How Empact conducts per-pole loading analysis 3x faster
"Using Neara, we're now able to model 12,000 poles and counting per month in our initial model build. Our team now conducts per-pole loading analysis 3x faster, in 5-6 minutes per pole instead of 16 minutes. "
Tom Jackson, CEO, Empact Engineering
Legacy tools limited the team to just 1,000 poles modeled per month.
EMPACT Engineering partners with electric utilities in the central United States, delivering network performance and optimization across nearly 1 million poles. EMPACT specializes in technology and innovation that electric utility and broadband providers can leverage to deliver their services more effectively, efficiently, and consistently for customers and communities.
In the face of increasing demand across a growing customer base, and more frequent severe weather events causing significant stress on utility networks, EMPACT's work has become mission critical for core infrastructure. Many of the utilities EMPACT serves are in Texas, the nation's fourth fastest-growing state, with nine of the country's top 25 fastest-growing counties. The region faces some of the most diverse severe weather conditions in the country, which continually threatens utility infrastructure.
Growing complexity in EMPACT's scope revealed the limitations of legacy technology solutions that worked well in the past but proved ill-equipped to confront current and future challenges. Before working with Neara, EMPACT could model approximately 1,000 poles per month. Using another software solution meant the team had to spend 16 minutes per pole on the loading analyses, considerably delaying implementation work.
Neara scaled capacity from 1,000 to 12,000 poles per month.
Prior to Neara, EMPACT tried every pole design solution in the market. Despite constructive and extensive engagement with several of them, they were unable to achieve the speed and quality of output required.
Using Neara, EMPACT is now able to model 12,000 poles and counting per month in their initial model build. The team now conducts per-pole loading analysis 3x faster — in 5-6 minutes per pole instead of 16 minutes, which was the fastest achievable with alternative solutions.
Pole loading analysis is one of EMPACT's core workflows in identifying areas of partner utility networks that can also accommodate telecom equipment for joint-use in extending broadband availability to growing populations. Retrofitting utility assets for broadband equipment entails evaluating on-pole and mid-span clearance distances and requires a granular understanding of terrain nuances such as elevation geometry.
Per-pole loading analysis 3x faster at 12x the scale.
With Neara's AI-powered digital modeling and simulation software, EMPACT's ability to run analyses much faster without sacrificing accuracy means the team can run many other critical analyses concurrently. The team has scaled their adoption of Neara's physics-enabled digital twin across many teams — from vegetation to engineering and GIS — and applications, including line rating, without any per-user license fees.
Leveraging Neara's software for digital line rerating analyses, EMPACT is helping utilities identify more opportunities to bring more electricity online using only existing assets in several pockets of central Texas infrastructure. This means that EMPACT can help utilities more effectively navigate extreme weather and resultant demand spikes and bring more clean energy online faster.