GridWrap, Inc. has been selected by the California Energy Commission (CEC) for a $5.9 million project to validate and commercialize its Composite WiRe Wrap technology under real-world grid operating conditions, demonstrate its performance and reliability at scale, and accelerate commercialization and utility adoption.

Electricity demand is rising rapidly, driven in large part by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI), hyperscale data centers, cloud computing and broader electrification. At the same time, much of the nation’s transmission and distribution infrastructure is decades old and was not designed to accommodate today’s growing and increasingly concentrated power demands.

Wildfires, extreme heat, severe storms, and other climate-related events are placing additional strain on aging grid infrastructure and increasing the need for a more resilient electric system. Conventional grid upgrades, including reconductoring, rebuilding transmission lines, and undergrounding, can cost millions of dollars per mile and often take years to permit, engineer, and construct.

These challenges are creating an urgent need for faster, more cost-effective solutions that can increase the capacity of existing power lines, accelerate the interconnection of AI and data center loads, and strengthen grid resilience without requiring utilities to completely rebuild existing infrastructure.

Composite WiRe Wrap is GridWrap’s proprietary, patented technology designed to be installed directly onto existing overhead conductors. The system is engineered to increase a power line’s capacity by up to 2 times while reducing thermal sag by up to 75%, helping maintain greater clearance from vegetation and the ground and reducing wildfire ignition risk.

The technology also mechanically reinforces existing conductors to improve resilience against ice, snow, wind, and other extreme weather conditions. Installed using an autonomous robotic system, Composite WiRe Wrap minimizes field crew requirements and service disruptions, providing utilities with a faster and more cost-effective solution to increase the capacity, reliability, and resilience of existing grid infrastructure.

The system targets a total installed cost of roughly one-tenth that of conventional reconductoring, which could save utilities and ratepayers in California up to $12 billion.

“Utilities are being asked to deliver more power on infrastructure that was not built for today’s demand or today’s weather. This project will give utilities independent, real-world proof on whether Composite WiRe Wrap technology can meet that need at a fraction of the cost of replacement,” says Davoud Zamani, CEO of GridWrap.

Throughout the project, GridWrap is working directly with utility stakeholders, including California’s investor-owned utilities, and technical experts at INL and EPRI to define operational requirements, performance benchmarks, and monitoring priorities. This collaboration is designed to surface and address technology risks early and give utilities the independent, real-world validation they need to adopt Composite WiRe Wrap at scale.

About GridWrap

GridWrap, Inc. enables a resilient and affordable energy future for the aging grid, offering safe, fast and reliable grid solutions. GridWrap’s pole-hardening solution (DEMIRWRAP®) has been deployed with more than 95 utilities in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Europe. Learn more at www.gridwrap.com.

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