DTE Energy’s Transformation: Building the Grid of the Future with Smart Technology and Infrastructure Upgrades

DTE Energy is undergoing a major transformation to build the grid of the future. This transition involves the installation of smart grid technology, which aims to reduce outages by 30% and cut outage duration in half by 2029. To achieve this goal, significant investments have been made in technology, including a new operations center and advanced operating system, which have paved the way for this transition.

Smart grid technology works by allowing the system operations center to remotely isolate damaged electrical equipment, rerouting power around the damaged area to keep more customers’ power on while repairs are being made. This can happen within seconds to minutes with the help of smart grid devices, called reclosers, located atop power poles. The technology also enables field crews to remotely locate damage areas, eliminating the need for physical examination of power lines and poles, speeding up repairs and reducing outage duration for customers.

In addition to smart grid technology, DTE Energy is also upgrading existing infrastructure and rebuilding significant portions of the grid. They are also trimming trees to improve reliability. By 2029, they plan to have 10,000 smart grid devices in service across southeast Michigan.

DTE Energy’s efforts towards building the grid of the future are not limited to just smart grids; they are also actively installing various other technologies that will enhance their infrastructure and improve reliability. To learn more about their work and see how these improvements will impact your community, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements or check out their power improvements map at dteenergy.com