Preparing Europe for the future – why data must take the lead for resilience

The energy transition demands a deeper understanding of low voltage networks – an area that has historically lacked visibility. Large parts of energy distribution networks, particularly at the medium voltage and secondary substation levels, remain blind spots. Without visibility in these critical areas, issues such as overload, losses, power quality degradation and intermittent faults often go undetected until they escalate into failures.

At Lucy Electric, we forge strong partnerships with network operators to illuminate these blind spots. These enduring relationships – some spanning over a century – enable us to support our customers effectively. By combining deep network expertise with local knowledge, we’ve co-created powerful digital tools that deliver essential network visibility.

Unlocking data from grid assets allows utility operators to remotely monitor networks, detect vulnerabilities and take pre-emptive action to prevent faults – reducing outages and customer minutes lost. Capturing and analysing key data points across the grid is vital for predictive maintenance and building true network resilience.

LV network monitoring

Capturing and assessing live load profiles on specific assets can provide a clearer picture of network behaviour and valuable operational insights. By collecting and analysing data from substations and feeders, monitoring systems offer a granular view of electricity consumption and asset health across the grid.

LV network monitoring plays a vital role in this process. It enables operators to detect early signs of stress or inefficiency, such as phase imbalances, voltage drops, or overloads, before they escalate into faults. This visibility supports faster decision-making, improves fault response times, and enhances overall network reliability.

Lucy Electric’s GridKey solution is purpose-built for LV substation monitoring. Sensors fitted on each phase of a feeder collect live data on loading and fault conditions. This data is securely transmitted to a central platform for analysis, enabling operators to access insights via a graphical portal or integrate them into existing systems.

GridKey enables network operators to use this network visibility to support fault investigations, plan maintenance, and make informed decisions about network reinforcement. Ultimately, LV monitoring transforms reactive maintenance into proactive management – reducing outages, improving efficiency and enhancing overall grid resilience.

AI enables a more efficient grid

A key application where network visibility combined with AI enhances grid resilience is proactive fault detection and location – one of the biggest challenges for operators. Transitioning from a reactive to a predictive strategy is transformative, enabling utilities to identify and locate faults before they cause disruption. This shift helps prevent unplanned outages and costly repairs, with AI playing a critical role.

Pre-emptive maintenance is essential for managing aging cable assets, which are under increasing strain due to widespread electrification and evolving supply and demand patterns.

To address this need, we developed Synaps, our AI-powered fault location solution. Synaps combines deep learning with advanced signal processing to deliver accurate fault location and predictive analytics, enhancing both operational response and long-term asset management.

Meeting the challenges of electrification and rising electricity demand requires technologies that not only monitor the grid but also deliver actionable intelligence. By deploying Lucy Electric’s LV monitoring technology alongside Synaps, utilities can significantly improve the resilience of their LV networks.

Shaping future energy networks

Understanding load profiles across the LV network also helps address technical losses and theft, while ensuring power quality standards are maintained. GridKey and Synaps support network reinforcement and asset replacement planning by providing insights into load and voltage behaviour.

These solutions help utilities adapt to the evolving demands of the network and support the integration of low carbon technologies. Whether a customer is charging an EV, heating their home, or exporting surplus power from solar panels, we enable proactive fault management to prevent supply interruptions.

At Lucy Electric, we’re proud to be driving this change – empowering our customers to evolve with confidence and helping shape the energy networks of the future.

Managing modern OT devices 

Modernising power grids brings a surge in IP-connected devices, creating operational and security hurdles, including managing firmware, legacy system integration, and securing a broader attack surface – all while ensuring uptime. To solve these issues, we have developed a vendor agnostic solution called Remote Edge Device Manager, which offers flexible deployment for substations, field engineers and technicians.

Remote Edge Device Manager is cyber security compliant and offers simple, secure authentication with just Single Sign-On (SSO), avoiding the need of remembering individual device passwords, IP addresses or port details. The access control is further enhanced with role and function-based access, there by restricting access to vendor tools, versions and functions. Tasks related to password updates, configuration and firmware management, including fault and event log collection, can be fully automated to drive operational efficiency. The tool provides comprehensive audit logging by tracking and recording all device changes for full traceability.

The result, simplified secure access and centralised management of diverse OT devices across complex environments.

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At Lucy Electric, we’re proud to be driving network understanding—empowering our customers to evolve with confidence and helping shape the energy networks of the future.

For more information about Lucy Electric LV monitoring technologies, contact us here.

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