By Simon Rooney, Business Development Manager, EA Technology
When we talk to Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs), the conversation keeps coming back to the same issue: the most complex challenges on the network are increasingly happening at the grid edge, yet that’s where visibility has traditionally been weakest.
Overhead LV networks are a perfect example. They are critical to keeping customers connected, but they were designed for a very different energy system, one with predictable demand and one-way power flows. Today, with rooftop solar, home batteries and EVs all connected at LV, that assumption no longer holds.
That’s the problem we set out to address with VisNet View.
When Capacity Becomes a Guessing Game
Capacity on overhead LV networks used to be something you assessed periodically. Now, it’s something that changes dynamically.
What we’re seeing is that localised constraints can develop quickly, driven by customer behaviour and bi-directional flows that simply weren’t visible before. Too often, capacity issues only become apparent once customers are already affected, or when reinforcement becomes unavoidable.
The VisNet View teamed with the VisNet Capacity App measures capacity dynamically, helping DNSPs understand how their overhead LV networks are actually being used. That visibility allows teams to move away from assumptions and worst-case planning, and instead make informed decisions based on what’s really happening, both today and in the future. In fact, VisNet can help DNSPs unlock up to an additional 22% capacity on feeders.
Faults Rarely Start with a Failure
One of the biggest lessons from working with networks is that most faults don’t come out of nowhere.
They start as small changes: gradual asset movement, increasing stress, or deterioration that goes unnoticed because there’s no clear signal to act on. By the time a fault occurs, the opportunity to intervene early has already passed.
VisNet Reliability Apps running on the VisNet View are designed to surface those pre-fault conditions on overhead lines. By improving visibility of emerging issues at the grid-edge, DNSPs can take earlier, more targeted action, reducing the likelihood of faults, improving safety, and making maintenance investment work harder.
In Australia’s geographically vast networks, proactive fault detection is particularly valuable, especially in remote and regional areas where restoration can be complex and resource-intensive.
Real-Time Insight When the Network is Under Pressure
Of course, when faults do happen, particularly during storms, the challenge shifts from prediction to response.
Overhead LV faults can be time consuming to locate and diagnose quickly, especially when multiple incidents are happening at once. That uncertainty can slow restoration and extend customer interruptions.
With VisNet View and the Reliability Apps, real-time grid-edge intelligence helps operators understand what’s happening on the network as events unfold. That clarity supports faster decision-making, more efficient deployment of resources, and ultimately a better experience for customers when it matters most.
Resilience Starts with Visibility
Storm resilience is no longer just about how quickly you can respond, it’s about how well you understand where the network is vulnerable before severe weather hits.
Overhead assets are inherently exposed, and as weather patterns become more extreme, that exposure increases. VisNet View helps shine a light on those vulnerabilities, supporting a more proactive approach to resilience and helping reduce the risk of unplanned outages.
Built for the Reality of Australian Networks
From the outset, we designed VisNet View to work in the real world.
It is:
- Simple to install on any pole
- Secure by design, with end-to-end encryption
- Built to support scalable deployment across diverse network environments
Australia’s networks span dense urban areas, remote communities, agricultural regions and coastal environments. Grid-edge intelligence only delivers value if it can be deployed safely, securely and at scale – across all of them.
Building on a Proven Foundation
VisNet View builds on the success of the VisNet Hub, extending intelligence beyond ground-mounted substations and now to overhead LV lines.
It’s an asset that provides owners and operators of LV networks with the insight they need to support well-informed operational decisions, detect future capacity challenges and plan maintenance investment more effectively.
As Australia’s energy transition accelerates, and bi-directional power flows become the norm rather than the exception, visibility at the grid edge becomes essential.
Grid-edge intelligence is ultimately about helping DNSPs keep Australia’s lights on. With VisNet View, we’re helping networks deliver better outcomes for customers, communities and the future energy system.
