Norske eSmart Systems, en global leder innen AI-baserte løsninger for inspeksjon og vedlikehold av samfunnskritisk infrastruktur, har signert en kontrakt med Alliander. Oppdraget har som formål å øke sikkerheten og optimalisere utnyttelsen av Allianders eksisterende strømnett i Nederland.

Kontrakten, som har en minimumsverdi på 120 millioner kroner, omfatter tjenester med tilhørende programvare for inspeksjon av distribusjonsnettet til Alliander, en av de største energileverandørene i Nederland.

Denne kontrakten representerer en viktig milepæl for eSmart Systems, både med tanke på størrelse, og fordi den bekrefter vår posisjon; ikke bare som det foretrukne valget for store industrielle energileverandører, men også som det eneste selskapet som er i stand til å levere i et slikt omfang.

Henrik Bache

CEO, eSmart Systems

eSmart Systems skal levere en fullstendig, bildebasert, digital anleggsoversikt over Allianders nærmere 60.000 nettstasjoner og kabelskap. Det vil gjøre det mulig for selskapet å analysere tekniske forhold, forutsi og forbedre prosesser for forvaltning av strømnettet, inkludert vedlikehold, samtidig som det kan bidra til lavere kapitalutgifter og en reduksjon av karbonavtrykket.

– Vi er utrolig stolte av å få arbeide med et teknologidrevet foregangsselskap som Alliander. Gjennom dette samarbeidet får vi vist frem hvordan våre konkurransefortrinn innen AI-drevet programvare, teknologisk innovasjon og unike tjenestetilbud kan støtte avgjørende nettvekst, samt tilføre bærekraftig verdi til våre kunder, sier Henrik Bache.

eSmart Systems, som blant annet har Nysnø Climate Investments, Equinor Ventures og Kongsberg Gruppen inne på eiersiden, har fra før en kundeportefølje som omfatter flere av verdens største energiselskaper, deriblant Statnett, Naturgy, Xcel Energy og E.ON.

Med denne kontrakten forventer selskapet tilnærmet å doble sin omsetning i 2024, samt styrke organisasjonen på tvers av landegrenser.

Denne kontrakten viser at teknologien vår er skalerbar og at den har blitt et viktig verktøy for energiselskaper globalt. Med aldrende infrastruktur, økende etterspørsel etter energi og klimaendringer som byr på flere utfordringer, vil behovet for stabilitet i det globale energinettverket fortsette å vokse. eSmart Systems har blitt en viktig del av løsningen.

Vidar Blomvik

Director of Service and Support, eSmart Systems

Om eSmart Systems

eSmart Systems er en ledende leverandør av AI-drevne løsninger for inspeksjon og vedlikehold av kritisk infrastruktur. Selskapet har hovedkontor i Halden i Norge og har mer enn 50 kunder globalt.

Med programvareløsningen Grid Vision^® revolusjonerer selskapet hvordan strømleverandører driver og vedlikeholder sine nett. Grid Vision®er en digital plattform for virtuell inspeksjon av strømnettet på en langt mer effektiv måte enn historisk metodikk. Plattformen sikrer også datakvalitet og lagring av tilstandsvurderinger. eSmart Systems hjelper bedrifter over hele verden med å forbedre datakvalitet, redusere kostnader, forbedre sikkerhet gjennom sikrere inspeksjoner og bidra til lengre levetid for samfunnskritisk infrastruktur.

Om Alliander Group

Alliander-gruppen er ansvarlig for distribusjon av gass og elektrisitet til 3.2 millioner hjem og bedrifter i Nederland. Vi driver 90.000 km elektrisitetsnett og et 40.000 km gassnettverk i seks regioner, inkludert Amsterdam, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Nord-Holland og Sør-Holland. Vår forpliktelse er pålitelig energiforsyning for å sikre at det å bo, jobbe og reise forblir bærekraftig i fremtiden. Det gjør vi ved å utvikle bærekraftige teknologier, innovative måleløsninger og intelligent energiinfrastruktur. Vi er stolte av at nettverkene våre er blant verdens mest pålitelige. Våre 7.000 kolleger sørger for at lysene er på, hjemmene er oppvarmet, og at bedrifter kan fortsette sin virksomhet.

The era of collaboration rather than competition.

