The energy sector has found itself at the epicenter of a rapidly changing world. As we navigate through extreme weather events and escalating cyber threats, the call for resilience and innovation in energy infrastructure has never been louder. U.S. utilities, acknowledging the magnitude of these challenges, are channeling billions into fortifying grid resilience. This investment spree is not just about weathering the storm; it's a strategic move to future-proof our energy systems.

From the deployment of cutting-edge microgrids designed to provide localized energy generation and distribution, to the strategic under-grounding of power lines to mitigate the risk of outages during severe weather, the industry's response has been both swift and multifaceted. These measures are not merely reactive; they're a testament to the sector's commitment to embracing change and safeguarding our energy future.

The importance of electric-gas coordination and meticulous planning in grid recovery post-blackouts was underscored in a recent FERC-NERC report. This collaborative approach highlights the sector's recognition of the intricate interdependencies within our energy systems and the need for a unified response to emergencies.

In an unprecedented move, the Department of Energy announced the 'largest-ever investment in America’s grid,' earmarking $3.5 billion across 44 states. This monumental investment is a clear signal of the priority being placed on enhancing grid infrastructure to meet the demands of the present and anticipate the needs of the future.

And the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned that much of North America faces an 'elevated risk' of blackouts under extreme winter conditions. This stark reminder emphasizes the critical need for energy companies to innovate and optimize their operations to withstand and quickly recover from such challenges.

In this transformative era, energy companies are not merely facing a choice but a necessity to evolve. The shift towards automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in field processes is no longer an option but an imperative. By harnessing these technologies, companies can significantly enhance the understanding of their assets, improve worker safety, and make faster, more informed decisions by optimizing how data is captured, stored and made accessible. This pivot from traditional, manual processes to a digital-first approach is at the heart of ensuring operational efficiency, seamless compliance, and ultimately, the resilience of our energy systems.

Cloneable stands at the forefront of this transformation, offering tailored applications that empower energy companies to navigate these challenges with actionable insights and intelligent decisions. As we delve into the nuances of this shift, let's explore how the energy sector is leveraging automation and AI to redefine field processes and secure a sustainable, resilient energy future.

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Why the Shift Away from Paper is Power

Traditionally, the energy sector has been a bastion of manual, paper-based processes—think mountains of maintenance logs, inspection reports, and service records, all physically filed away in cabinets. These methods are not just archaic; they're slow, prone to human error, and incredibly inefficient. Yet nearly every company in this sector faces manual touchpoints across every aspect of their field ops, a stark contrast to the automation that has begun in the back-office environment. In a sector with many distributed assets where speed and accuracy are paramount, digitization and automation are a compelling alternative.  

Energy companies are now harnessing these technologies to gain a real-time understanding of their assets, significantly improving worker safety, and making faster, more informed decisions. The transition from paper to digital doesn't just mean swapping notebooks for tablets; it's about embracing a new paradigm that is technology-centric where experts can scale their knowledge and replicate decision-making expertise to people and machines in the field.

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Walk with Automation so you can Run with AI

Across the globe, forward-thinking energy companies are leading the charge in this digital revolution. Adapting current processes that are as simple as using an iPad to digitize data entry and as complex as running AI on a drone to take automatic inventory of pole infrastructure. The tools to achieve field automation are accessible and improving at an astounding rate.  

For instance, drones are being deployed at increasing scale to inspect power lines and pipelines, covering vast distances with precision and speed unattainable by human workers and identifying potential issues faster before they lead to failures. Smart sensors along critical infrastructure monitor everything from temperature to vibration, predict maintenance needs before breakdowns occur. This proactive approach to maintenance can significantly reduce downtime and extend the lifespan of valuable assets.

To take advantage of these modernizations and the value they provide will often require a crawl, walk, run approach that brings archaic processes into the digital era before applying more advanced technologies like AI. As the CEO of Dell recently stated: You want to bring AI to your data, not your data to AI. A strong foundation of structured data is a must – enter automation – before AI can be effectively applied.  

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Introducing Cloneable's Energy-Specific Applications

Cloneable is excited to announce a focus on energy-specific templates designed to tackle the industry's unique challenges. Aging infrastructure, stricter regulations, and evolving customer demands are placing unprecedented pressure on energy companies. Navigating this terrain requires actionable insights gleaned directly from the field, where your most critical assets reside, eliminating heavy cost and time spent on data collection and processing, and applying the latest technologies to improve and scale decision-making.

Cloneable leverages the best in cutting-edge technology while eliminating the need for technical expertise to seamlessly collect, process, and analyze data at the source, transforming raw information into intelligent decisions.

