ESB Networks, Ireland’s distribution system operator (DSO), has partnered with AI infrastructure modelling platform Neara to help prevent weather-related power outages.
The frequency and intensity of storms across Ireland have been increasing, causing events such as falling trees on powerlines to disrupt the energy supply of the DSO’s 2.4 million customers.
To help mitigate this, ESB Networks will leverage Nara’s AI technology to create a digital twin model that maps the DSO’s energy infrastructure – including individual structures such as poles as towers – using high-accuracy Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology as well as geospatial data and imagery.
Using this digital twin, asset and risk managers, as well as contractors, planners and engineers, can analyse and stress-test key parts of the network in granular detail.
The Neara technology will help identify high-risk areas where hazards such as falling trees and vegetation – described as some of the “central causes of power outages” – are likely to occur. Teams will then be deployed to action vegetation management to help prevent potential line damage or power outages.
ESB Networks added that the technology provides a quicker method of reporting and analysis than deploying staff to various areas, taking only two weeks to create digital models, compared to an average of three to four months required for manual reporting.
Taco Engelaar, senior vice president of Neara, called the partnership a “pivotal moment in climate-proofing our energy supply” as the climate crisis escalates.
The DSO added that, in “the near future,” the partnership will aim to optimise the use of existing infrastructure and identify “latent capacity” that could support more renewable energy.
“Proactively managing the hazards that cause distress for families and businesses, like falling trees, is the first step on an exciting road to strengthening our infrastructure,” added Engelaar.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see utilities like ESB Networks leading the charge by innovating and exploring new ways of assessing and predicting climate-related risks. We’re thrilled to be partnering with them and look forward to driving this innovation forward to speed up the clean energy transition, optimise the performance of power lines across the region, and keep Ireland connected.”
The partnership follows welcome news from earlier this week in which ESK Networks celebrated connecting 1GW of solar to Ireland’s grid.