Installing smart devices is how we’re modernizing the grid.

It’s also how we’ve been able to avoid 20 million customer minutes of power interruptions across Ontario.

Hydro One’s Grid Modernization Program is building a smarter, more reliable electricity system by leveraging digital technology to automate the system.

We’re preparing for the future and creating better customer experiences by investing in our infrastructure and the latest technology available. The smart devices we’re implementing help minimize power outages and limit service disruptions. This is how we’re building a sustainable grid for the future while hardening and protecting equipment against the changing climate.
 

In 2021, we’ve committed to installing up to 1,000 smart devices to our distribution system — building on the 2,300 that have already been installed since 2018.

These smart devices reduce the length of power outages by approximately 40% in the areas where they’re installed.

“Smart switches enable us to relay information centrally through our grid control centre and enable us to isolate and pinpoint where faults are.”

Jason Fitzsimmons, Corporate Affairs & Customer Care Officer, Hydro One

What do these smart devices do?

Using smart switches, crews are able to isolate problem areas remotely at our Grid Control Centre. This minimizes the number of customers who will experience an outage.

Digital sensors are also added to the system which better detects the location of a problem. They direct crews to the source of an issue faster, which allows them to make repairs and restore power sooner. Without these digital sensors, crews need to patrol long power lines in challenging terrain in order to find the problem.

Together, this technology helps build a more intuitive power grid and automates the electricity system.

Hydro One’s Grid Modernization Program

Our grid modernization program is currently underway in communities across the province, with an immediate focus on deploying smart devices to areas experiencing poor power reliability, including: Woodstock, Beachville, Minden, Muskoka, Stouffville, Essex and Tweed.

Using the latest technology available, we are ensuring that Ontarians can rely on an efficient, clean and reliable electricity system for years to come.

In 2020, Hydro One invested approximately $1.9 billion in capital to expand the electricity grid and renew and modernize existing infrastructure, much of which was built in the 1950s.