Our story

We are reimagining the grid with high-impact technology and services that provide a digital, secure and accessible power system – accelerating renewable energy adoption and wide-scale electrification for a net zero world.

Our story

The current grid cannot deliver the renewable energy and wide-scale electrification net zero demands.

Renewable energy being generated today is often wasted because the grid – as it currently stands – is congested and cannot take any more. The other issue is that most renewable resources are in more remote locations compared to the fossil fuel plants that are retiring.

At Smart Wires we see the transition to the digital grid as one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century – one that will impact generations to come, and one that we are determined to solve.

This is the invisible barrier we must all act on now. 

Our goal is to create an edge-to-edge digital grid that will truly change the world for the better. To do this we are creating more IP, technology products and advisory services to accelerate and deliver a new energy paradigm.

Our offering includes our flagship product, SmartValve™ – an innovative, digital power flow control technology; state-of-the-art software SUMO; and a range of advisory and consulting services whereby our power system experts use advanced software and modeling to develop solutions for generation and load connections, power system operation and planning constraints, and technology integration.

Established in 2010, we are headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, with offices in Ireland, Colombia and Australia. Our visionary, global team of industry-leading experts work everyday with grit and determination to bring the digital grid to reality: a new paradigm that will reliably and safely deliver clean, affordable energy to everyone.

Together we are paving the way to energy certainty, on a global scale. Working with our customers, industry partners, policymakers and regulators, we are transforming the grid into a digital, secure and accessible platform capable of delivering net zero, new business models, jobs and prosperity.

Our history

Northeast blackout

After the 2003 Northeast Blackout – that left millions across North America in the dark for days – a visionary team at Georgia Tech University saw the need for a solution. They developed a smart power flow control concept, allowing grid operators to monitor and adjust power flows across their networks in real time.

2003

Smart Wires established

Smart Wires was born to take the idea into reality. Since then, we have continued to refine and expand our offering, working with the world’s leading system operators to transform their grids.

2010

First SmartValve installed

We partnered with EirGrid and ESB Networks – transmission system operator and owner respectively in Ireland – to deploy the first SmartValve on a transmission grid.

2016

First large-scale SmartValve deployment

We partnered with National Grid on the development and installation of the world’s first large-scale use of modular power flow control, unlocking 1.5 GW of electric capacity for renewables. This collaboration has continued with many additional SmartValve projects underway and planned for the years to come.

2021

Expanded suite of grid enhancing technologies

We added state-of-the-art SUMO software to complement our existing suite of grid enhancing technologies, combining the power of modelling, analytics and power flow control with dynamic ratings, to realize our vision of reimagining the grid for a net zero world.

2022

We continue our mission

Today we are the world’s leading grid enhancing technology and services company focused on solving problems, modernizing and future-proofing the grid. Working with our customers, industry partners, policymakers and regulators, we are transforming the grid into a digital, secure and accessible platform capable of delivering net zero, new business models, jobs and prosperity.

Today

Global impact

Global impact

Products & services

Products & services