UB Researchers work today on the 'electricity of tomorrow'
By MELANIE PELLEGRINOA | Nov. 13, 2006October's "surprise" blizzard left thousands of people in the Buffalo area without power for days, but UB scientists say that with the implication of wireless, storm-sensing transistors, future power outages do not have to be nearly as costly or frustrating.One of the many implications for the developing nanotech sensors is their ability to pinpoint the exact location of a power outage, according to researchers at UB's Energy Systems Institute.In the recent storm, electrical crews had to go street-by-street looking for the location of the several problems causing power outages - such as a downed line or damaged power box, while many lived without electricity for days.Sending out crews for repair is costly in both time and money, and researchers say that with the new sensors they would be able to pinpoint the problem and isolate it much faster than before.According to W.
