In recent years, dynamic line rating technologies have experienced a remarkable uptick, mirroring an escalating demand to maximize the efficiency of existing electrical grids. This innovative approach utilizes temperature and meteorological data to determine periods when the grid can accommodate increased electrical flow, potentially enabling a surge of up to 30% more electricity without necessitating the construction of new transmission infrastructures.
However, hardware enhancements represent merely a fragment of the overarching solution. The startup Splight claims it can nearly double the available capacity on current power lines through its “dynamic congestion management” (DCM) system.
Recently, Splight secured an investment of $12.4 million to propel its commercial growth, as reported by Latitude Media.
Splight’s DCM software “introduces a fundamentally novel layer of grid reliability by assimilating real-time data and employing a proprietary machine-learning algorithm to convert” what it identifies as “fast-responding assets’—including batteries and data centers—“into enhanced resilience for the system.” The company asserts its technology can “consistently unlock up to 100% more transmission capacity on existing infrastructure.”
“It is dynamically assessing the grid every millisecond,” stated Splight CEO Fernando Llaver in an interview with Latitude. “For us, dynamic line rating could be an advantageous feature of DCM, yet it is not a complete solution. To genuinely advance more transmission projects, controlling the parameters is essential.”
Since its inception four years ago, the San Francisco-based firm has witnessed its order book multiply, at least doubling or tripling annually. Initially, operations focused on Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, but Splight has also implemented its technology on a smaller scale across Texas and Midwestern grids in the United States.
“Such hands-on experience is exceptionally impressive and rare at this nascent stage,” remarked Carolin Funk, a partner at venture capital firm Blue Bear Capital, which spearheaded the latest funding round. “What Splight exemplifies is the capability of achieving more with less.”
One of the compelling factors that attracted Funk’s firm to Splight was its software’s ability to operate without the need for additional sensors to monitor temperatures on power lines. “Many DLR solutions require the installation of sensors and supplementary hardware,” she elucidated. “After exploring those options, we discovered Splight.”
This increasing skepticism regarding the limitations of hardware-centered solutions for grid congestion is becoming more prevalent. It aligns with the philosophy underpinning Gridraven, a startup leveraging artificial intelligence to facilitate grid enhancements without the financial burden of installing sensors along transmission lines.
This company, which recently relocated its headquarters from Estonia to the United States, utilizes AI alongside weather forecasting to compute hourly metrics of how much power can safely traverse when transmission infrastructures are at risk of overload.
“DLR technology poised to revolutionize our grid appears fundamentally distinct from sensor-dependent versions that have struggled to achieve scalability,” asserted Gridraven CEO Georg Rute in a guest commentary for Latitude Media this past May. “The transformative breakthrough lies not in augmenting hardware but rather in its complete elimination.”
Nonetheless, Splight’s approach employs an entirely different framework: more a control methodology than an enhanced method of grid surveillance.
The Splight funding agreement, structured as a simple agreement for future equity contract, will facilitate the expansion of the company’s North American and European offices.
“We possess a singular offering, and this investment enables us to concentrate on commercial scaling while still remaining ahead of the competition,” stated Llaver. “We are still the only entity in this specific market.”
Source link: Latitudemedia.com.
