We’re taking steps to advance reliability across our region

Insights > We're taking steps to advance reliability across our region

We're taking steps to advance reliability across our region

07/16/2024

In the ever-evolving energy sector, the latest advancements in technology are critical for enhancing service reliability for customers. Entergy is leading the charge by implementing a groundbreaking artificial intelligence procedure to significantly reduce the frequency and duration of power outages associated with maintenance outages. This innovative technology uses smart meter infrastructure to predict power outages and ensure more reliable power delivery to homes and businesses.

Entergy has implemented this new technology to increase the reliability of our service. This technological advancement emphasizes our commitment to customer-centricity by ensuring we deliver efficient, high-quality services to our customers.

"AI is becoming instrumental in serving our customers," said Charles Long, Entergy's senior vice president for power delivery. "This is just the beginning in using the most promising technology to increase efficiency and minimize disruptions."

Our advanced metering infrastructure is more than just a network of smart meters; it's a data storage house. The smart meters generate vast amounts of performance data and provide real-time insights into the grid's performance. By applying AI to this data, Entergy can predict when distribution transformers are likely to fail. This predictive capability is transformative because it enables proactive maintenance that prevents unplanned outages.

Since deploying the AI application to the reliability management teams, Entergy has seen a significant improvement in the reliability of its service. In just one year, this initiative has prevented 536 unplanned outages and avoided over 48,000 outage minutes. These results underscore the power of combining AI with AMI data to enhance grid reliability.

"Combining vast amounts of data from our AMI meters with AI tools allows us to prevent problems before they occur," said Andy Quick, Entergy's vice president and chief AI officer. "Although we're in the early stages of our AI journey, the benefits of the application of AI are already paying off. We'll continue to integrate AI in our business operations and expect it to benefit both our customers and the company."

The integration of AI and AMI offers several additional benefits:

• Operational efficiency - AI algorithms automate the detection of irregularities, which leads to more efficient operations and reduced need for manual intervention.
• Load forecasting - Advanced analytics help forecast and plan for peak demand periods.
• Regulatory compliance - This provides timely and more efficient reporting.
• Billing accuracy - The company is providing enhanced data that improves billing accuracy and reduces billing errors.

Improving for our customers is at the heart of this initiative. This work will be planned to minimize disruption to anyone impacted by the maintenance outage, and Entergy will notify customers prior to the time maintenance work is to be conducted.

Long added, "By utilizing this new AI technology, Entergy is setting a new standard for managing reliability. The success of this new program not only highlights the value of innovative technology in the energy sector, but it also promises increased reliability of electric services and enhanced customer satisfaction."