Energy Distribution

Modernising Grid Maintenance with XR & Digital Twins

The electricity distribution sector faces critical challenges in maintaining aging infrastructure while modernising networks for the future. As grid complexity grows, the Electricity Distribution Network requires advanced training and operational tools to ensure service continuity, technician safety, and rapid response times.

MOTIVATE XR Pilot 4 transforms electrical utility servicing through:

Digital Twin Integration: Interactive digital replicas of HEDNO assets for immersive training.
On-Site Expert Guidance: AR-enabled live support for complex transformers and switch maintenance.
Operational Continuity: Decentralised training modules that reduce manpower shortages.
Real-Time Data Accessibility: Instant field access to maintenance logs, manuals, and technical datasheets.

Partner involved:

OVERVIEW & GOALS OF PILOT

Focus: Enhancing the training, continuous education, and field efficiency of HEDNO employees through Digital Twin and XR technologies.

Process & Impact: This pilot addresses the limitations of traditional, off-site training sessions that often lead to service delays and high operational costs. By creating interactive digital replicas of power grid assets, the project provides technicians with high-fidelity environments for learning and troubleshooting. This approach ensures that technical staff are better prepared for the modernisation of networks without disrupting daily service quality.

Validation & Innovation: The pilot focuses on validating XR technologies within real-world power grid use cases, specifically inspection and maintenance procedures. By testing these tools in live environments, the project aims to prove that XR can shorten procedure times, ensure more precise measurements, and significantly enhance the safety standards of field operations.

Advantages for End User & Innovation Potential

Enhanced Information Access: Providing on-site personnel with immediate XR access to critical manuals and maintenance logs.
Optimised Field Training: Using AR glasses for hands-on training, allowing experts to guide trainees through complex actions in real-time.
Increased Safety & Precision: Ensuring more accurate record-keeping and measurements during hazardous maintenance tasks.
Reduced Operational Costs: Minimising the need for long-distance travel for training and reducing the duration of network outages.
Remote Expert Connectivity: Facilitating live assistance for technical staff performing repairs on high-voltage transformers and switches.
Improved Service Quality: Boosting overall grid reliability and customer satisfaction through faster, more efficient repair cycles.

Achievement & Results

Training Context & Objectives: HEDNO launched Pilot 4 to modernise wooden pole inspection and maintenance across the Greek distribution network, which comprises over one million poles. The traditional process is labor-intensive, requiring complex manual calculations and data entry. To simplify this, HEDNO developed an XR training system that allows instructors to author content without programming and trainees to practice procedures in a simulated environment. The solution aims to reduce inspection time, improve safety, and prevent errors by providing easy access to digital records and 3D animations. Ultimately, this XR integration transforms a time-consuming manual task into a streamlined, high-efficiency digital workflow.

XR Training Implementation: The implementation of the XR training scenario used KAYROX authoring tools and the ARM player across tablets and headsets to digitise the wooden pole maintenance process. During the pilot at HEDNO’s premises, two trainees successfully authored the training manuals, noting that while the platform was user-friendly, future versions would benefit from features like undo buttons and animation previews. A total of 16 engineers then participated across four training sessions, reporting increased confidence in performing inspections despite minor challenges regarding headset visibility and the tactile interaction with physical tools. To ensure a robust assessment, the team used a combination of questionnaires and log analysis to capture both qualitative feedback and quantitative performance data.

What’s Coming Next

Possible future extensions regarding the final release of MOTIVATE XR are:

Testing improved versions of the XR tools which will be released after considering the pilot’s contribution to the beta phase and feedback.
Data Input and Reporting: Importing measured parameters and generating detailed reports that summarise the results of each inspection and maintenance activity.
General Improved Training Quality

VIDEO SECTION

Energy Distribution Demo

This video is an Augmented Reality (AR) session demonstrating the training procedure for inspection and maintenance of electrical wooden poles. The application was created by HEDNO engineers using the tools developed during the MOTIVATE XR project as part of the pilot 4 use case.