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Welcome to the May 2025 Issue of the H2scan Digest
In the News!
News and announcements coming up during the next few months, all designed to help our customers better manage their assets and safety programs in 2025.
Note from EVP
The adoption of new technologies by the power utility industry is often criticized for being slow. But the impact of poor decisions is meaningful, as is the need to remain profitable in a commercially regulated environment. The speed of new product adoption is therefore driven by regulation, alignment with the corporate objectives and, quite often, recent grid failures. This means early adopters implement new technologies but remain “optional” for the balance of the market until an inflection point drives wholesale change.
It was not long ago that SCADA and DMS were a nice-to-have for DSOs, but today, nobody operates their Distribution Grid without those technologies. The same is true for fleetwide transformer monitoring. It has generally been reserved for large transmission assets, but was considered optional for the rest of the fleet.
It has been hard for even the casual observer to ignore the rise in transformer failures around the world, with the Heathrow airport incident being widely publicized. Empirically, we know that a high percentage of catastrophic failures started as incipient faults (start small and gradually escalate) and that they can be detected as they begin. Had those transformers been continuously monitored, action could have been taken to avoid the subsequent failure.
The severity, frequency and geographic distribution of the recent failures are inflection points for transformer monitoring, and what was an option has now become an operational imperative. Not losing sight of the commercial reality, H2scan builds single-gas transformer monitoring solutions that deliver insight into the transformer condition as well as economic and operational benefits. And for less than the revenue lost in one minute by an average industrial customer.
H2scan on the Road
Here’s a look at our visits with customers at two recent industry trade shows.
NWPPA Engineering and Operations Conference
Chris Calzone H2scan connecting with power utility industry leaders throughout the Northwest area. This was a great opportunity to discuss and promote our transformer products and services with electric utility businesses
DistribuTECH
This event is the largest utility show in North America, and was the perfect venue to launch our new HY-VAULT™ network transformer monitoring system and the expanded GRIDSCAN® 5000 series. We connected with many transformer manufacturers and utility asset managers, who were all looking for better and more cost-effective ways to monitor transformer health.
ENSC – The Electrical Network Systems Conference
Great show with André Marais, EVP of Sales and Marketing, and Joe Rusin, VP of Transformer System Sales. This vault substation-based conference allowed us to connect with Eaton’s largest network transformer customers and promote our HY-VAULT network transformer monitoring technology.
ACT – Analyzer Technology Conference
ACT is the premier conference for process analyzer technology for the oil and gas, refining and petrochemical industries. What a great opportunity to showcase H2scan’s solutions in performance, reliability and safety in hydrogen process analysis.
New Products!
We’re excited to introduce our latest HY-VAULT solutions for network transformers. These harsh, cramped environments lack power and communication, but knowing their conditional and potential problems is critical to urban infrastructure and public safety. Like all H2scan products, these were created to fill a gap the industry couldn’t solve—until now.
NEW! HY-VAULT™ Network Transformer Monitoring
- Real-time hydrogen monitoring detects internal faults early
- Enhances safety for workers and the public
- Reduces maintenance costs by identifying where and when maintenance is required
- Seamless retrofitting for network transformers
- Real-time hydrogen monitoring detects internal faults early
- Enhances safety for workers and the public
- Reduces maintenance costs by identifying where and when maintenance is required
- Seamless retrofitting for network transformers
Along with the HY-VAULT comes three new GRIDSCAN® 5000 series:
- GRIDSCAN 5000-HP – Twice as accurate as the standard model but without the price premium. Suitable for monitoring when precision matters
- GRIDSCAN 5010 – Perpetual calibration for applications that require rapid response measurement.
- GRIDSCAN 5015 – Designed for transformers that experience substantial gassing, typically in renewable energy installations.
Read more about these new products here.
Hydrogen Economy and Energy on The Move
Hydrogen energy projects continue to move forward, albeit slower than anticipated and despite the U.S. federal funding bias for fossil fuel initiatives.
In the U.S., the renewable energy sector is expected to keep growing, driven by rising energy demand, particularly from data centers, and the cost-effectiveness of renewables for electricity generation.
As data center construction expands to meet AI and cloud demands, firefighters face unique challenges like complex layouts, secure zones and sensitive tech. Effective response requires coordination, specialized training and careful planning to handle risks like live equipment and lithium-ion batteries. Interestingly, a number of new data centers, some supported by big names, are planned to run on renewable energy, including hydrogen. Many of these data centers are expected to be in remote locations.
As with most emerging technologies, energy innovations often attract research funding aimed at improving efficiency, usually in the hopes of lowering costs. One common criticism of hydrogen power is the high cost of electrolysis, which typically requires 1.6 volts to split water molecules. However, scientists have found that adjusting water’s pH level can make it easier to align molecules, potentially speeding the process and reducing energy use.
The recent Heathrow fire was an example of a real-world situation dramatizing the need for transformer monitoring. While the cause of the transformer failure has not been published, the incident served as a high-profile reminder to grid infrastructure managers of the need to rely on advanced and cost-effective technology solutions to provide proactive transformer monitoring. While the Heathrow incident captured global headlines, it’s not the only example of disruptions caused by recent transformer outages, from an assisted living facility to numerous disruptions in public transportation.
Upcoming Trade Shows
Hydrogen Technology Expo North America
Date: June 25-26, 2025
Location: Houston, TX
About: Join us at Hydrogen Technology Expo North America, the premier event for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in the region. This cutting-edge exhibition showcases the latest advancements in low-carbon hydrogen production, storage, transport, and fuel cell applications.
We invite you to visit our booth #959 to explore our innovative solutions for hydrogen technologies. Discover how our products are contributing to the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy and advancing the integration of hydrogen into mainstream energy systems.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry leaders and learn about the latest trends in hydrogen technology. See you at booth #959 to learn about our hydrogen sensor solutions.
Learn more here.
