PG&E's vehicle-mounted leak-detection technology is saving the utility significant amounts of time on annual leak surveys throughout its service territory, reducing time spent on the ground by months.
by Staff
August 17, 2015
2 min to read
PG&E is using its Picarro Surveyor leak-detection technology to find and repair leaks along a 155-mile stretch of its gas distribution pipelines in Northern California, according to the company.
PG&E first began using its vehicle-mounted Picarro Surveyor leak-detection technology back in 2013. The technology is 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional equipment and will be able to cut the North Valley survey time from a couple months using traditional methods, to about nine working days, according to the utility. It allows PG&E to also quickly identify leaks with more precision and immediately schedule repairs or take corrective action as needed.
Ad Loading...
The cities being surveyed include Redding, Anderson, Red Bluff, Chico, Biggs and Gridley. These surveys are part of PG&E’s ongoing five-year plan to survey and provide maintenance to all of its gas distribution pipelines.
As another example of efficiencies gained in using these vehicle-mounted surveyors instead of performing leak surveys on foot, not long after PG&E launched this surveying pilot program it was able to examine 35,000 premises in the Oakland and Sacramento areas, taking crews 17 business days to complete compared to four months.
PG&E also stated that this new survey program has helped to establish the utility as one of the fastest in the industry when it comes to gas odor call response times at an average of 19.9 minutes in 2014. It has also completed 10 out of 12 recommendations to the program from the National Transportation Safety Board and is working on the remaining two, though the utility didn’t specify what those recommendations included.
“Our leak-sensing fleet can pick up even the slightest trace of a natural gas leak and that helps us keep our customers safe,” said Lia White, senior manager of PG&E’s North Valley division.
Streamlight has launched its Portable Scene Light III (PSL III), which delivers up to 10,000 lumens, and the LiteBox 1Million, a long-range search light that delivers one million candela.
EUFMC 2026 registration has surpassed last year’s fleet registration record, and the event will deliver a variety of topics during its educational program, Driving Safety, Sustainability & Technical Expertise.
Work Truck visited with Ismael Daneluz, vice president of sales and service for PALFINGER North America, to discuss where the company is headed in 2026. In this video, he discusses new products and a strategic growth outlook.
AI-powered inspections are transforming last-mile fleets by replacing manual checks with highly accurate automated scans that detect defects in seconds. By giving fleet operations visibility into the daily condition of their vehicles, you can identify trends over the vehicle’s lifecycle that enable improved procurement decisions, route management, driver training and accountability.
DICA’s new Ranger HD, Defender MD, and Titan mat systems deliver scalable, high-performance ground protection solutions. All are being exhibited this week at CONEXPO 2026.
Through a new partnership, Huddig customers in the United States will gain access to an expanded sales, service and aftermarket infrastructure, leveraging Terex Services’ branch locations.
Still managing your motor pool with spreadsheets and manual approvals? Loyola University replaced outdated processes with automated fleet management, eliminating overtime and saving up to $50,000 annually. See how they did it.
48% of field service leaders are investing in AI to manage customer communication and self-service. Get the latest on how fleets are using AI and thinking about the future.
For fleet managers, fuel is one of the biggest line items in the budget — and it's one hybrids can shrink without changing how your people work. Download the eBook to see the numbers, understand the technology, and get a step-by-step guide to making the switch.
