The US grid faces a severe equipment aging problem. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), about 80 million transmission and distribution transformers are in service with an average age exceeding 40 years, and total transformer capacity must grow 1.6–2.6x by 2050 to meet demand.
Roughly 70% of US transformers have already exceeded their 25-year design life, while domestic manufacturing capacity is constrained — significant new capacity won’t arrive until after 2027. Replacement alone cannot keep pace, especially under explosive AI-driven load growth.
With new equipment scarce and old equipment staying in service, using PD detection and insulation diagnostics to assess the health of aging transformers, switchgear, and cables — and to prioritize replacement by risk — has become the mainstream asset management strategy among Western utilities.
Wintech Electric’s PD detection and online monitoring products help utilities manage aging-asset risk with measurable data until replacements arrive.