en.Wedoany.com Reported - Electrical Grid Monitoring (EGM) announced that its patented Accurate Fault Location and Detection (AFLD) solution has become the first technology capable of precisely determining the time and location of distribution faults within a single pole span. Based on published industry outage statistics, this capability can reduce customer outage duration in the US from 3 to 5 hours to approximately 1 hour, and lower related utility labor costs from $7 billion annually by about 80% to roughly $1 billion per year.
EGM's fault location solution has been independently tested by the US Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) in blind tests, after which the laboratory provided EGM with test data on fault location accuracy. EGM analysts stated that results from 26 blind test scenarios showed the AFLD solution could locate multiple distribution faults within a single pole span. Dr. Alex Levran, CEO of EGM, said the company's technology represents a significant advancement in grid reliability innovation, offering an affordable solution that accurately identifies fault time and location. He explained that utility workers typically spend two-thirds of their time locating faults and one-third repairing them; by reducing detection and resolution time, EGM's solution could halve outage duration.
US utilities spend approximately $7 billion annually dispatching crews to locate and repair about 2.3 million outages. Typical outages last 2 to 3 hours, with complex terrain potentially extending outages to 7 hours or more. Most interruptions are caused by routine distribution faults, such as tree branches on branch lines, insulator failures, and transient events. The US sees over 10 million utility "truck rolls" each year, with each trip averaging $1,000. Due to "blind spots" in aging, overloaded grid systems lacking detection systems for rapid fault location and identification, annual utility maintenance costs are rising. In the 2025 report "Assessing US Grid Reliability and Security," the DOE warned that without new reliable generation capacity and with continued retirement of existing reliable generation, customer outages could increase by up to 100 times by 2030. The 2025 "DOE Commercial Liftoff Pathways Report" projects US electricity demand will grow by 15% to 20% over the next decade and double by 2050. That same year, the DOE launched the "Accelerating Power Supply" initiative, aiming to expedite timelines for large-scale transmission and generation projects to meet growing grid demands from artificial intelligence, data centers, and reshored manufacturing.
Reliability and affordability are critical, with US electricity prices at historic highs. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) has risen nearly 300% since 2010, and the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) has increased by 160%. The transition to US manufacturing requires lower energy rates. Levran stated that EGM's Meta Alert system offers a cost-effective solution by reducing grid management costs and complements future grid configurations associated with large data centers. He also noted that EGM is relocating its manufacturing facilities to the US to improve efficiency and reduce customer costs and supply chain risks.
EGM's Meta-Alert system goes beyond fault detection, collecting critical electrical, mechanical, and environmental data such as voltage, cable temperature, humidity, wind speed, and power line movement. The system can quickly identify events caused by strong winds or fallen trees within minutes, generating actionable data and real-time dashboards for operators. Applications provided by the Meta-Alert system include: power quality, wildfire protection, fault location, dynamic line rating, and general telemetry. Utilities can benefit from reduced service costs, prevention of major outages, and decreased energy congestion. EGM deploys sensor clusters at strategic feeder locations, with each sensor directly clamped onto power lines, capturing comprehensive fault signatures and measuring dozens of previously unavailable parameters. Data is transmitted in real-time to EGM's Meta-Alert software, which uses patented algorithms to triangulate fault locations. With a return on investment (ROI) of less than one year, EGM's products help maintain lower energy rates.
Unlike traditional pole-mounted devices that require sensors on every pole, EGM deploys sensor clusters at strategic feeder locations. Alternatives to EGM's system each have limitations—other solutions cannot identify location or other key parameters, or require sensors on every pole, which is impractical at utility scale covering millions of poles; other high-end solutions are too costly for all but the largest utilities. Energy Growth Momentum, a London-based private equity firm focused on advancing digital solutions for decarbonized electricity, has invested in EGM, leading its Series B funding round, bringing EGM's total current funding to over $40 million. Chris Holcroft, an investor and board member of the company, stated that digital solutions can provide reliability, efficiency, and affordability at a fraction of the cost of new infrastructure, and EGM offers a complete, low-cost solution for most utilities, with the US market potentially saving $7 billion to $20 billion annually in fault location costs. EGM is currently collaborating with the Israel Electric Corporation and several US investor-owned utilities and cooperatives to deploy the technology on their actual distribution networks.
Data sources: US Public Service Commission data, Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form 861. EGM pilot study results were presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference in May 2026. NLR testing was conducted as part of its grid modernization and energy systems research activities; mention of EGM technology does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or certification by NLR, the US Department of Energy, or the US government.
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