Latest news with #electricgrid
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Drones Boost Grid Reliability with Faster Inspection of 400 Miles of Power Lines
JACKSON, Mich., Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy has expanded its use of drone technology across the electric grid by doubling its fleet in the past 2 years reinforcing its commitment to delivering reliable, safe and affordable service. By enhancing inspection speed and accessibility, drones enable the early detection and resolution of potential issues—particularly in areas where traditional inspections are difficult—helping to prevent service disruptions and improve customer experience. "Reliability is at the core of everything we do," said Greg Salisbury, SVP & president of electric distribution at Consumers Energy. "Drones allow us to spot and fix problems before they impact customers, and to respond faster and more safely when outages do occur." What once required helicopters or crews to walk rugged terrain is now being done faster and more affordably, thanks to a growing fleet of 40 drones and 40 licensed pilots—as more teams across the company experience the benefits of drone technology. Power line inspections are the most common use. While the company's helicopter crews inspect approximately 4,000 miles of overhead electric lines each year, there are around 400 miles of lines that are inaccessible due to thick brush, protected airspace or challenging geography in urban areas. This is where drones come in. Equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging, drones provide a bird's-eye view of poles and equipment — capturing photos and video that help team members identify damage or deterioration. This not only supports regular maintenance but also helps pinpoint areas that may need tree trimming to protect nearby lines. "This is no longer experimental — drones are a vital tool in how we inspect and maintain the grid," said Benjamin Strandskov, who leads Consumers Energy's drone program. "They give us a faster, safer way to see what's happening in places we couldn't easily reach before." The benefits also expand from everyday work into storm recovery. After severe weather like the March ice storm in Northern Michigan, drones were deployed in areas that were unsafe to walk in and inaccessible by vehicle. Drones provided critical visibility to speed up a safe restoration by delivering real-time images of damaged infrastructure and confirming that power lines were clear of damage prior to being re-energized. Consumers Energy's drone program and the inclusion of other innovative tools and projects are critical to our long-term strategy to strengthen the grid, reduce outages and prepare for the energy needs of the future as outlined in the company's Reliability Roadmap. These investments helped to reduce customers' average time without power by over 20 minutes last year. Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows job number one is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to delivering reliable, flexible, and affordable energy to our customers 24/7. For more information about Consumers Energy, go to View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Consumers Energy Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
07-08-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Power costs soar in PJM region as data center demand spikes
NEW YORK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Homes and businesses in the largest U.S. electric grid - operated by PJM Interconnection - could face rate increases of up to 60% over the next five years as the energy needs of Big Tech's data centers intensify, according to analysts and consumer advocates. PJM covers the largest amount of data center demand in the world, and the region is becoming a test case for how AI's energy needs will hit homes and businesses, particularly as new electricity supplies are slow to be added. The latest energy auction held in July by the PJM Interconnection to cover electricity needs on peak demand days soared to $329 a megawatt day, a roughly 1,000% jump from two years ago. Those prices funnel down to power bills in PJM's territory, which stretches from the Mid-Atlantic region westward, covering all or part of 13 states and the District of Columbia. Analysts at ICF, a global consulting and technology services firm, said customer power bills in PJM could increase residential retail rates between 30% and 60% by 2030, largely due to rising costs caused by the capacity auctions, which determine the price paid to power plant owners to run overtime during extremely high power use. "This outcome underscores PJM's critical need for capacity, driven largely by surging demand from data centers, which is expected to outpace new generation additions," ICF said. In the short term, PJM expects the recent auction to have a year-over-year impact of 1.5% to 5% on utility bills starting June 2026. That would account for the capacity portion of bills alone, whereas utility spending on power lines and other build-outs and services to meet growing loads will also hit customer bills. With the rest of demand sources in PJM largely flat, data centers are pretty much driving all of those rising costs, said John Quigley, a senior fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "They are ground zero in terms of why we're seeing rising electricity costs," Quigley said. Data centers make up more than 90% of the new power demand PJM estimates it will see by the end of the decade, the grid operator has said in filings. 'While economic growth is welcome in the PJM footprint, we recognize the impact that data centers are having on the system," PJM said in a statement. "We're going to seek to address some of these challenges around reliability and cost with data center owners, consumers and all of our stakeholders, including our states, in the near future." On the supply side, rising power bills on PJM turf are caused by multiple factors, and capacity auctions are one component. The prices from those auctions in recent years take effect about a year out, so price impacts from the latest one in July will take effect next summer. Power bills are also affected by spending by utilities to build power lines and upgrade systems to deliver electricity to homes and businesses. As data centers drive power demand higher and spur the need to build new generation capacity, consumer advocates said they fear residential customers are subsidizing the AI ambitions of wealthy corporations. Some of the biggest utilities in PJM, including AEP (AEP.O), opens new tab and Dominion(D.N), opens new tab , this year announced significant increases to capital expenditure plans to meet new data center demand. That spending is paid for mostly by the public. As a way to soften the financial blow to customers, some utilities, including ones in New Jersey and Maryland, began to offer rebates. Those measures, however, are mostly temporary, and long-term fixes remain unclear if the pace of new power demand outstrips supply. 'We have residential customers providing massive subsidies to some of the wealthiest corporations in the world to support their data centers,' said David Lapp, the head of Maryland's Office of People's Counsel, a state agency that advocates for residential utility consumers. 'It's just a massive transfer of wealth from small customers to data centers.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GE Vernova to buy French AI software provider Alteia
