ABB has invested in Danish startup, OKTO GRID, to advance the development of technology that will extend the useful life of aging electrical assets in order to meet the growing demand for reliable and stable power.

OKTO GRID has developed a pilot solution that digitalises electrical infrastructure to enable real-time, remote condition and performance monitoring to prolong the working life of electrical assets by another 40 years, in addition to reducing the equipment’s total carbon emissions.

As part of the collaboration, ABB will provide its electrification, digitalisation and industry knowledge to support the development of OKTO GRID’s solution and accelerate commercial readiness.

“The world is becoming increasingly electrified, which requires an upgrade of our existing electricity infrastructure. OKTO GRID is on a mission to digitalise transformers to handle new energy sources and rising energy consumption,” OKTO GRID chief executive Golam Sadeghnia says.

“Our solution, which works independently of transformer type, make and age of the transformer, is mounted without downtime or any tooling required. To the best of our knowledge, we are unique in the market with this combination. Partnering with ABB will be key to accelerating market adoption, given ABB’s global footprint, technology leadership and domain expertise.”

ABB electrification service division president Stuart Thompson says that he’s confident the investment will help the industry leapfrog the much-needed upgrade to ageing electrical grids.

“This partnership with OKTO GRID exemplifies our approach to collaborating with innovative startups who have the shared goal of developing technology that drives smart, safe and sustainable outcomes for our customers,” he says.