CTC Global recently announced the launch of the GridVista System that provides utilities with real-time, high-resolution data to optimize grid capacity, prevent outages, reduce wildfire risk, and lower operational costs.
With the launch of the GridVista System, CTC is also announcing a deepening of its strategic partnership with Google Cloud and Tapestry—Alphabet’s moonshot for the electric grid.
GridVista System’s unprecedented line awareness, paired with Google Cloud and Tapestry’s AI-powered tools, will transform line data into actionable intelligence for the grid, a release by CTC Global said.
Transmission line intelligence
The GridVista System redefines transmission line intelligence by utilizing optical fibers embedded directly within CTC Global’s ACCC Conductor. Unlike legacy technology that relies on external sensors to estimate line conditions, GridVista provides direct visibility into strain, temperature, and vibration across the entire length of a line. This allows utilities to identify “hidden” capacity in real-time, pinpoint precise fault locations to prevent wildfires, and shift from reactive maintenance to predictive, data-driven solutions.
Next-generation capabilities
“Real-time visibility into transmission lines is a game-changer for utilities seeking to improve performance, lower operating risk and reduce costs,” said J.D. Sitton, CEO of CTC Global. “This new technology addresses critical utility pain points and represents truly next generation capabilities. CTC’s innovation and partnership with Google Cloud and Tapestry are ushering in a new era of grid intelligence.”
High-resolution hardware intelligence
Line intelligence from embedded optical fibers is shared continuously to the GridVista platform, where advanced analytics are applied to unlock new capacity, relieve congestion, and detect critical events.
By turning transmission lines from static infrastructure into intelligent network assets, the GridVista System will reduce the decade-long wait and massive capital costs associated with building new infrastructure, and these savings can be passed on to ratepayers.
“The GridVista System is an engineering breakthrough,” said Kevin Corbalis, chief technology officer of CTC Global. “Its insights will deliver value to multiple functions across the utility—engineering, operations, asset management, planning—to reduce risk and improve performance.”
AI-driven insights with Google Cloud
The GridVista System runs on Google Cloud’s high-performance infrastructure and is augmented by an advanced suite of Google Cloud technologies—Vertex AI, BigQuery data warehousing, Earth Engine and Google Maps imagery analytics, and WeatherNext environmental forecasting—to transform data into actionable insights. This intelligence allows operators to identify hidden capacity and optimize existing assets, enabling the delivery of affordable, reliable power to meet the record demands of electrification.
AI-enhanced planning with Tapestry
Tapestry will integrate high-fidelity data from GridVista into its comprehensive, virtualized grid model. By combining these operating insights with Tapestry’s AI-enabled tools, grid operators and project developers can run sophisticated simulations of line conditions. This precision allows for better planning and operating decisions, enabling partners to meet load growth by finding and harnessing the existing grid’s untapped potential.
Also read: CTC Global opens production facility in India, fifth worldwide