The challenge
A Northeastern utility’s storm preparation plans were affected by inaccurate outage prediction and reactive planning because of limited forecast data that didn’t account for utility infrastructure or vegetation conditions. Unreliable response plans and delayed mutual assistance requests meant the utility risked financial penalties, wasted resources, a longer estimated time of restoration, and customer complaints.
The solution
The utility chose E Source’s GridInform Storm Insight, a solution designed specifically to help utilities enhance their storm preparedness through AI-powered predictive analytics.
E Source reviewed and cleaned the utility’s existing data, including infrastructure data, before blending it with a comprehensive range of third-party variables to generate accurate and dynamic predictive insights.
The results
GridInform Storm Insight improved the utility’s outage prediction accuracy by 20% three days before a storm.
Additionally, it reduced storm response costs by 25% and helped the utility exceed its goal of restoring power to 95% of customers within 24 hours of a storm.
The utility has now implemented GridInform Storm Insight across its other operating companies to enhance storm readiness and operations.