Avangrid Inc., a sustainable energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group, has partnered with LineVision Inc. on a pilot project to unlock additional capacity on its transmission lines for renewable energy in New York state.
The project will deploy advanced monitoring for overhead transmission lines in the area of Hornell, N.Y. The goal is to reduce grid congestion by providing real-time data that shows where additional power can safely flow through the existing transmission infrastructure. This critical data and visibility could aid in linking more renewable energy resources into New York’s electrical grid.
“By multiple accounts, we must double the size of the power grid to have any hope of meeting critical climate goals,” says Hudson Gilmer, CEO and co-founder of LineVision. “Our technology has helped our utility customers identify between 25% to 40% additional capacity on existing lines which helps accelerate a transition to renewables.”
Electric transmission lines can safely carry only a variable amount of energy. Historically, the lines have been operated using static line ratings that tell grid operators a lines’ energy capacity based on conservative and fixed values for assumed weather conditions. However, LineVision’s advanced monitoring will allow Avangrid to see real-time data.
The advanced monitoring provides dynamic line ratings, which determine capacity limits of the power lines by combining real-time properties such as sag, temperature and forecasted weather conditions. This results in more informed grid operations and increased carrying capacity of the transmission lines without the need to make any large grid upgrades.
As part of the project, LineVision will collaborate with Avangrid’s electric utility operating company New York State Electric & Gas to install non-contact LiDAR sensors on two of the company’s transmission lines for monitoring.
Funding for the project was awarded to Avangrid and LineVision through round two of NYSERDA’s Future Grid Challenge program.
