Sharper Shape and BLP Group Enable AI Powerline Inspections
Sharper Shape, an artificial intelligence (AI) company, is a pioneer in powerline inspection solutions for the energy sector. It has announced it will work alongside a leading AI company called BLP Industry.AI.
Sharper Shape, a relatively late company founded in 2013, supports technological advancement for utility companies across the globe. The company has developing intuitive methods of carrying out inspections by using AI and automation processes. BLP, its partner company based in India, is a leading developer of enterprise AI and industrial IoT, which is part of the BLP Group - a renewable energy and technology company.
An Energy AI Partnership
The aim of the partnership is to provide large-scale asset management solutions for electricity transmission, distribution lines, and Indian substations - all by implementing AI-based systems. Advancing technology in the Indian utility market is a huge step for Sharper Shape as it continues to grow exponentially. Its recent growth plans have seen the appointment of many new critical positions in the company, including:
- Carol Marsh, Chief of Staff
- Bob Johnson, Vice President of Customer Development
- Kristy McDermott, Vice President of Commercial Sales
- Michael Granger, Technical Programme Manager Leader
AI Supports Energy Inspection
The AI-based systems provided by the partnership will utilise vast amounts of data and support the utilisation of helicopters, drones, and other camera systems while leveraging machine learning, predictive analytics, and automated reporting. Creating this digital ecosystem will provide companies with useful insights to increase grid uptime, avoid the risk of ‘blackouts’ through predictive maintenance, and support environmental concerns through advanced vegetation management.
“This partnership will unlock the strengths and capabilities of both organisations to provide India with powerline inspection solutions that help meet its power delivery challenges. Sharper Shape’s asset and vegetation management software is currently deployed for over 38,000 miles of power lines,” says Chris Beaufait, Chief Executive Officer of Sharper Shape.
“It includes more than 1,200,000 T&D assets across the world. By pairing Industry.AI’s technical capabilities and market expertise with our global insights, we’re incredibly excited to introduce new capabilities for India and other utilities around the world. We have big plans for Sharper Shape, not just in the utility sector but also in other sectors that benefit from our automated inspection software. Our partnership and the latest additions to our team will allow us to realise these ambitions while evolving our cutting-edge solutions.”
Tejpreet S Chopra, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of the BLP Group, also says, “Disruptive innovation and bold ideas are needed to transform grid operations, and we have extensive experience in deploying this through advanced computer vision AI technologies for safety and security in grid operations and substations across India. Collaborative efforts with partners such as Sharper Shape will see this momentum continue as we stay ever-committed to developing new technologies that solve industry and societal challenges, such as net-zero emissions, grid resilience, and accessibility to power.”
