Alstom and Ampacimon have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly deliver electric utility solutions to help utilities increase the power flow through existing overhead lines of their grids.
Under the deal, Alstom Grid’s e-terra 3.0 suite of control room software solutions will be combined with Ampacimon’s Dynamic Line Rating technology, which will allow operators to increase the usable capacity of their transmission grid.
Operators can also increase visibility of their networks by monitoring their overhead lines in real-time to help increase load and prevent overloading and detect line issues.
Alstom said Ampacimon’s system uses autonomous Vibration Monitors to acquire data on the actual behaviour of the overhead lines to measure sag and actual ambient condition in order to determine the maximum allowable load as well as detect icing.
The acquired data will be then transmitted to Alstom Grid’s e-terraplatform 3.0 energy management system at the dispatching control centre and will be incorporated into the operators’ network view.
Alstom Grid vice president of network management systems Karim El-Naggar said the company’s e-terra 3.0 solutions address the demanding requirements of the Smart Grid transformation by increasing grid operators’ capabilities to manage the variability of renewable energy resources.
"Accessing Ampacimon’s DLR data brings valuable information to the fingertips of grid operators helping them to monitor the finer limits of their networks and utilize the untapped capacity," El-Naggar added.