Historically, technology and machines, have impacted our way of life significantly ever since the first industrial revolution, when machines replaced human beings for the first time. Since then, every industrial revolution has seen significant change to the way we live, not without voices of concern, but ultimately leading to improved quality of life.

We are now part of the fifth industrial revolution, the focus until now has been on replacing human beings with technological advancements for efficiency gains. But times are changing.

The focus of the fifth industrial revolution is not replacing humans with machines, it is about maximizing the strengths of both. This is the era of synergy; human and machine in collaboration rather than competition, and a new type of teamwork has taken form.

What is Collaborative AI?

The term Collaborative AI realizes this teamwork, AI and humans work together, leveraging each parties’ strength to complete a task. We use the term Collaborative AI at eSmart Systems to describe how AI is utilized in our work flow of inspecting power lines for over 10 years, together with inspectors around the world.

Why would you use AI for grid inspections?

For inspectors, the helping hand of the AI means they can spend more time on high-value tasks that require their expertise and less time on time-consuming tasks like manual processing of thousands of images, which the AI can perform automatically and very quickly. AI also provides objectivity within inspections. The human inspector can get tired and miss things whereas the AI does not get tried.

For example, one inspector can process ~50.000 images per year. One inspection can contain as many as 100.000 images. With AI you can process a lot more images very quickly, with one of our customers for their 3-year inspection program the AI processed over 4.5 million images.

How is Collaborative AI applied to the inspection process?

In our approach the inspectors conduct the inspection of the line at a desk using Grid Vision^® inspection software. The captured data is processed by AI and then an inspector is presented with defect recommendations found by the AI. The inspector validates or invalidates the AI’s suggestions to ensure accuracy and then grades the severity of the defect. Using this approach, the AI learns from the inspector’s feedback and becomes better as a function of time, while it is being trained on grid assets.

Why Collaborative AI?

Our Collaborative AI is purpose built by utility experts and trained on utility assets, creating the best starting point for electric utilities on their AI journey. When applying AI correctly to a virtual inspection program, it can increase the defect detection by 60% and shorten the inspection time by 2/3.

eSmart Systems has innovation at its core, as we strive to deliver the most value to our customers, we are continuously working to learn and improve our work. With the latest trends about Generative AI, we are currently researching the potential of incorporating this technology safely to complement ours, through partnerships with academia and Microsoft.

The role of the AI in virtual inspections is assisting the inspector with time consuming processing and defect detection, a collaboration that will bring value from day one. In line with the fifth industrial revolution, the AI is not there to replace the inspector, it is there to optimize the inspection while maximizing the value of technological advancements and human expertise, in synergy.

If you would like a discussion with our experts on AI or how it can be applied to your inspections, contact us today!

For more insights, listen to our podcast on AI misconceptions.

Schedule a demo at DISTRIBUTECH 2024 and witness the power of Grid Vision^®

eSmart Systems is a leading provider of AI-powered solutions for the inspection and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Our Grid Vision solution provides a data-driven and condition-based approach to infrastructure inspections and asset management.

Discover how Grid Vision is revolutionizing infrastructure inspections for top energy providers at booth #3483 and catch our presentations with some of our utility customers.

Want a free expo ticket? Book a demo at the event and we will send you a free ticket by email.*

*Only available to utilities. First come, first serve.

Book a demo at our booth!

At eSmart Systems, AI is in our DNA. We have been working on AI for infrastructure inspections for over 10 years. Drawing from our successful experience working with 50+ utilities globally, here are 6 things you should consider before starting your AI journey for infrastructure inspections.

1. AI requires validation. You cannot escape this, when dealing with critical assets. The AI suggestions must be validated and this is how the AI learns.
2. Training data is crucial. You need a lot of training data for AI to work successfully. Working with a vendor who has a lot of training data will give you a better starting position on your journey.
3. Use a scaled approach. Apply AI to your most commonly occurring defects first.
4. Focus on business value. AI can be a powerful tool to achieve a business-driven goal. Don’t get side-tracked by AI – focus on your business goal.
5. AI supports Virtual Inspections and should be incorporated into the process and should not be considered in isolation. We have seen innovation projects just focused on measuring AI performance, but this does not tell you the full picture in terms of benefits gained.
6. Beware of unrealistic promises. If you are being promised full automation from day 1, alarm bells should be ringing. AI is a journey and must be trained on your infrastructure. The key is working with a provider who is a subject matter expert.  

