Enel grids' network digital twin®: the foundation layer of integrated suite for distribution systems design

One of the strongest needs of an Electric Utility is the in-depth knowledge of its assets and networks. With its Network Digital Twin® program Enel Grids put in place the basis for expanding and accelerating this knowledge to its deepest. A fundamental part of this journey is collecting, organizing, and processing the survey data coming from the field. Applying innovative and cutting-edge technologies allows to squeeze all the possible values from the collected data, put in place a real "data democratization" across all the organization and collect important benefits such as improved asset location and management, infrastructure health monitoring, predictive and fast maintenance processes, optimized network operation and emergency management. Hence Network Digital Twin® foundation layer leads to enhanced grid resilience and boosts data-driven decisions, playing an important role in terms of sustainability and achievement of Network carbon neutrality. Network Digital Twin® Foundation Layer is based on technologies that ranges from cloud and big data to cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence computer vision models based on machine learning, used to perform massive and automated extraction of electric networks features from the collected survey data. The survey data consist of 3D point cloud data from LIDAR sensors and images (RGB and thermal) collected within reglementary periodic inspection process using helicopter, drones, mobile mapping systems and terrestrial laser scanner. Survey data represents a frequently updated snapshot of the “real world” (the visible networks assets, both from the aerial network and from the Primary and Secondary substations) and it is integrated by additional satellite data. In this paper we want to share the main technologies that run "under the hood" and play a central role in the realization of the project, the challenges and problems involved with their implementation and their use, the lessons learned, the impacts of their use on consolidated business processes and how Enel Grids approached the systematic collection and management of the huge amounts of data that grows every day together with the integration of the Network Digital Twin® within its corporate IT solutions platform.