Hawaiian Electric Joins as Second Founding Member of GDAC™, Alongside Vector
VIA and Hawaiian Electric are pleased to share that Hawaiian Electric has joined GDAC™ alongside Vector, as the second founding member. By joining in the collaborative (which is in partnership with Elemental Excelerator) and focusing on substation transformers, Hawaiian Electric hopes to improve decision making related to operations, maintenance, and replacement of their substation transformers. In particular, its goal is to reduce unexpected issues or failures, determine the right spare equipment inventory levels, and reduce the frequency of corrective maintenance.
“Like most electric utilities, Hawaiian Electric does its best to maximize use of grid infrastructure, some of which are nearing the end of their practical use,” said Rick Pinkerton, Director, Asset Management at Hawaiian Electric. “As we modernize our grid, we’re always looking for ways to improve our decision making. We joined GDAC™ to learn from other members and from VIA’s expertise in AI and machine learning, to improve our capabilities to prudently manage the performance, risk, and cost of our fleet of substation transformers, and other T&D assets in general.”
During the inaugural GDAC™ workshop, Hawaiian Electric and fellow GDAC™ member, Vector, shared and discussed their current substation transformer fleet management practices, plans, and challenges, as well as specific GDAC™ efforts and outcomes that would provide the most value to each member.
“We’re thrilled to have Hawaiian Electric join the GDAC™ community. Hawaiian Electric has been referred to in the industry as a “postcard from the future” due to their high levels of distributed solar penetration, progress towards transforming their grid to provide 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, and experience dealing with a host of unprecedented challenges that many in the industry will not face for several years,” said Kate Ravanis, Chief Operating Officer at VIA. “Their position as an innovative leader in the industry and the contributions they made at the GDAC™ workshop were invaluable to other members and the overall project outcome.”
Hawaiian Electric will be contributing multiple years of operational, test, maintenance, and failure data from more than 300 substation transformers alongside similar data for Vector’s 200-plus substation transformers. The company is excited about joining the GDAC™ community and may have an interest in joining other GDAC™ initiatives, in addition to substation transformers.
About VIA
VIA helps energy companies across the globe realize the value of their data through AI and blockchain. The company works with the world’s largest utilities and government agencies on AI initiatives like predictive maintenance and contingency planning. VIA has developed a blockchain-based application, Trusted Analytics Chain™ (TAC™) to help energy companies reduce the burden of preparing and sharing their data. TAC™ (patents pending) is the bridge that securely connects power company data, distributed across many locations, to potential AI solutions. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, VIA has been featured in Wired and Inc. Magazine for its leadership in technology innovation. For more information, please visit www.solvewithvia.com.
About Hawaiian Electric
The Hawaiian Electric Companies (Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company, and Hawaiʽi Electric Light Company) serve 95 percent of Hawaii’s 1.4 million residents on the islands of Oʽahu, Maui, Hawaiʽi Island, Lānaʽi and Molokaʽi and have a goal of 100 percent renewables by 2045.