Tech companies Linevision and GE Grid Solutions team up to unlock additional capacity for transmission lines.
Until now, nearly a terawatt of zero-carbon generating capacity is yet to be hooked on electrical grids, which is enough to decarbonize 80% of US electricity by the decade's end.
In order to provide utilities with a more thorough way to monitor their transmission lines and increase the amount of electricity they can safely carry, LineVision will reportedly collaborate with GE's Grid Solutions division, according to TechCruch. This partnership will see LineVision integrating its dynamic line rating technology with complementary offerings from GE.
In this project, transmission lines will be operated in real-time for the first time in New York, utilizing Dynamic Line Rating technology to improve grid performance.
What Is Linevision, GE Grid Solutions?
LineVision is currently the world's only provider of non-contact overhead power line monitoring systems. Meanwhile, GE Grid Solutions is a renewable energy business that offers advanced grid technologies and expertise to help electrify the world and accelerate the energy transition.
Recently, PR Newswire reported that LineVision's sensors will be installed on transmission lines in western New York to increase grid capacity and reduce curtailment of planned renewable generation projects. Because of this, LineVision has been researching ways to increase the capacity of existing transmission lines for the past five years.
With Linevision currently working on growing its alliances with significant utilities, GE Grid Solutions would be a suitable company to partner up with to help fortify the electrical grid.
How Will Linevision, GE Grid Solutions Partnership Affect The Electrical Grid?
In order to create a sustainable electrical grid in the US, the grid needs significant changes with the help of these new partnerships. The US electrical grid was initially built with large fossil fuel power plants in mind, not distributed renewable sources, so it is outdated, and aging 70% of transmission lines are more than 25 years old.
"Our utility clients know that increased renewable integration and electrification requires a flexible and dynamic grid," said CTO of GE Grid Automation Claudia Cosoreanu. "Dynamic System Rating will change how utility operators optimize the grid and enable them to integrate more renewables using the same infrastructure. This will reduce the amount of investment needed to reach decarbonization goals and keep the electricity costs to affordable levels for everyone."
New transmission lines, however, which are the big, high-tension wires that support the grid, are pricey and begin at around one million dollars per mile and increase from there, depending on the voltage and the location of the construction.
Thus, Linevision's involvement helped unlock additional capacity on existing transmission lines, as a $33 million Series C sponsored by Climate Innovation Capital and S2G Ventures was recently closed by the company, according to Yahoo.
With the additional capital, the business has expanded its staff and relocated to new offices close to Greentown Labs, where it was initially incubated in Somerville, Massachusetts. It has also been growing its alliances with significant utilities.
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