AI Power Solutions Dominate at Distributech 2025, Part 2

Artificial intelligence was a dominant theme at Distributech 2025 in Dallas this week. Many power industry leaders and startups are integrating AI into their latest products and services. More than 700 exhibits featured improved and enhanced ways to deliver and manage power smoothly and effectively.

In Part 2 of our onsite coverage, we highlight innovations that caught our attention at this year’s DTech. 

G&W Electric demonstrates its reclosers at Distributech 2025. 

ThinkLabs AI

AI-driven grid solution specialist ThinkLabs AI announced the launch of a “physics-informed AI Agent” to provide utilities with real-time, data-driven visibility into electric distribution networks.

The company’s AI Agent is a specialized distribution system state estimation module that can operate alone or integrate with grid management systems. As power grids become more complex with increased solar, flexible loads, and distributed energy resources, utilities need increased intelligence provided by AI to optimize power flow, prevent failures, integrate resources, and support load growth.

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric’s One Digital Grid Platform is an integrated, AI-powered system designed to enhance grid resiliency, reliability, and efficiency.

Developed with Microsoft, Esri, and Uplight, the platform provides the data and technical foundation to integrate a range of independent software solutions. This allows utilities to accelerate grid modernization and deliver clean, more affordable energy in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Switched Source

Switched Source is expanding its domestic manufacturing capabilities. The company will build a $5 million, 20,000-square-foot facility in the Chicagoland area. This is expected to increase current production capacity by 150%, allowing the company to deliver at least 50 of its Phase-EQ technology units per year.

Phase-EQ unit. Image used courtesy of Switched Source

The Phase-EQ system acts as an intelligent traffic system for the electricity grid, continuously mitigating phase imbalances, stabilizing voltage fluctuations, and optimizing system efficiency. It is easily installed as a pad-mounted transformer. The device also extends the lifespan of existing assets to reduce operational costs.

LineVision

LineVision showcased LineAware, a platform using continuous sensor data (including direct measurement of wind speed) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to provide utility operators with hyper-local transmission line wind forecast data. It also monitors conditions like conductor sag, blowout, and icing. 

LineVision’s monitoring system. Image used courtesy of LineVision

LineVision has determined that simply modeling wind speeds can result in uncertainty because factors like hills, valleys, trees, and buildings can significantly impact wind speeds within utility right-of-ways. According to the company, wind speed can be overestimated by 70 percent and underestimated by 20 percent. By adding active wind data collection to augment CFD models, utility companies can reduce risks and enhance grid reliability.

Southern States

Southern States LLC, based in Georgia, introduced several cost-effective, easy-to-integrate products to help strengthen grid resiliency. The company’s Smart Automation Module (SAM) and Smart Automation Management System (SAMS) allow software simple and safe solutions for fault detection, isolation, and restoration.

Recloser. Image used courtesy of Southern States

SAM and SAMS allow decentralized distribution automation, which gives utilities flexibility to install as many modules as needed while also prioritizing areas most at risk. With a user-configurable software interface, SAMS allows utilities to simply and efficiently configure its automation criteria to automatically begin isolation and restoration sequences while redirecting nearby lines to other operating power sources to minimize outages.

G&W Electric

G&W Electric announced the latest version of its Viper-ST recloser featuring expanded voltage and current ratings (up to 170 kV BIL and 1000 A continuous current), allowing it to address the growing demands of present and future electrical power distribution systems.

Viper-ST recloser. Image used courtesy of G&W Electric

The Viper-ST recloser is lightweight, compact, and site-ready for faster deployment while ensuring greater safety and easy installation in pole-mount, substation, and pad-mounting configurations. High-performance epoxy encapsulation is used to deliver superior high-voltage insulation and to provide environmental protection.

Sense and Landis+Gyr

Sense and Landis+Gyr have announced a collaboration to bring 1 MHz sampling to the Landis+Gyr Revelo smart grid metering system. Sense is a Smart Meter software creator that provides grid-enhancement software for management and customer engagement.

Revelo meter. Image used courtesy of Landis+Gyr

With 1MHz processing combined with on-meter AI, utilities can get real-time visibility and intelligence, allowing them to detect arc faults and other safety threats before they escalate. Sense has also developed its new EV Edge App, allowing utilities to actively manage electric vehicle charging to balance peak loads and DER integration.

Nuclearn

Nuclearn showcased its secure, AI-driven solutions for the nuclear industry. The company combines nuclear engineering expertise with advanced AI to automate complex workflow processes across plant design, licensing, construction, and operations.

CapAI. Image used courtesy of Nuclearn

Nuclearn uses its privately trained foundation model created from large amounts of public nuclear data. It is the world’s first private, nuclear-specific generative AI model. Nuclearn, founded in 2021, is currently working with over half the reactors across North America.

Oracle

Oracle introduced its Oracle Utilities Network Management System (NMS), which has features to help control room operators and program managers manage distributed energy resources.

Oracle NMS. Image used courtesy of Oracle

NMS helps optimize grid performance and integrate renewable energy resources using a single, unified model. It combines outage, distribution, DER, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system management with analytics and advanced applications. This allows utilities to deploy required components as needed in a cost-effective and phased approach and lets users address extreme weather events with rapid response, restoration, and decentralization. Oracle NMS is currently used by six of the top 10 U.S. utilities, supporting more than 61 million customers.

Honeywell

Honeywell will integrate Innowatts as an application on its Honeywell Forge Performance+ for Utilities platform, using AI to aid in managing grid operations for electric utilities. Innowatts can provide Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) modules to provide forecasts to better understand energy consumption on the grid.

Digitized grid visualization. Image used courtesy of Honeywell

Honeywell also announced it will work with Verizon Business to provide Verizon 5G connectivity to Honeywell smart meters, allowing utilities and end users to access data remotely for better energy and resource management and streamlining operations.

GridUnity

New Jersey-based GridUnity has launched GridSync, a centralized communication, data validation, study management, and construction coordination platform for transmission owners (TOs). The platform provides the tools needed to handle increasing interconnection volumes while eliminating reliance on spreadsheets and manual handoffs.

When combined with the company’s GridInterConnect, a complete interconnection intelligence network can be created so that TOs can bring energy to the grid faster. GridUnity customers currently serve over 50 percent of the U.S. population’s energy needs.

Percepto

Texas-based drone specialist Percepto announced a remote inspection service for electrical power distribution grids.

Inspection drone. Image used courtesy of Percepto

AI is combined with thermal anomaly detection designed specifically for power distribution systems. Percepto’s autonomous drone-in-a-box solution can launch and retrieve without human intervention. The company handles the installation and remote operations and performs any necessary ongoing maintenance, allowing utilities to seamlessly scale up their inspection activities.