GE Vernova and Systems With Intelligence (SWI), on August 27, 2024, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the CIGRE event in Paris to develop advanced substation monitoring solutions.
Through this collaboration the companies aim to integrate technologies like gas sensing, bushing monitoring and infrared thermography, along with AI and ML. The goal is to advance grid asset management by integrating SWI’s cutting-edge infrared thermography and touchless monitoring systems with GE Vernova’s Grid Automation business’s expertise in monitoring & diagnostic solutions of grid assets.
The initial focus of this collaboration will be on substation monitoring, where the companies will integrate their leading technologies to deliver converged monitoring and diagnostic intelligence, significantly enhancing asset management capabilities. This could streamline monitoring for utilities and Transmission System Operators (TSO’s), enabling earlier issue detection and leading to a more reliable, efficient, and stable power grid.
“Today’s asset managers are flooded with data from a myriad of sensing devices provided by various vendors. This often leads to fragmented data silos, requiring multiple software tools to manage and analyze the data independently,” said Graham McGuigan, Product Line Leader for Monitoring & Diagnostics at GE Vernova. “Our collaboration with SWI is a step towards unifying these data streams into a more cohesive and intelligent monitoring system.”
Angelo Rizzo, President and CEO of SWI, added, “By combining different sensing techniques, we can create solutions that offer enhanced diagnostic intelligence while simplifying the user experience. This collaboration is a significant move towards achieving that goal.”
First outcome
The first tangible outcome of this collaboration will be the integration of SWI’s fixed infrared sensors into GE Vernova’s DGA 900 Plus, a state-of-the-art multi-gas transformer monitoring system that monitors the health of power transformers by detecting early signs of problems and helps prevent transformer failures, ensuring a reliable and efficient power supply. This enhanced new solution, expected to be commercially available in early 2025, will allow asset managers to incorporate infrared thermography directly within the DGA 900 Plus platform, which already includes capabilities for dissolved gas analysis, bushing monitoring, and predictive modeling.
Expanding the collaboration
Looking ahead, GE Vernova and SWI plan to expand their collaboration to include the integration of SWI’s pan/tilt substation-level infrared sensors within GridBeatsTM Asset Vision substation monitoring solution, further advancing the capabilities of electrical grid asset management. GridBeatsTM is GE Vernova’s Grid Automation business’s portfolio of software defined automation solutions for grid digitalization.
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