Enel launches dedicated company to focus on the digital transformation of power grids

A new company of the Enel Group was presented in a digital event. Gridspertise is a new subsidiary fully dedicated to supporting Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in the delivery of a new era of sustainable and reliable smart grids.

“We are proud to launch Gridspertise, entrusting it with our strong legacy of transforming distribution networks across the world into smart grids,” said Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel. “The energy transition must rely on renewable electricity efficiently distributed by smart grids, open to all energy players willing to contribute to a fully electric future. Reliable and flexible smart grids are the primary enabler and contributor to the decarbonization and deep electrification targets, paving the way towards our net-zero objectives.”

“The new venture gathers the unique expertise of Enel in progressively digitalizing its grids around the world, made up of more than 2.2 million kilometers of power lines monitored by hundreds of thousands of remote-control points. Enel’s twenty years of experience in the smart meters field through massive roll-out projects for a total of more than 44 million active devices connected to its grids, as well as an efficient digital management of more than 30 million field operations executed every year in 13 distribution companies across 8 countries ensure that all solutions Gridspertise will offer are reliable and field-tested at scale,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of the Enel Global Infrastructure and Networks business line.

“Gridspertise’s mission is to become a trusted partner for DSOs all over the world. The company will help electricity distribution companies of any size and geography to roll-out integrated smart grid solutions in order to meet the evolving needs of grid users and electricity end-customers,”stated Robert Denda, CEO of Gridspertise.

Gridspertise’s portfolio of products and services highlights the company’s commitment to deliver innovative, circular-by-design, robust solutions that have been field-tested at large scale as well as designed to create value. In order to achieve sustainable and reliable smart grids, while promoting more efficient energy usage and enabling new services, the offer is structured around three main domains of DSOs’ digitalization needs across the entire value chain:

• Metering and Grid Edge digitalization, focused on increasing customer engagement and stakeholder participation through smart metering and grid edge technologies that also enable the electricity prosumers’ involvement in the markets;
• Network infrastructure digitalization, aimed at boosting intelligence and flexibility of power grids, in order to accelerate digitalization across-the-board, increasing efficiency, reliability and quality of service and supporting DSOs to tackle the challenges that network operations are facing; 
• Field Operations digitalization, aimed at increasing operational efficiency through innovative solutions for planning and operation processes, while enhancing safety for both in-house and contractors’ field workers.

Gridspertise will primarily target markets in Europe and Latin America, where the Enel Group already has a strong presence, and will aim to expand towards North America and Asia-Pacific where the investments in smart grids will drive infrastructure upgrade projects in the near future.