Imagine your electricity grid is like a highway — it was designed for traffic flowing one direction from big power plants. Now, thousands of solar panels and wind turbines are trying to merge onto that highway from every side road, causing traffic jams and blackouts. ADMS built a system of cheap sensors and AI software that acts like a real-time traffic control center for electricity grids, spotting problems before they cause outages. It was tested at four major power companies across Europe and showed it can handle 25% more renewable energy on existing grids without expensive upgrades.
Distribution System Operators across Europe face growing grid instability as more renewable energy sources connect to networks that were designed for one-way power flow. This leads to outages, voltage fluctuations, and limits on how much green energy the grid can absorb. With 2,400 DSOs under pressure to meet carbon reduction targets, the need for affordable real-time grid monitoring and automated control is urgent.
The project built an integrated smart grid management system combining low-cost patented magnetic sensors, micro Phasor Measurement Units, and AI-based distribution automation software — all productised to meet IEC61850 and IEEE C37.118-1 standards. The complete system was operationally installed and validated at 4 DSO pilot sites across Germany, Italy, Ireland, and the UK over 12 months.
If you are a DSO dealing with grid instability from growing renewable energy connections — this project developed a monitoring and control system piloted at 4 major DSO sites (Alliander, ENEL, ESB, SPEN) that improved network stability by 20% and grid capacity by 25%. It integrates low-cost sensors with AI-based automation to give you real-time visibility down to the low-voltage grid edge.
If you are a renewable energy developer frustrated by grid connection delays and curtailment — this project demonstrated technology that enables 25% more renewable connections on existing grids. By giving DSOs better monitoring tools, it removes a key bottleneck that slows down your project timelines and reduces your generation revenue.
If you are a grid equipment manufacturer looking for IEC61850-compliant monitoring products — this project productised patented Flexible Magnetic sensors, micro Phasor Measurement Units, and AI-based distribution automation software. The technology was validated at 4 diverse DSO sites across 12 months, targeting a potential market of €0.5B.
The project data does not include specific per-unit pricing. However, the system uses mass-deployable, low-cost network monitoring sensors combined with AI software, suggesting a significantly lower cost point than traditional grid monitoring. The project forecasts €36M in sales over 7 years with a 3700% ROI, indicating a commercially viable price model.
Yes. The system was designed for Europe's 2,400 DSOs and was piloted at 4 major utility companies (Alliander in NL, ENEL in IT, ESB in IE, SPEN in UK) over 12 months. These are real-world, large-scale distribution networks, not laboratory setups. The project targeted a TRL8 prototype ready for commercial deployment.
The system integrates multiple patented technologies: MAC's patented Flexible Magnetic sensors, Gridhound's patented AI-based Advanced Distribution Automation, and the patented TFT-WLS algorithm for phasor measurement. Licensing would need to be negotiated with the consortium partners, primarily through the commercial lead Altea and RWTH Aachen as coordinator.
Yes. The system was specifically productised to meet the IEC61850 substation automation standard and the IEEE C37.118-1 standard for phasor measurement. These are the key international standards required by DSOs for grid monitoring and automation equipment.
The project ran from October 2016 to September 2018, with the aim of having a TRL9 market-ready product within 3 years from project start. The pilot installations at all 4 DSO sites were completed and documented as operational. Based on available project data, commercial deployment readiness was planned for approximately 2019-2020.
ADMS was designed for seamless integration with existing distribution networks. It uses IEC61850-compliant components and combines hardware sensors (installed at substations and LV grid edge) with AI-based software that processes data from micro Phasor Measurement Units. It was validated across 4 diverse DSO reference sites with different grid configurations.
The consortium of 5 partners across 4 countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands) is strongly industry-oriented with a 60% industry ratio and 3 SMEs. RWTH Aachen, one of Europe's top technical universities, leads the coordination and handled standards compliance (IEC61850, IEEE C37.118-1). The industrial partners brought patented sensor hardware (MAC), AI-based grid analytics (Gridhound), and commercial distribution channels (Altea). Critically, the project secured pilot agreements with 4 major DSOs — Alliander, ENEL, ESB, and SPEN — as external validation partners, which signals strong market pull and credibility with real buyers.
RWTH Aachen coordinated this project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the project team.
Want to explore how ADMS grid monitoring technology could work for your network? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the project team and arrange a technical briefing.
