Where are transformers used today, and how is their role changing in the rapidly evolving energy industry?
Transformers can be found even in everyday electronics, but here we’ll focus on the large ones that power cities, towns, and industry—and, of course, ensure grid connectivity across the country. The largest transformers are primarily managed by distribution companies. However, many are also in the hands of industrial enterprises, and in my view, these are the most dangerous or the least regulated.
Historically, they have been there since the 1980s as a silent partner of industry, capable of operating for a long time without complaint. And even though industrial technologies have evolved over the years to become more efficient or energy-saving, many companies paid little attention to their transformers. I like to say that they’ve become a sort of “couch potato” who sits at home watching TV, drinking beer, and not worrying about much. But then the energy crisis hit, and a lot of companies installed solar power plants—and that’s like trying to sign up that overweight, diabetic couch potato for a pentathlon.
Does that mean the old transformer isn’t compatible with the new power system?
That could be a problem. Before, the transformer experienced a morning peak when the machines started up or a steady load throughout the day, but the load was still more or less stable because the plant drew power from the grid. But now, all of a sudden, you start up the photovoltaic system, and for a while the sun is shining, so nothing flows through the transformer; then it stops shining, then there are even overflows and the current goes the other way... in short, there are fluctuations for which the transformer was completely unprepared.
In my opinion, the fundamental problem is that transformers aren’t systematically documented. Back in the ’90s, there was still the original team of maintenance technicians who looked after the industrial infrastructure. Most of the knowledge about how these technologies worked at the time depended on an Excel spreadsheet, which, however, usually dies with whoever retires. So I often find that companies don’t know much about their transformers, the equipment is in a dilapidated state, and on top of that, they have to cope with the operation of photovoltaic power plants and soon also batteries, so they face the risk of outages or even burnout.
Why don’t regular inspections reveal when a transformer is in a state of disrepair?
They would reveal it, but many operators don’t perform them. It’s actually surprising that such inspections aren’t included in property insurance policies, and many companies really don’t pay attention to this until something happens. We are now in a situation where several years have passed since the photovoltaic boom, and the time is coming when these problems will begin to surface.
What is the lifespan of such a transformer?
It can be very long. The standard lifespan is around thirty years, and it can reach fifty, or even seventy years in some cases. It’s like with a person: if they’re twenty years old, go to the doctor regularly, exercise, and take care of their health, they’re more likely to live to a ripe old age. If you expect unreasonable performance from an obese couch potato, that’s a disaster.
But it can still be turned around, because every transformer is unique. Of course, it’s important to have the right information about it. If I have long-term diagnostics on the power infrastructure and know how the transformer was loaded in the past, what its limits are, and what condition it’s in, it can still have decades left in it even after thirty years. But I need to have a clear plan for what power it will handle, how much losses will cost me, and what the associated risks are.
Or I might decide to replace the transformer.
The problem, however, is that delivery times are measured in years these days. So if a transformer fails completely, the company usually ends up sourcing an older, refurbished unit, because without electricity, it can’t continue to operate and meet its obligations. It simply takes whatever is available on the market. Quite often from China, which makes up for the insufficient capacity of European production. And because the Czech mindset is to save wherever possible, this can unfortunately result in cheap technology of corresponding quality that lacks the required documentation, and once again we find ourselves in a situation where the necessary data is missing.
What are the key considerations when working with energy data?
It starts with basic planning. When a business owner sits down in December to prepare a plan for the coming year and sets margins, pricing, and similar matters, they must already know the costs of investments. Electricity supply is absolutely essential, so it’s important to know if there’s a risk of any unexpected investments or, heaven forbid, production downtime. The second aspect is to anticipate how operations will develop in the future and what that will entail for the infrastructure. Most business owners already know they want to acquire another production line, modernize something, and so on, but they don’t really address the infrastructure side of things. Yet it’s closely related, especially in energy-intensive operations. For example, if you decide to purchase a new transformer, you need to know whether it will still meet your needs in five years, once your facility has expanded.
And if you’re planning to implement energy-saving measures—such as installing solar panels and a battery—you need to know what impact that will have on the transformer’s load. All of this can be simulated and predicted. Not to mention the boom in electromobility, which will undoubtedly come to the industrial sector as well. It’s a natural response to rising energy prices, so most companies will consider generating their own energy to maximize the benefits for their own operations or logistics. And that’s another load. You’ll then need a much smarter system that works with data and plans both production and consumption in a sophisticated way.
What are the related energy management requirements?
In the past, companies had a position for a corporate energy manager. This person typically monitored operations, knew when equipment was turned on and off, and knew how to organize everything efficiently. Back then, however, the energy sector was extremely stable and prices were low. Today, the situation has become much more dynamic, and the need for a corporate energy manager is making a comeback. But devices are smarter and there are far more of them, and most of them actually run on electricity. And balancing them all is no easy task.
Is this a job for artificial intelligence?
I might have a slightly more conservative view on this. Artificial intelligence is incredibly powerful once everything is digitized. But I know what the reality is in Czech industry, and things here just aren’t like they are in Germany. To be completely honest, in the Czech Republic, most things are still in some form of analog format. In various papers, in notebooks, in binders, in card indexes, or in Excel spreadsheets that have their own logic and are understood only by those who use them. These aren’t materials that can be entrusted to machine learning. Moreover, it’s not even certain whether the data is accurate. I often encounter situations where the documentation does not reflect the actual state of affairs.
And when a company does decide to digitize, we’re back to that Czech frugality, where we see that they often find the cheapest supplier who will somehow get the job done, but the result doesn’t meet the necessary standards. So yes, there is a future in AI-driven energy management, and I can envision it in modern operations, but I don’t think about 80 percent of the market is ready for it yet.
Let’s get back to transformer maintenance. What are some common mistakes companies make in this area?
I’d say that most operators barely realize they even have a transformer somewhere. The second group knows where it is and has a rough idea of how old it is and whether it’s been inspected. These are the ones who at least care about the legal side of things. But only the third group truly understands how important the transformer is for powering their facility. And this awareness grows in proportion to how energy-intensive a company’s production is. Because the more energy you consume, the more it costs you, and the more your company’s management cares about it. I would then place companies that already think about this systematically, plan periodic repairs and inspections, and prioritize various measures to truly ensure their facility’s production capacity into the fourth category. These tend to be large enterprises, such as those in chemical or metallurgical manufacturing. And their ability—or inability—to maintain their energy infrastructure depends on the attention they devote to it.
What are the risks for those who neglect or completely ignore maintenance?
I’d compare it to physical fitness again. If that couch potato I mentioned starts running or working out occasionally, after a while he might get a sore back, get out of breath, and notice signs that he’s not exactly in shape. With transformers, these signs often manifest as occasional outages. But if he jumps straight into a pentathlon, he’ll have a heart attack. The transformer will burn out. Especially if the limits it’s designed for are exceeded. Or if it’s really in a dilapidated state. But if you take it slowly, there might be something that can be done; there are diagnostic tools that can determine the condition of the transformer and how quickly that condition is deteriorating. We’ve been performing this kind of diagnostics for our clients for a long time, and we can then accurately estimate how long and under what conditions the technology will continue to function.
The article was originally published on May 27, 2026, in Hospodářské noviny.
Author: Anežka Hasová
Link to the original: Hospodářské noviny