How We Helped a Swiss Power Utility Reduce Grid Losses with Real-Time Monitoring Platform

We partnered with a leading Swiss power utility company to develop a cutting-edge smart grid management platform that revolutionised their energy distribution operations. The solution now monitors over 15,000 grid connection points in real-time, serves 2 million+ customers across multiple cantons, and has reduced grid losses by 40% while improving response time to anomalies from hours to seconds through advanced analytics and automation.

2M+

customers served

40%

reduction in grid losses

10-week

MVP delivery

Client Introduction

Our client is a major power utility provider in Switzerland, responsible for delivering reliable electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across multiple cantons. Operating in one of Europe's most demanding energy markets with strict sustainability targets and reliability requirements, they needed to modernize their grid infrastructure to meet 2030 carbon neutrality goals. With increasing renewable energy integration and evolving consumption patterns from electric vehicle adoption, they required a technology partner capable of handling complex grid dynamics.

  • Industry: Energy & Utilities
  • Region: Switzerland (Multi-canton operations)
  • Company Stage: Established utility provider
  • Primary Users: Grid operators, energy analysts, maintenance teams, regulatory compliance officers

What We Did

We architected a comprehensive cloud-native smart grid management platform that transformed the utility's operational capabilities. The solution features real-time monitoring dashboards displaying live energy flow across the entire grid with millisecond precision. We implemented automated consumption reporting that generates regulatory-compliant documents, trend analyses, and performance metrics without manual intervention. The platform includes advanced analytics powered by machine learning that predicts demand patterns, identifies anomalies, and suggests optimization strategies. We also built a sophisticated data pipeline that processes over 100 million readings daily from smart meters, transformers, and grid sensors, providing unprecedented visibility into grid operations.

How We Did It

Our development journey began with a comprehensive grid audit, mapping the entire infrastructure from generation to distribution endpoints. We shadowed control room operators across different shifts to understand decision-making processes and pain points. The architecture leveraged time-series databases optimised for high-frequency sensor data, implementing stream processing for real-time analytics on massive data volumes. We developed custom algorithms for load forecasting that account for weather patterns, historical usage, and special events. The platform was built with Swiss data sovereignty requirements in mind, ensuring all data remains within Swiss borders while maintaining sub-second response times.

Tech Stack & Integrations

Overcoming Challenges

  • Processing 100M+ readings daily, without lag: We use real-time stream processing and an IoT-optimized database so data is ingested and queried fast.
  • Forecasting demand despite renewable swings: Our ML models combine weather forecasts, historical usage, and live solar/wind generation to predict demand accurately.
  • Strict Swiss data residency: Everything runs in Swiss data centers, with encrypted backups—no data leaves Switzerland.
  • Talking to 30-year-old SCADA gear: We built universal protocol adapters that connect legacy and modern systems with real-time data translation.

Result & Impact

The platform transformed grid operations within the first year of deployment. Real-time monitoring enabled operators to prevent three major outages that would have affected 500,000+ customers. The utility achieved unprecedented grid efficiency, reducing technical losses to below 3%, among the lowest in Europe. Regulatory compliance improved dramatically with automated reporting saving 150 person-hours monthly.

Qualitative Wins

  • First Swiss utility to achieve real-time grid visualization
  • Exceeded 2025 sustainability targets two years early
  • Received Swiss Energy Award for digital innovation
  • Enabled 3x increase in distributed solar connections
  • Achieved 99.998% grid reliability rating

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the platform handle Switzerland's complex energy regulations?

The system includes pre-configured templates for all federal and cantonal reporting requirements, automatically generating compliant reports. We built regulatory rule engines that adapt to changing requirements without code modifications, ensuring continuous compliance.

What kind of predictive capabilities does the system offer?

Our ML models predict demand 72 hours ahead with 94% accuracy, accounting for weather, holidays, and special events. The system also predicts equipment failures 2-3 weeks in advance, enabling preventive maintenance that has reduced unplanned outages by 65%.

How does it integrate with renewable energy sources?

The platform seamlessly manages bi-directional energy flow from 50,000+ prosumers with rooftop solar. Real-time balancing algorithms optimize between traditional generation, renewables, and storage, maintaining grid stability despite 45% renewable penetration.

Ready to Transform Your Business?

Whether you're modernizing utility operations or building smart grid solutions, we have the expertise to create technology that powers sustainable energy transformation.

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