Duquesne Light Company’s New Smart Tech Investment

Duquesne Light Company (DLC), which serves more than 600,000 customers across Allegheny and Beaver counties, has taken a novel approach to modernizing its electric grid by deploying hundreds of small, intelligent sensors on distribution poles. The goal is simple but powerful: Strengthen resiliency and make the grid safer by improving visibility into surrounding conditions.

At the center is a network of smart sensors called Gridscope, developed by California-based technology company Gridware. Fully solar-powered with battery backup, the devices are attached to existing poles and operate independently off the electric grid — continuing to monitor conditions even if the power is out.

“These sensors give us eyes and ears on the system like we’ve never had before,” said Josh Gould, DLC’s director of advanced grid solutions. “By alerting us of any anomalies, we can pinpoint problems faster, dispatch crews more efficiently and improve safety, all while getting more value out of our existing infrastructure.”

Turning Data Into Faster Response

Traditionally, electric utilities have relied on centralized systems that provide only a general sense of where a problem might have occurred. Crews must then manually patrol long stretches of line to find the issue, adding time to restorations and increasing exposure to unknown hazards.

DLC’s approach flips that model. The sensors are installed directly on distribution poles where they continuously monitor surrounding electrical, environmental and physical conditions and detect equipment failures, vegetation contact and dangerous downed wires. The technology identifies the precise pole involved, and crews are dispatched directly to the source with information about what they are likely to encounter.

The benefits extend beyond daily reliability. Southwestern Pennsylvania’s hilly terrain, dense vegetation and increasingly volatile weather make grid maintenance especially challenging.

A Strategic, Value-Driven Deployment

DLC was the first utility in Pennsylvania to deploy Gridscope and was strategic in its implementation. The company began with a focused pilot in 2024, targeting some of its most challenging circuits — areas with frequent outages, heavy vegetation or higher risk of vehicle-related incidents.

The results were strong enough to support a larger rollout. By late 2025, DLC began scaling the program, installing more than 1,900 sensors across its system. Notably, the expansion did not require major infrastructure upgrades, allowing DLC to capture as much value as possible for customers.

“Every investment we make has to earn its place,” Gould said. “This technology helps us do more with what we already have.”

Safer for Crews, Safer for Communities

Safety is another critical outcome of the program. Downed wires pose serious risks to the public, and limited visibility has long been a challenge during storms and outages, especially when widespread damage occurs. 

The sensors’ ability to detect and report these conditions in real time helps DLC respond faster and more confidently, reducing exposure for both crews and customers.

As the technology becomes more deeply integrated into DLC’s core systems, those safety and efficiency gains are expected to grow. The company is working to bring sensor alerts directly into its outage management systems, streamlining decision making during high-pressure events.

The poles lining our streets and hills have always been part of the grid’s backbone. Now, with the right technology, they’ve become active participants in improving reliability and resilience — we just had to figure out how to listen.