advanced technologies, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) and thermal imaging. By prioritising proactive prediction, prevention, and detection, these interventions seek to ensure grid stability and service continuity under evolving environmental stressors. This study proposes a real-time novelty detection architecture for the thermal monitoring of power transformers, leveraging AI to provide early-warning signals for thermal anomalies. The experimental methodology involved the deployment of a distributed network of thermal cameras within Doñana National Park (Spain), supported by a robust backend architecture for data ingestion, analysis, and automated alerting. The analytical system’s long-term performance was validated using a thermodynamically simulated synthetic dataset spanning the full 2023 year, with performance evaluated through an event-based confusion matrix. Short-term efficacy was assessed using high-fidelity real thermal imaging. The root mean square error (RMSE) was used to quantify the predictive accuracy across both approaches, which produced values below 2.65% and 5.32% for synthetic data and real-world applications, respectively. These results confirm the system’s robustness in anomaly detection and underscore its significant potential for enhancing the resilience of electrical distribution networks.