As we close out 2024, Buzz Solutions reflects on a year filled with significant milestones, groundbreaking innovations, and impactful partnerships that have helped modernize energy infrastructure. Our journey this year underscores the power utility industry’s shift toward digital transformation, driven by the need for efficient, scalable, and secure solutions for critical infrastructure.
From aging infrastructure to the growing threats of extreme weather and human security breaches, utilities face unprecedented challenges. Our AI-powered solutions enable utilities to proactively detect anomalies, prioritize repairs, and prevent costly disruptions, including blackouts and grid-sparked wildfires.
Driving Growth in a Transforming Industry
A Year of Expansion
2024 has been a remarkable year for Buzz Solutions. In March, we secured $5 million in growth funding, bringing our total to $10.7 million. This financial milestone allowed us to grow our U.S. customer base by 50%, achieve 100% year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth, and expand our team size by 40%. Additionally, we saw a 110% YoY growth in partnerships, further solidifying our position as a leader in AI-powered infrastructure inspection and security.
Welcoming New Customers
Our innovative solutions continue to support major utilities like the New York Power Authority, Southern California Edison and also new customers such as Dominion Energy. We were also excited to onboard DRIFT Enterprise, enabling AI-powered infrastructure inspections for Caribbean utility companies. These partnerships emphasize the growing demand for proactive solutions to protect and maintain power grids worldwide.
Leading Innovation with EPRI
Buzz Solutions was proud to announce its selection as one of 16 cutting-edge companies participating in EPRI’s Incubatenergy® Labs (IEL) program this year. This recognition highlighted our commitment to driving innovation in energy infrastructure and aligns with our mission to modernize and secure the power grid with AI-powered solutions.
Now in its sixth year, IEL has become a leading initiative for advancing electrification, decarbonization, and grid modernization.
This year, IEL received over 175 applications from startups worldwide, with Buzz Solutions being among the 16 selected by a panel of energy stakeholders and EPRI experts. Buzz Solutions was selected to collaborate with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) during the IEL program. This partnership underscores the shared vision of driving grid resilience and leveraging advanced technology to address modern energy challenges. Together, Buzz Solutions and NYPA worked to deploy Buzz’s PowerGUARD solution for NYPA substations for monitoring security, safety and equipment conditions.
Buzz Solutions at EPRI IEL demo day presenting their PowerGUARD solution for NYPA
Advancing Technology for a Smarter Grid
Scaling PowerGUARD
This year, we scaled our PowerGUARD solution, our AI-driven security, safety and equipment condition monitoring solution for substations. PowerGUARD enhances security, safety, reduces operational costs, and improves response times with real-time alerts for security events, safety detections, and condition monitoring. Leveraging RGB and thermal data, PowerGUARD has redefined how utilities monitor their critical assets. PowerGUARD solution was deployed at substations of Southern California Edison and the New York Power Authority.
A Newer PowerAI Platform
This year, we also announced the release of the new version of our PowerAI software platform used for transmission and distribution infrastructure inspections to manage, analyze and report visual inspection data. This new version comes with new product features for seamless and robust AI analysis of inspection imagery to provide asset inventory and asset anomaly/fault detections. The visual intelligence is also integrated with work order management systems, GIS systems (such as Esri) and asset management systems for power utilities.
Partnerships Driving Innovation
Our collaboration with Skydio brought together our PowerAI platform and Skydio’s industry-leading autonomous drones. This partnership enables fully automated asset inspections, combining computer vision technology with advanced flight capabilities. The result? Faster, safer, and more efficient inspections that integrate seamlessly into utilities’ existing systems.
Joining the Esri Partner Network was another highlight of 2024. By integrating our solutions with Esri’s ArcGIS technology, we’re helping utilities enhance their geographic insights and build smarter, more resilient grids. This partnership amplifies our ability to deliver geographically contextualized data for faster and more informed decision-making.
Buzz Solutions team at UIIC presenting an inspection project with Dominion Energy and partners Skydio and Esri
Recognition for Excellence
We were honored to win the Energy & Utilities category at the 2024 SaaS Awards, recognizing our PowerAI platform as a transformative solution for grid modernization. This award validates our commitment to providing actionable intelligence that helps utilities mitigate risks and maximize safety.
Buzz Solutions awarded the best SaaS product for Energy and Utilities
The industry is seeing unprecedented growth
Significant market drivers in the Transmission, Distribution, and Substation spaces
In 2024, the power utility industry’s transmission and distribution (T&D) sector advanced significantly through investments in infrastructure, regulatory reforms, technological innovation, and responses to rising energy demands.
Utilities committed $121 billion to grid modernization by 2026 to integrate renewables and enhance resilience. The Department of Energy projected a 2.4 to 3.5-fold increase in national transmission capacity by 2050 to support energy transition goals.
Regulatory updates, including FERC’s Orders 1920 and 1977, introduced 20-year transmission plans with five-year updates and a cost-sharing framework to improve planning and interstate collaboration.
AI’s rapid growth reshaped the T&D landscape, with utilities like Entergy supporting AI-driven data centers, such as Meta’s $10 billion Louisiana facility. This surge required significant grid upgrades but also led to challenges like transmission constraints and connection delays.
Substation vandalism emerged as a growing concern, posing risks to grid reliability and public safety. Notable incidents ranged from break-in at a Rocky Mountain Power substation, which damaged equipment and caused a power outage to nearly 1,000 homes, to more targeted and coordinated efforts, such as a thwarted attack at a Tennessee substation. These events underscored the urgency for enhanced physical security measures, including surveillance, barriers, and advanced monitoring systems, to protect substations from escalating threats.
These types of incidents have shown a national spotlight on the need for more investment in protecting and upgrading our infrastructure, so that we can achieve our broadest electrification and climate goals.
Industry Trends: BVLOS Waivers
In 2024, the FAA granted 236 Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waivers, nearly double the 121 issued in 2023. These waivers allow drones to operate beyond the pilot’s visual range, enabling more efficient transmission line inspections, substation monitoring, and emergency assessments.
The year-over-year increase highlights the growing adoption of drones in utility operations and the FAA’s evolving policies to support innovation while ensuring safety. BVLOS capabilities reduce costs, enhance safety, and improve efficiency by covering greater distances and minimizing human risk.
“Drone-in-the-box” systems, which automate deployment and recharging, are driving this trend further, offering scalable solutions for routine infrastructure inspections and emphasizing the importance of BVLOS waivers as a key industry metric
Tangible Benefits for Utilities
Our solutions deliver measurable results:
- Operational Efficiency: Automated inspections save time, allowing utilities to focus on core operations.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Turnkey solutions integrate seamlessly without disrupting existing workflows.
- Actionable Insights: Utilities receive processed outputs linked to asset IDs, enabling faster responses.
- Grid Modernization: Our technologies support utilities in their transition to a more sustainable energy network.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2025, Buzz Solutions remains committed to driving innovation in the power utility industry. With our proven technologies, strategic partnerships, and unwavering dedication to safety and sustainability, we’re excited to continue empowering utilities to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing energy landscape.
Thank you to our customers, partners, and team members for making 2024 a milestone year. Here’s to a future powered by smarter, safer, and more resilient energy infrastructure.
– Kaitlyn Albertoli and Vikhyat Chaudhry
Co-Founders, Buzz Solutions
