Selex ES, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that Gridkey, its collaboration with smart-grid specialist Sentec, has been presented with awards in two categories at the Rushlight Awards, presented annually to companies who develop new ‘clean’ technologies and innovations that benefit the environment. The wins, in the Power Generation and Transmission direct entry category and the overall Energy Environmental category, demonstrate the company’s success at bringing military-specification sensor capabilities to the civil market.

The Gridkey system allows Distribution Network Operator (DNO) companies, who deliver electricity to homes and businesses, to accurately monitor their low-voltage power networks. As green technologies such as electric cars become more widespread and put more strain on the networks, it is more essential than ever that DNOs have accurate data on how their grids operate. By obtaining this data, DNOs can prevent unplanned outages for customers, reduce network maintenance requirements, and support the incorporation of low-carbon technologies into the grid. Gridkey has been trialled with five of the six main UK-based DNOs and with two in Europe.

“The success of Gridkey highlights how Selex ES can bring the same high level of technological innovation that we’ve always delivered for our military customers to the civil market, in areas like green technology” said Paul Beck, VP Advanced Projects for GridKey, adding “Working with Sentec, we developed Gridkey in close collaboration with the DNOs themselves to ensure that it was perfectly tailored to their requirements.”