ENERZA and the founder’s pursuit to overcome the most pressing issues facing utilities in the twenty-first century
The inspiration behind the creation of ENERZA came from the passion of both the CEO and CTO to help face the global crisis of climate change and reduce carbon emissions. “To be able to facilitate change and start the revolution, environmentally and globally” says the CTO of ENERZA.
Reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change are crucial to preserving the planet for future generations. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere, which trap heat and cause the Earth’s temperature to rise. This warming is leading to more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and harm to biodiversity and human populations. Taking action to reduce carbon emissions can help slow the rate of climate change, protect communities and ecosystems, and create new economic opportunities in clean energy.
The founders of ENERZA, both engineers, took a different career path to get to here. James Aein, CEO at ENERZA, grew up in an engineering family in Vancouver After earning his bachelors degree in Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University and his master’s degree at the University of British Columbia in Power Systems Engineering, he decided to pursue to be a prominent sales manager and account executive in top Engineering companies across the nation. From choosing to centre his thesis at BC Hydro, the main utility provider in Vancouver, he observed that the procedures for looking into an outage frequently felt outdated, especially in light of how vital power is to all facets of life. As for the CTO of ENERZA, Dr. Anson Maitland, originally from Guelph Ontario, completed his educational studies in Waterloo. He graduated with Bachelors of Math, Pure and Applied Mathematics, a Masters of Maths, Applied Mathematics and completed his education with a Doctor of Philosophy- PHD, in Systems Engineering’s. The PhD program was dedicated to Developing strategies to reduce the computational burden of nonlinear and hybrid model predictive controllers for systems with fast dynamics with a particular focus on automotive systems.
The two met at a networking event at OneEleven, Canada’s premier community of venture-backed tech companies in Toronto in March of 2022. With their unique personalities and backgrounds, the two partnered up to tackle the greatest challenge facing utility firms in the twenty-first century, creating ENERZA.
ENERZA is the first in the world that is able to provide utilities autonomous on-wire robotic monitoring. ENERZA is able to provide On-Wire Data such as Vegetation Data (Type of tree, soil, Encroachment level), Asset Data (Line Health, Equipment health) and Asset Inventory. The company is able to analyze and predict hotspots on the grid in need of proactive attention — down to the pole.
Autonomous on-wire robotic monitoring of grid distribution can help to improve the safety and efficiency of maintaining and monitoring power lines, particularly in remote areas.
“We are like the x ray and/ or CT scan to utilities” The CEO explained. By using robots to inspect and repair power lines, it can reduce the need for human workers to perform these tasks, which can be expensive, subjective and dangerous, particularly in remote areas where access is difficult. This can help to protect line workers from accidents and injuries, such as falls from heights or electrical shocks. Additionally, using robots for monitoring and maintenance can also help to detect and address issues with power lines more quickly, which can help to prevent power outages and reduce the need for costly repairs.
Furthermore, using robotic monitoring system also can provide real-time data collection, detection and diagnosis of potential issues with the grid and lines. This can enable utilities to be proactive in addressing issues before they lead to power outages or other problems. While in current method, it can take weeks or month before action, if any is taken. Leading to rampant power outages and grid challenges down the stream. Additionally, the robotic monitoring system can also lead utilities to identify areas where they need to improve the infrastructure, which can help to improve the overall reliability and resiliency of the grid. ENERZA is able to pinpoint hotspots in the grid down to the poll rather than a more broad targeted subjective geographical location.
There is increasing demand to electrify aspects of life that have traditionally relied on fossil fuels all around the world. Utility networks may be unable to meet that demand in the absence of innovation. A proactive strategy to stop power outages before they occur might save businesses, utilities, and economies billions of dollars.
“Utilities are reactive right now instead of proactive,” says the CEO “That has to change.”