If you would like a discussion with our experts on AI or how it can be applied to your inspections, contact us today!

For more insights, listen to our podcast on AI misconceptions.

We pioneered virtual inspections of energy utility assets over 10 years ago, and in that time, we have been asked a lot of questions. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that utilities seek answers to: 

• We have high reliability on our grid, so why would I change my inspection method?  
• We have been inspecting our assets with a proven method for a long time, why change it?  
• I have heard that the AI is not ready yet, so why start implementing it now?  
• Why do it now? We tried this a few years ago and it was more expensive than our traditional methods.

All valid questions, therefore we have put together ten reasons why a utility should add virtual inspections to their inspection program.

1. Improve the safety of your inspections by having fewer people out in the field conducting inspections through foot patrol, climbing towers or inspecting by helicopter. Our approach is that we are hardware agnostic, so you can capture your assets out in the field via various methods and then conduct the actual inspection from your desk.
2. Get a holistic and consistent view of your inspection results and remove subjectivity. One of our customers was outsourcing their asset inspections and getting inaccurate and inconsistent defect results. The customer also climbed towers that did not require climbing resulting in unnecessary costs and safety risks. With our built-in inspection workflow and multiuser experience, they now have a solution that yields results without incurring unnecessary expenses and risks. 
3. Identify more defects than traditional inspection methods. One of our customers identified 60% more defects with our virtual inspection program than when using foot patrols. Read our whitepaper which compares the effectiveness of foot patrols and virtual inspections here.
4. Reduced inspection time. Inspecting the grid at a desk using our solution – Grid Vision^®, allows the inspectors to quickly identify and confirm defect suggestions. One of our customers reduced inspection time per pole by 2/3 by deploying our virtual inspection approach and software.  
5. Reallocation of expensive resources. We all know that there is a skills shortage in the utility industry. With virtual inspections, you do not need to send experienced engineers into the field. You can capture the images and conduct a virtual inspection at your desk. The experienced engineer acting as a subject matter expert only needs to do the quality review using our software. This way your experienced engineers can focus on high-priority and high-value work.  
6. Improve your capital planning. Base your capital planning on accurate data and appropriate risk tolerances. We have supported two of our customers to move over $10 Million of inspection costs from O&M to capital by creating digital assets of their system. 
7. Use the data you are collecting. If you are sending out teams for inspections and collecting data let us ensure you only capture what is necessary and then maximize the usage. With over a decade of experience, we have a proven methodology for data collection to ensure that the captured data is not only suitable for a virtual inspection but for broader use beyond the inspection itself. If you are already spending your budget on collecting data then get it right the first time. 
8. An image tells a 1000 words. With our structured approach, we work with utility customers to collect the right number of images at the correct angle so they can be successfully utilized for a virtual inspection, as well as use cases beyond the inspection. In our approach, we link the images to the right asset, metadata, asset data, inspection data and grid topology and build your image-based digital asset that you can utilize across your organization.  
9. Reduce your environmental and O&M costs by conducting virtual inspections and eliminate verification visits by providing teams access to the image-based digital asset so they can conduct most of the work from their desk and only go out in the field when necessary. Working with one of our customers we estimated they could potentially save 150.000 tons of CO2 per year by adopting our approach across their grid. 
10. Reduce costs and drive efficiency across your organization by utilizing your image-based digital asset. Our customers are now using Grid Vision to identify common vulnerabilities, verify site access, optimize workforce management, capital planning and support regulatory reporting.  

We have given 10 reasons to add virtual inspections to your asset inspection program and we have not even mentioned the value of AI.

Virtual inspections are another inspection method in your toolbox and complement your existing methods. With our approach you don’t replace your current inspection program but add virtual inspections, as certain inspections still require ground patrols like testing pole foundations and drilling for rot, etc. One of our customers has now incorporated virtual inspections as 50% of their inspection program.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today for a free workshop where we can help you see how virtual inspections can support your operations.

• This project will transform WEB’s asset management strategy by providing accurate asset data for all utility assets.   
• eSmart Systems will deliver a program to capture approximately 100.000 assets for inventory. 
• Grid Vision^® will be used to create an image-based digital inventory that represents the physical infrastructure.  

