New load visibility solution eliminates distribution grid blindspots
A new suite of load visibility services is designed to help utilities detect and measure distributed energy resources (DERs) and other major loads in the home. Developed by Sense, a grid edge intelligence provider, these services make detailed transformer and feeder-level mapping of the distribution grid possible, enabling improved grid forecasting and planning, enhanced reliability, and deeper situational awareness.
The Sense Load Visibility Solution, embedded in the latest generation of AMI meters, gives utilities the ability to detect distributed resources like rooftop solar, while providing clear visibility into appliance load curves and additional opportunities for electrification within the home.
“With real visibility into what’s happening at the intersection of the grid and the home, utilities can take control of the most unpredictable part of distribution,” said Mike Phillips, CEO of Sense. “They can target investments where the grid is most vulnerable, respond faster to emerging issues, and design smarter programs that actually reflect how homes are using and generating energy.”
Sense’s Load Visibility Solution includes three core services that can be bundled or purchased separately based on utility use cases. Each use case is delivered through AMI 2.0 smart meters that leverage Sense WaveformAI. These offerings require no additional hardware purchases beyond scheduled meter upgrades:
- Home Analytics is a complementary product to the consumer-facing Sense Home app. It provides utilities a powerful new lens into residential energy use by disaggregating whole-home energy into categories like heating, cooling, laundry, and more – including the identification of heat pumps.
- Solar Analytics provides utilities visibility into behind-the-meter generation by detecting and measuring solar production.
- EV Analytics provides utilities visibility into EV charging at the grid edge. This product, which was announced in June 2025 detects both Level 1 and Level 2 charging events and usage.
The Load Visibility Solution enables a holistic view of the distribution grid for improved planning and load forecasting through the industry’s most comprehensive grid edge disaggregated waveform data, offering the following:
- Grid capacity building and reinforcement are better targeted with reduced over and under building of expensive infrastructure.
- Power purchasing and hedging strategies are refined through more accurate solar and load forecasting, reducing financial risk.
- Grid stability and reliability are improved with pre-emptive overload and voltage management.
- Customer insights help target consumer programs, shape TOU pricing and improve customer satisfaction.
- Targeted intervention can be delivered at the transformer or feeder level minimizing customer disruption and operational risk.
Future features for the Load Visibility Solution include real-time views of DERs generation and consumption, grid congestion prevention, enhanced situational awareness of network stress points, and overload and service limit avoidance at the transformer level.
