Dunja: Hi, Tim, and welcome to the Green New Perspective Spotlight.
Tim: Thank you, Dunja. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm looking forward to the conversation.
Dunja: Can you tell me a bit more about yourself, about the company LineVision, and what inspired you to get involved?
Tim: Absolutely. LineVision is a rapidly growing climate tech company, and we're helping our utility partners around the world lead the energy transition. We provide technology that enhances the grid, making it more flexible, resilient, and secure, while unlocking all the existing capacity.
At LineVision, I'm the Chief Operating Officer, leading our technology and operations teams. My group is responsible for delivering all of our products and services to customers. I'll tell you a little about how I got into sustainability and this business.
My family and I used to live in Japan, where I encountered the concept of Ikigai. It translates to "your reason for being." Some listeners may be familiar with it, but it's about finding the intersection of what you're passionate about, what skills you have, and solving important problems.
I grew up in Boulder, Colorado, enjoying the outdoors—fishing, biking, and skiing with my family. As an engineer at heart, I've spent my career building hardware and software products to solve problems. For me, the most important problem is addressing climate change through the clean energy transition. That's the most significant work we can do.
About three years ago, while sitting in a coffee shop in Tokyo, I drew a Venn diagram of my passions, skills, and important problems. I realized that the grid was the most impactful area for me to contribute. I'm excited to talk more about it today.
Dunja: Let's dive into the grid's impact and the technology. How has your tech been received, and what effect has it had on the energy sector?
Tim: The grid is at a crucial turning point. For decades, we've had flat load growth, but that's over now. We're seeing a significant rise in demand due to factors like the electrification of transportation, reshoring domestic manufacturing, and data centers.
Take data centers, for example. Every time you search on ChatGPT or another AI model, the results are processed by GPUs in large data centers. Currently, they account for a couple of percent of total electricity consumption, but projections show that by 2030, data center demand could rise to 5-9% of total consumption.
In addition to rising demand, extreme weather is causing more frequent and severe outages. Finally, we urgently need to decarbonize the grid. Estimates suggest we need to double the grid's size by 2035 and potentially triple it by 2050 to meet climate goals.
The bottleneck for this clean energy transition is transmission—specifically, high-voltage power lines. LineVision focuses on improving grid capacity, not by building new poles and wires, but through sensors and advanced analytics that provide real-time insights into how to best use the existing infrastructure.
Dunja: Can you share a success story where your technology made a real difference?
Tim: Sure. RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) recently published a study on grid-enhancing technologies, including LineVision’s dynamic line ratings, on the PJM circuit. The study showed that our tech could enable 6.6 GW of additional clean energy to reach the grid by 2027.
Dynamic line ratings are key to this. Traditionally, high-voltage lines are rated statically, often based on seasonal averages and not real-time conditions. Our sensors provide dynamic ratings based on actual weather conditions. For example, a small breeze of 1 meter per second can cool the lines enough to increase capacity by 40%.
A couple of examples of success: we recently worked with AES Corporation, installing 42 sensors on five lines. We saw an average 23% increase in capacity over ambient adjusted ratings and 61% over static ratings—at a fraction of the cost of building new infrastructure. National Grid in Western New York is another great partner. We helped operationalize the largest dynamic line rating project in the region, allowing more renewable energy onto the grid and reducing curtailment costs.
Dunja: Can we talk a bit about challenges? What obstacles have you faced, and how have you overcome them?
Tim: There are definitely challenges, both technical and business-related. On the technical side, we’re building rugged IoT devices that need to withstand the elements. These devices, combined with advanced weather modeling and machine learning, help determine the optimal line ratings—balancing safety, reliability, and capacity.
From a business perspective, utilities are understandably cautious about deploying new technology. They need to ensure it meets their safety, reliability, and cybersecurity standards. This often leads to what we call “pilot hell,” where projects stall. However, we've found success by partnering with early adopters like AES and National Grid, who are committed to grid modernization.
Dunja: If our audience wants to learn more about LineVision, where can they go?
Tim: You can connect with me on LinkedIn and follow LineVision as well. We have a fantastic team—our "LineVisionaries"—and we’re proud of the recognition we’ve received, like being named one of Boston’s best places to work. You can also visit our website for more informati