The Bonaire population is growing, and tourism is developing. Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire (WEB) supply water and electricity to 20.000 households, companies and organizations on the island. The project will utilize eSmart Systems Grid Vision^® Asset Digitization solution to capture the required asset information from the field including visual documentation on their substations, MSRs, cabinets, masts, electricity and water meters.  

About WEB Bonaire

Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V. (WEB Bonaire) supplies water and electricity to Bonaire. Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V. (WEB) was founded in 1963 and is owned by the Public Entity of Bonaire (OLB). WEB is responsible for the sustainable, reliable and affordable production and supply of drinking water, electricity distribution, collection and treatment of wastewater and the distribution of irrigation.

www.webbonaire.com  

About eSmart Systems

eSmart Systems is a leading provider of AI-powered solutions for the inspection and maintenance of critical infrastructure. With our software solution, Grid Vision^® we revolutionize how utility companies operate and maintain their transmission and distribution networks. We support utilities globally to reduce inspection costs, make inspections safer, improve the quality of asset data and prolong asset life. eSmart Systems has more than 20 years of international experience in establishing and operating knowledge-based, leading IT and energy-related companies targeting global markets.

Recently, there has been an increased adoption of digital tools to carry out overhead line inspections like the use of drones and cameras to collect imagery or visual data and manually analyze them, but a more efficient and effective method of conducting those inspections is by completely digitalizing the process and using AI technology to analyze and sort out the data. Utilities are looking at software to check the health and performance of transmission and distribution assets as part of a suite of digital tools in order to create agility and safety on that side of their operations.

In an October webinar we did with Xcel Energy, Brian Long, Xcel Energy’s Project Director for Transmission Asset Management, clarified “The main reason we do this is to improve our inventory and really understand the condition of our assets.” With fast and robust data being sent to the utility through virtual inspections, utilities can have a clearer picture of the health and efficiency of their T&D network without sending work crews which saves time, gas and labor money, and reduces worker exposure to job hazards from lines and substations. AI-based inspection solutions can also find more defects than traditional methods, and can be used with modeling tools to help predict issues with assets on a timeline which can increase both efficiency and safety.

The main reason we do this is to improve our inventory and really understand the condition of our assets.

 

 

Brian Long

Xcel Energy’s former Project Director for Transmission Asset Management.

Virtual line inspections provide a wealth of data in conjunction with various sensors and other devices that can be utilized in the decision-making process for all sorts of applications beyond just asset health. The timing of investment decisions can hinge on which systems most need addressing, and having a complete picture of one’s systems through a synthesized data repository can inform and accelerate that process. More granular data can be used to target specific parts or aspects that need addressing rather than more costly replacements of an entire unit or system. Data can also be used to create efficiencies for field crews both in management’s ability to effectively allocate their efforts, and for the crews themselves if they have easy access to the data in the field. The whole of the utility apparatus can be more deft with these data and analytics tools.

The key to unlocking the business value of virtual inspections is a smart plan executed by skilled staff

On our podcast about AI misconceptions, eSmart System’s CTO Erik Asberg said:

I think people sometimes get disappointed when an AI tool doesn’t magically solve their problems. AI isn’t magic, it’s just a tool.

To get the best use out of the data and the analytics, a robust plan with buy-in from the entire organization is necessary to reach the most efficient applications of the data for the highest return of investment in terms of time, money, and safety. It is also prudent to ensure that staff is properly trained to utilize these tools, or partnerships are formed with skilled professionals familiar with these processes. Collaboration and partnership in general can help fill knowledge gaps for an organization looking to onboard more advanced systems. The tools at our disposal are capable of synthesizing a lot, but they are only tools, we cannot forget the human element.

Concluding thoughts.

Throughout this year, we’ve seen many advancements in utility infrastructure and systems as they modernize for resilience and increasing customer expectations. Making the most out of data in transmission and distribution is both part of the modernization process and an accelerant of it. By creating efficiencies in this space utilities can open up resources for further investment and planning. Collecting data can allow for proactive decision-making on upgrading which makes the grid more resilient. With a clearer understanding of assets, workers can be better allocated and hazards can be identified faster. A utility with a good plan, knowledgeable partner, and trained staff that are kept up throughout the process can use virtual inspections alongside a suite of tools to improve not just their T&D, but the whole enterprise.

Contact us today and see how Grid Vision is transforming the way the world’s leading energy providers inspect and maintain critical infrastructure.