GE, Photonfirst Partner on Chip-Based Grid Monitoring

GE and integrated photonics sensing company PhotonFirst entered into a strategic technology collaboration to develop fiber optic sensing for the monitoring of next-generation electrical grid infrastructure. Jointly, the companies aim to develop easy-to-deploy greenfield and brownfield solutions, fully integrating with GE’s advanced asset monitoring software solutions, according to PhotonFirst.

GE’s Grid Solutions Monitoring & Diagnostics group selected PhotonFirst as its preferred partner for the development and supply of smart transformer monitoring systems. The sensing technology will use integrated photonics to develop a scalable, robust, and low-cost method to monitor the performance of transformers.

The collaboration will further enhance the asset health information that customers can obtain, enabling greater reliability, grid stability, and financial efficiencies for GE customers, according to Graham McGuigan, GE’s Grid Solutions product line leader for Monitoring & Diagnostics. “In collaborating with PhotonFirst, our aim is to deliver advanced solutions that enable grid operators to leverage asset condition intelligence for quicker and more informed operational and planning decisions,” he said.