• Manage risk in the field with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring operational efficiency and seamless compliance.
• Deploy AI-powered vision systems that autonomously detect, classify, and report damage, lowering SAIDI score, and safeguarding technician safety.
• Streamline inventory management with real-time asset tracking, optimizing maintenance schedules, and extending asset lifespans.
• Bridge the gap between design and reality with instant as-built verification, eliminating costly rework and ensuring project integrity.

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Cloneable’s Energy Application Line-up

Cloneable applications can be tailored to any business process in minutes: update order of operation, align to your internal language and systems, deployable to any device.  

Construction Verification

Build it right, the first time. Compare as-designed models with field reality in real-time, using your mobile device. Instantly spot discrepancies between designed and final specs of utility poles and installations. Capture field notes, generate reports, and trigger automatic reviews based on your own business rules. This is your secret weapon for efficient planning, construction, and operation, particularly crucial for applications such as integrating broadband into existing infrastructure.

Condition Assessment

Stay ahead of the curve. Minimize outage impacts and environmental risks with rapid, AI-powered damage assessment. Improve the manual inspection process. This application automatically detects damage classification from ground or aerial data, targeting critical metrics and significantly reducing human review burden. Instantly trigger an action based on your business rules like notifying the operations lead or creating a work order dependent on the severity of the issue.

Inventory Management

Never be caught off guard. Maintain optimal inventory levels with advanced comparison tools. Track and manage everything from small components to large equipment in real-time, scan assets using ground or aerial machines and use AI to instantly catalog and categorize based on your business rules. Cloneable integrates seamlessly with existing systems, leaving you to focus on what matters most – uninterrupted service and fast repairs.

Vegetation Management

Get accurate measurements every time. Current tree measurement methods, such as diameter tape and laser rangefinders, often lack the capacity to capture imagery and provide auditable data. The subjective elements in diameter measurements can introduce discrepancies from forester to forester and many foresters remain reliant on paper maps to track GPS. The goal of the Cloneable app was to leverage advanced mobile sensor technologies to create an easy-to-use tool that combines accurate measurements using the mobile LiDAR and GPS with a platform that can enable post data collection auditability.

Case Study: Ensuring Precision in Utility Construction

Problem Faced by Utility Companies: When it comes to constructing new electric grid networks, precision is paramount. Utility companies meticulously design their grids but face a persistent challenge: ensuring the on-site construction aligns perfectly with these designs. Discrepancies between the plan and the actual construction are common, yet they often go unnoticed until much later, leading to costly and time-consuming corrections.

Cloneable's Solution: Cloneable collaborated with a leading utility to adapt the construction verification app to marry their specific business protocols and pole design specifications with advanced technologies like LiDAR and AI Object Detection. The result? A streamlined mobile iOS app that empowers their supervisors and contractors to verify construction accuracy in real-time. This app enables immediate on-site comparison of the actual construction against the design specs, ensuring any deviations are caught and corrected instantly, significantly reducing rework and promoting adherence to safety standards.

Field Process Automation & the Future Grid

The movement towards automation and AI in the energy sector is not just a trend; it's a necessary evolution. As companies leave behind outdated processes in favor of advanced technologies, they're not only enhancing operational efficiency but also paving the way for a more sustainable and reliable energy future. This transformation, grounded in the real-world examples we see today, underscores the critical importance of embracing digitization and automation.

So, as we look to drive collaboration, innovate operations and future proof the grid, the question isn't whether energy companies can afford to make this shift, but rather, can they afford not to?

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FAQ

How is AI being used in the energy and utilities industry today?

AI is revolutionizing the energy and utilities industry by enhancing operational efficiency, improving safety, and enabling smarter decision-making. Today, AI applications range from predictive maintenance, where algorithms forecast equipment failures before they occur, to optimizing energy distribution based on real-time demand data. Utilities also leverage AI for load forecasting, allowing for more efficient grid management and reducing the risk of outages. Additionally, AI-driven analytics help in detecting energy theft and fraud, saving costs and resources. Through advanced data analysis, energy companies are achieving unprecedented levels of insight into their operations, paving the way for more sustainable and resilient energy systems.

What is Generative AI use case in utilities?

Generative AI holds significant potential in the utilities sector, particularly in the design and planning of energy systems. One compelling use case is in the simulation and modeling of electrical grids. Generative AI can create highly accurate and complex models of energy networks, allowing utilities to explore various scenarios and optimize grid performance under different conditions. This technology also plays a crucial role in renewable energy integration, where it helps in predicting and balancing the variability of wind and solar power. Furthermore, generative AI can assist in the automated design of energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure, enabling a more sustainable approach to urban development and utility management.