GE Vernova has announced the acquisition of French software company Alteia, which offers AI-driven visual intelligence to enhance electric grid management. In a statement issued on 21 July 2025, the power equipment maker stated that the deal will enhance its ability to provide utilities with visual data solutions, which offer situational intelligence and actionable insights. Financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, with completion anticipated on 1 August 2025. GE Vernova's GridOS suite, part of its electrification software division, equips utilities to manage and maintain power grid stability amid disruptive events such as storms and wildfires. The company already provides Alteia's software via GridOS Visual Intelligence, which uses AI and visual data to help utilities monitor electric grids, assess damage and inspect assets across extensive power lines. GE Vernova cites multiple benefits from purchasing Alteia, which uses AI, computer vision and machine learning to analyse visual data. The deal enhances AI-powered visual data integration with operational systems, improving grid visibility, damage assessment and asset inspection to boost situational awareness, reduce risks and speed up grid restoration. GE Vernova electrification software business CEO Scott Reese stated: 'With this acquisition, we are excited to increase our investment in a critical element of our GridOS offering. 'Together with the Alteia team, whose expertise will help to advance our AI and data-centric vision for GridOS, GE Vernova will be able to solve for critical pain points that our utility customers face every day and help them use visual data and AI in an actionable way to prevent disruptions or restore power quickly. 'This acquisition aims to solidify further our position as a data and AI leader in grid orchestration software and pave the way for additional use cases that could enhance the visual precision needed for modern grid operations.' Alteia CEO Michael de Lagarde stated: 'We started Alteia with the mission to simplify visual data integration and analysis for utilities, a vision that aligns perfectly with GE Vernova's GridOS portfolio. This acquisition is more than just a strategic step - it enhances our ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions to our clients while accelerating our AI roadmap for smarter, more efficient infrastructure operations.' In July 2025, GE Vernova was awarded a contract by TransnetBW to upgrade the Kühmoos substation in southern Germany. The initiative aims to enhance frequency control, ensure voltage reliability and improve electrical power transfer between Germany, France and Switzerland. "GE Vernova to buy French AI software provider Alteia" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
GE Vernova Buying AI Company for Utilities to Check Grid Damage
GE Vernova Inc. is acquiring French software company Alteia SAS as the maker of power generation equipment looks to use artificial intelligence for ways to strengthen the electric grid. Alteia's software processes visual data such as photos using AI, allowing power providers to more easily and cheaply inspect their infrastructure, identify where vegetation should be trimmed and make damage assessments after a storm or wildfire. The deal is part of GE Vernova's strategy to help utilities enhance operational systems, the company said in a statement Monday without disclosing terms for the transaction.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sunrun Inc. (RUN): A Bull Case Theory
We came across a bullish thesis on Sunrun Inc. on Chewy, Inc. on Stock Region Research's Substack by Stock Region. In this article, we will summarize the bull's thesis on RUN. Sunrun Inc.'s share was trading at $7.75 as of June 26th. RUN's trailing and forward P/E were 1.07k and 769.23, respectively, according to Yahoo Finance. Solar panel workers installing a new farm for clean energy generation. Sunrun (RUN), a leading residential solar energy provider, recently demonstrated its growing influence in the renewable energy landscape by dispatching over 340 megawatts of power in a single evening to support the U.S. electric grid. This event highlights not only the operational strength of Sunrun's distributed energy resources but also the increasingly vital role that solar power and battery storage play in ensuring grid stability, especially during periods of high demand. By aggregating and coordinating energy from its vast network of rooftop solar systems and home batteries, Sunrun showcased how decentralized clean energy infrastructure can effectively supplement traditional power sources. This milestone reinforces the strategic advantage of Sunrun's model, which combines solar generation with storage capabilities to deliver flexible, real-time support to utility partners while providing value to homeowners. As energy demand continues to rise and grids face increasing stress from heatwaves and extreme weather, Sunrun's ability to dispatch such a large volume of power positions it as a key player in the future of grid reliability and renewable energy integration. The successful deployment of over 340 megawatts not only proves the scalability of its virtual power plant approach but also paves the way for broader adoption of distributed solar-plus-storage systems. With regulatory support and ongoing technological advancements, Sunrun is well-positioned to capitalize on the accelerating shift toward clean energy. This achievement marks a meaningful step in Sunrun's journey to transform home energy usage and contribute to a more resilient, sustainable power grid. Previously, we covered a on Enphase Energy, Inc. by Elliot in June 2025, which highlighted rising competition, execution risk, and pressure from Tesla's integrated offerings, despite Enphase's stronghold in California and product innovation pipeline. The company's stock price has appreciated by approximately 19% since our coverage. This is because the thesis played out partially, with the market recognizing Enphase's resilience in core markets. Stock Region shares a similar view but emphasizes Sunrun's operational edge and grid-level impact as a distributed energy leader. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of RUN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
