Avangrid’s Pilot Mobile Robot Dog “Sparky” Wins 2024 AEIC Achievement Award for Enhancing Grid Reliability with Innovative Robotics

Press Releases

10/01/2024

The Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) recognizes Avangrid’s investment in robotics and artificial intelligence to detect and analyze substation equipment, ensuring safety and reliability for customers

ORANGE, Conn.— September 30, 2024 — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced today that it has received the prestigious Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) 2024 Achievement Award for significant contributions to operational excellence in the electric utility industry. Avangrid was recognized for its collaboration with Boston Dynamics and Levatas in the creation of a pilot project to advance substations inspections using artificial intelligence (AI) with the goal of increasing reliability for customers. This collaboration led to the development and implementation of a mobile robot called “Sparky,” modeled after a dog, to detect and analyze substation equipment, thereby advancing substation inspections and increasing electric reliability and resiliency for customers.
“We are proud to pioneer the use of robotics and artificial intelligence to enhance grid reliability, pushing the boundaries of technology to improve our electric grid,” said Pedro Azagra, CEO of Avangrid. “As a leader in sustainable energy, we are driven to explore new alternatives in our daily operations. The development of Sparky is a testament to our commitment to developing and implementing innovative technology to detect faults and disruptions within our substation infrastructure, ensuring we maintain the highest quality standards for our customers. This project is just the beginning as we look to implement AI in other areas of our business to enhance grid performance and reliability.”

Throughout the year, AEIC's member companies demonstrate their innovation and commitment to achieving a modernized electric grid that delivers a secure energy future for all. Each fall at its annual meeting, AEIC presents its prestigious Achievement Awards to those members who have clearly demonstrated significant contributions to advancing the operations of the electric energy industry. This year, AEIC selected ten award recipients from more than seventy-six submissions it received from member companies and committees. These ten award winners all recognize important innovations aimed at evolving the operational excellence of the energy industry.

Avangrid has received of the Association’s 2024 Achievement Awards for was for its collaboration with Boston Dynamics and Levatas to evaluate the effectiveness of robotics and artificial intelligence at substation facilities. Over the past year, Avangrid has used Sparky, an agile mobile robot developed by Boston Dynamics, to inspect equipment through thermal imaging, analog gauge readings, and damaged insulator detection.

“Introducing Sparky to the substation environment has been a rewarding experience,” said Rogerio Camargo, Director of Reliability and Technical Processes at Avangrid. “We have developed multiple applications for its unique abilities and have many more plans, as the opportunities are endless. We are close to achieving full robot autonomy with the development and construction of Sparky’s doghouse at the substation. Sparky has been trained to work 24/7, identifying anomalies that could lead to substation outages, with the ultimate goal of enhancing our customers’ experience.”

Sparky is equipped with a camera featuring 30x optical zoom and an infrared camera capable of capturing thermal images to analyze temperature data and compare the phases of frequently used equipment such as power transformers, breakers, switches, and connections. It can also read analog gauges and monitor for anomalies outside specified ranges. The images and readings are transformed into digital models to notify operations if an anomaly is detected.

“Avangrid is opening doors for the utility industry by introducing artificial intelligence into its operations,” said Steve Hauser, Chief Executive Officer of AEIC. “As our grid continues to evolve, member companies like Avangrid are finding innovative solutions that improve reliability and customer satisfaction.”

Avangrid was presented with the award on Friday, September 27th at AEIC’s 140th Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO. To see a full list of 2024 AEIC Achievement Award recipients, visit https://aeic.org/achievement-awards/.

For additional information on Sparky, the mobile robot dog visit, https://www.avangrid.com/w/avangrid-pilots-mobile-robot-dog-to-advance-substation-inspections-with-ai

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.

With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

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