Grid management technology addresses critical infrastructure challenges as electricity demand surges globally
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 11, 2025 -- SparkMeter, a global gridtech provider, has been recognized on Fast Company's 2025 World Changing Ideas Awards list for its GridScan product. GridScan won in the Best World Changing Idea EMEA category for solving a critical infrastructure problem: utilities worldwide lack on-demand visibility into their aging distribution networks as electricity demand skyrockets.
The challenge is severe. Half of the U.S. distribution transformers are over 33 years old and approaching end-of-life. Meanwhile, electricity demand is surging from data centers, electric vehicles, and industrial electrification. Without on-demand grid visibility, utilities struggle to prevent outages and manage overloaded assets before they fail.
GridScan eliminates this blind spot. The platform analyzes distribution transformer loading, identifies voltage issues, and predicts equipment failures before they cause outages. Instead of reactive maintenance, utilities gain predictive insights that prevent problems.
Real-World Impact
SECO Energy, one of the top 10 largest electric cooperatives in the U.S., uses GridScan to identify overloaded assets and power quality issues across its network. The utility can now spot transformer stress before equipment fails, preventing costly outages for its 200,000+ members.
In Missouri, Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC) deployed GridScan to manage surging demand from data centers and manufacturing expansion. "By implementing SparkMeter's GridScan, GridFin, and Praxis solutions, our team has been able to make data-driven decisions on our infrastructure investments and significantly improve our operations and enhance reliability for our customers," said Doug Tracy, President & CEO of CREC.
In emerging markets, the impact is even more dramatic. "With the help of SparkMeter, we can detect and quantify losses, identify overloaded transformers, and offer flexible billing and payment options to our customers," said Mohamed Ahmed, CFO of Somalia-based utility NECSOM. "As a result, we are improving our financial position and increasing the amount of renewable energy on the grid."
Next-Generation Grid Intelligence
SparkMeter sees GridScan as a jumping off point for one of the most critical applications of AI in the industry. The platform's machine learning capabilities will expand to include predictive diagnostics and automated grid optimization as utilities face unprecedented demand growth.
"We're building the data and intelligence layer that utilities need for the energy transition," said SparkMeter CEO Daniel Schnitzer. "GridScan solves today's visibility problems while preparing utilities for tomorrow's AI-powered operations."
SparkMeter partners with Honeywell Smart Energy to deliver these solutions at scale. Under the partnership, SparkMeter and Honeywell enable one of the largest electric co-ops in the U.S., SECO Energy, to digitize grid data, identify overloaded assets, and mitigate power quality issues. The collaboration combines SparkMeter's grid analytics with Honeywell's metering system, creating comprehensive grid management solutions for utilities.
This year's awards, featured on fastcompany.com, showcase 50 winners across 12 categories and 50 additional winners across industries, for a total of 100 outstanding projects. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected the winners from a pool of more than 1,500 entries and judged applications based on their impact, sustainability, design, creativity, scalability, and ability to improve society.
About SparkMeter
SparkMeter is a global gridtech provider that helps utilities modernize, maximize and monetize their assets. Through its AI-driven platform Praxis and its industrial IoT applications, GridScan and GridFin, SparkMeter identifies underperforming assets, automates labor-intensive activities and suggests new strategies that increase utilities' bottom lines. SparkMeter is supported by world-class investors, technology partners and global organizations, including: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Honeywell Smart Energy, AWS, Mission 300, Power Africa, and more. For more information, visit https://www.sparkmeter.io/.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
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