Utilities Tech Outlook Weekly Brief
Be first to read the latest tech news, Industry Leader's Insights, and CIO interviews of medium and large enterprises exclusively from Utilities Tech Outlook
Electric utilities with a modernized grid can benefit from Edge computing solutions to process, examine, and gather insights from a pool of data from connected devices
Fremont, CA: The shift to renewable energy is accelerating as it accounts for a third of global energy capacity and has created a different level of grid complexity where energy flows in two directions. Utilities face challenges brought by legacy infrastructure and aging electric grid systems, cyber and physical threats, and strict regulatory and compliance requirements.
The need for grid modernization has become even more critical due to the issues facing the utility industry. Utilities need to modernize the grid to finance new and novel technologies like Edge computing and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that can turn operational data to actionable intelligence. 
Electric utilities with a modernized grid can benefit from Edge computing solutions to process, examine, and gather insights from a pool of data from connected devices. These insights allow utilities to control and track the broad range of operations with greater detail, making way for new data-driven use cases.
Here are three Edge features in the utility industry:
Predictive Maintenance
With the use of Edge and IoT solutions, utilities can monitor data from equipment to enhance predictive maintenance, prevent disruptive outages, and alleviate costly customer and regulatory penalties.
Remote Inspections
Today’s aging infrastructure has increased the requirement for more frequent remote inspection potentials that uses compute vision cameras with built-in artificial intelligence and machine learning skills.
With the help of computing vision solutions, electric providers can remotely inspect systems, facilities, and the grid through aerial, fixed, and drone cameras. With the implementation of Edge solutions, utilities can all together run algorithms to study and note the conditions of inspected assets to focus on the areas that need urgent attention.
Safety and Security
Thermal vision cameras on drones can check transmission and distribution lines, switch equipment, and other assets to detect temperature differences, identifying operational malfunctions, safety concerns, and security threats.
Analytics at Edge connects devices to make faster decisions to activate hazard alerts that notify grid operators to take actions. Meanwhile, cybersecurity at the Edge can shield against malicious cyber attacks and reduce the risk of unauthorized activity on the network.
See also: Top Contract Metal Manufacturing Solution Companies
