Xcel Energy is installing LineVision’s V3 transmission line monitoring system in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin to increase grid capacity and safety.

Massachusetts-based LineVision’s non-contact overhead line monitoring can add upwards of 40% additional capacity to congested power lines.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Xcel Energy is a utility that provides the energy powering millions of homes and businesses across eight western and midwestern states. It operates more than 32,000km of transmission lines.

The plan is to deploy LineVision’s non-invasive technology across transmission lines in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin. This project is a collaboration between Xcel Energy, LineVision and Oak Ridge National Lab, and the data collected will be analysed as part of a study on advanced line ratings.

“Xcel Energy is excited to be a leader in testing the benefits of dynamic line ratings,” said Michael Lamb, senior vice president at Xcel Energy. “These pilot projects will help the company and our industry assess their value as we pursue our vision to deliver 100% carbon free electricity to our customers by 2050.”

The installations at several locations will include a critical long river crossing, aged assets and areas of potential wildfire risk. The deployment will use all three LineVision analytical modules: LineHealth,which evaluates the current condition of conductors, helping Xcel determine when and what types of maintenance are required; LineRate, which can increase conductor capacity with forecasted line ratings and real-time dynamic line ratings; and LineAware,technology that provides real-time situational awareness, triggering real-time alerts to support corrective actions that protect reliability and public safety.

“We are rapidly moving to a renewable-powered future,” said Hudson Gilmer, chief executive officer of LineVision. “Utilities are facing the challenge of maintaining system reliability while integrating record levels of renewables and with increasingly severe weather events. Xcel Energy is at the forefront of innovative thinking on how to solve these issues and we are delighted to work with them.”

LineVision’s sensors collect real-time data on critical parameters of overhead power lines including line temperature, sag, horizontal motion and anomalous motion. The data are collected using Velodyne’s lidar sensors, which allow installation without having to de-power a transmission line.

According to several studies, congestion on power lines contributes to $8bn in losses annually across the USA’s electric grid. Dynamic line ratings enabled by LineVision should help unlock additional capacity on Xcel’s transmission lines allowing more renewable energy sources to be added to the grid.