Sense, a company focused on grid edge intelligence, has announced a new edge-powered Fault Detection Solution that is embedded directly into next-generation smart meters. The software gives utilities real-time visibility into faults throughout the distribution grid all the way to the service and secondary lines feeding homes, areas where most failures originate but monitoring has historically been limited.
Sense made the announcement February 2 at the Distributech event in San Diego, California, which is ongoing this week at the San Diego Convention Center. POWER is a media partner of the event.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 90% of U.S. outages occur on the distribution grid, yet most fault detection technologies focus upstream on transmission or substations. Sense uses Waveform AI, its on-meter signal disaggregation and insight technology, to detect arcing, downed lines, and equipment degradation in real time, helping utilities reduce wildfire risk, protect crews, and accelerate restoration.
“Utilities need fast, accurate visibility into what’s happening on the distribution grid,” said Sense CEO Mike Phillips. “By moving intelligence to the edge, we’re giving operators actionable insight the moment something goes wrong—without requiring new hardware or specialized field equipment.”
Built for AMI 2.0, Sense runs as software inside modern smart meters, maximizing the investment in meter deployments and avoiding the additional cost and complexity of pole-top sensors or radio-based localization. Utilities can detect and localize faults faster, shorten outages, reduce truck rolls, and prioritize asset replacements based on real-world conditions.
Early fault detection on the distribution grid can also help improve safety for utility lineworkers, as arcing events can be fatal for lineworkers who encounter them in the field. The solution has already demonstrated proven value in utility pilots, identifying incipient faults caused by emerging vegetation issues and uncovering previously unseen faults in field infrastructure. The Sense Fault Detection Solution follows the Sense Load Visibility Solution announced in late 2025.
—POWER edited this content, which was contributed by Sense.
