A Game-Changing Integration that’s Powering Up the Energy Transition

As the energy transition gathers pace, power utilities are undergoing a transition of their own. The industry is rapidly becoming technology and data driven. In this environment, integration plays an ever-more important role.

A distributed system that relies on intermittent energy sources is highly complex and challenging to manage. It depends on robust, flexible, and efficient grid management systems to balance the grid and ensure we have a reliable energy supply.

Driving the Energy Transition with Digitalization
GridOS is at the forefront of this technology. Developed by GE Vernova, GridOS® delivers the first software portfolio designed specifically for grid orchestration to enable utilities to navigate the complexity that comes with the sustainable energy grid.

And as the grid becomes increasingly digitalized to support the growth of renewables and electrification, these software systems are central to the energy transition.

However, they can’t operate effectively without good quality data from multiple sources.

As GE Digital’s General Manager Mahesh Sudhakaran, recently wrote,

“Our ability to orchestrate the grid is closely tied to the collection of (potentially) trillions of datapoints generated by an incredible growth of these devices and inputs.”

Collecting data is critical. And it’s vital this data is easily accessible to the software systems that now play such a significant role in driving the energy transition.

This is where Utilihive steps in.

Making Data Available for the Energy Transition
Utilihive is a cutting-edge integration platform that’s been developed by Greenbird specifically for utilities. It synergizes seamlessly with GridOS, boosting its capabilities and taking them to a whole new level.

From across the network - the grid edge, distributed energy resources, operational technologies, and behind the meter - Utilihive makes energy data available to GridOS. The Utilihive platform feeds energy data into the GridOS data fabric so it’s available for Orchestration Software and its Partner Ecosystem.

This is how Utilihive and GridOS are working together to unlock new levels of efficiency in grid management. Their combined forces give utilities the adaptability they need in an energy system that depends on responsive power utilities.

Here are 5 ways Utilihive is working to accelerate GridOS

1. Streamlining Data Integration
An increasingly digitalized grid relies on software systems to be effectively managed. And this is only possible with seamless integration of multiple data sources.

With streamlined integration, utilities can:

• Improve data accuracy
• Gain an end-to-end view of the system
• Use the near real-time data that sensors and smart meters are now generating
• Achieve scalability as the smart grid expands and more sensors and smart meters are added

All these benefits lead to faster, more accurate decision-making, delivering operational efficiencies and better service to customers.

And in an energy system driven by renewables, where grid flexibility plays a greater role, streamlining data integration will be central to the day to day running of the grid.

How Utilihive accelerates Streamlined Data Integration in GridOS
Utilihive delivers a unified platform that aggregates data from diverse endpoints, sensors and IoT devices. This makes it much easier to monitor multiple integrations and to process and leverage the datapoints they deliver, even if those run into the trillions.

You can see how this would supercharge grid orchestration. With a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the grid’s status and performance, GridOS can help utilities make better decisions and in as close to real-time as possible.

2. Unlocking Data Silos
Siloed data brings additional challenges to the already complex task of coordinating a distributed energy system.

Today’s energy model relies on the free flow of data not only throughout the utility but across different participants in the energy system.

But all too often valuable data from smart meters, about energy infrastructure and grid performance, or from distributed energy resources ends up siloed, not shared.

Faced with silos, Grid Management software can’t operate to its full potential.

How Utilihive unlocks Data Silos for GridOS
Utilihive has two key features that unlock silos:

• A library of prebuilt integration flows and connectors to all leading utility systems.
  These improve data quality and streamline data sharing between energy sector participants.
• A powerful energy data mesh.
  This is a way of managing distributed data that prevents data silos from building up. Different data streams are overseen and processed by separate teams that are responsible for data quality and for generating insights.
  Centralized governance ensures that data can be shared and used across many different teams within an organization or between organizations in an energy ecosystem.

Utilihive brings this powerful ability to unlock data silos to GridOS. With improved access to free-flowing data, utilities can respond dynamically to change. They are also better place to drive innovation and help build a more sustainable energy future.

3. Bringing Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility 
The energy sector is rapidly changing. But it’s under pressure to go further, faster. Scalability and flexibility have become paramount.

Innovation is the answer. However, this also brings more data sources and data points.

Most utilities expect the current flow of data to become a tidal wave. But in an energy system that’s more weather dependent, utilities will also have to manage large fluctuations in data, rapidly scaling up and down.

How Utilihive Delivers Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility
With its network of reactive microservices and loose coupling Utilihive is designed with scalability in mind. Event-driven architecture delivers flexibility and dynamic scalability. Utilihive can scale up or down in real time to handle fluctuating demands and data volumes.

Utilihive enables GridOS to adapt effortlessly to changing conditions through its scalable architecture.

Whether it's accommodating a growing number of renewable energy sources, integrating new technologies into grid architecture, or complying with new regional regulations, the pace of change is only likely to increase.

4. Enabling Advanced Analytics and Insights 
As the energy system becomes more complex and its management grows more challenging, advanced analytics are essential for coordinating the system and managing the grid.

From improving grid performance to predictive maintenance to delivering more personalized services to customers, advanced analytics are already playing a central role.

With the insights these deliver, utilities can optimize distributed energy resources and deliver a more reliable and resilient service.

How Utilihive Enables Advanced Analytics and Insights
Utilihive augments GridOS with real-time, end-to-end monitoring and management capabilities for all data and data integration flows.

Here’s what this means:

• It’s easier to spot any problems with integrations, data flows or APIs through automated monitoring.
• If problems are detected, they can be handled automatically with exception handling.

• Utilihive can be used proactively to influence how APIs, integrations and data flows operate, based on a utility’s retry policy, logging policy, handling strategy or message exchange pattern.

The result? More reliable and resilient integrations.

5. Delivering Rapid Integration and Deployment
Today, time is of the essence for the energy industry. Keeping ahead of new technologies, new software and new apps, not only delivers efficiencies and a more resilient system, but is essential for accelerating the energy transition.

But without rapid integration, utilities risk being left behind.

In the past, many utilities relied on custom integration, often taking many weeks or months of coding to complete. These traditional methods are no longer fast enough. They simply can’t keep up with the speed of innovation and the number of integrations this brings. Nor can these methods easily scale or handle constant change.

How Utilihive Delivers Rapid Integration and Deployment
Utilihive's prebuilt connectors cut integration times significantly, enabling the rapid deployment of new technologies expediting the integration process with GridOS. This allows customers and partners to connect new software and deliver data-driven services in weeks instead of the months or even years it can take with custom coding. 

By minimizing custom development Utilihive reduces the risks typically associated with traditional integration projects, such as spiralling costs, increased complexity and delays.

A user-friendly interface offers a centralized work area. This is particularly useful for organizations like utilities that must handle multiple integrations.

Utilihive and GridOS make a powerful combination. As the energy landscape continues to evolve and becomes more digitalized, Grid Management is more important than ever, playing a central role in the energy transition. Embracing innovative solutions like Utilihive becomes not only a strategic advantage but a necessity for utilities looking to thrive in the distributed energy system.

About Greenbird by GE Vernova
Greenbird is an international solution and technology company with roots in Norway. We simplify the complexity of Big Data Integration to help organizations unlock the value of their data and mission critical applications. Our flagship innovation, Utilihive, is a cloud-native platform combining enterprise integration capabilities with a data lake optimized for energy use cases. Greenbird was founded in 2010 with a mission to revolutionize how the energy industry thinks about enterprise system integration. Today, Utilihive is used by utilities across Europe, Middle East and Asia serving more than 50 million consumers. More information about Utilihive is available here.

GE Vernova acquired Greenbird in August 2023 to accelerate GridOS innovation and help utilities reduce the complexity of energy data integration. For more about GridOS Orchestration Software visit GE Vernova here.