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New solution | In partnership with AP Sensing

OPGW Dynamic Line Rating

Your optical ground wire is already the sensor.
Ampacimon and AP Sensing use Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) on the OPGW already installed on your line to measure wind on every span and compute real-time ratings. No new hardware on the conductor. No outage. No black box.
POWERED BY
AP Sensing
Up to
2 x 100 km
monitored per
DAS unit
Every
span
measured,
not just a few
Plug-and-play
solution
No additional sensor,
no AI training required
Physics-
based
Patented
technology

The challenge

You're leaving capacity on the line
Static and seasonal ratings are set for worst-case conditions that rarely occur, so most ofthe time your lines can safely carry more than the paperwork allows. Dynamic Line Rating unlocks that headroom - the real challenge is extending it across an entirenetwork of hundreds of lines, each with different terrain, age and criticality.
Direct measurement,
where it matters most
Conductor-mounted sensors give the highest-fidelity, real-time truth at your most critical spans - the benchmark every other method is measured against.
Coverage across
everything else
You can't add hardware to every conductor on the grid, and model - only DLR alone can be hard to audit. Meanwhile, many lines already carry optical ground wire that is not yet being used as a sensor.
The gap isn't a better sensor. It's more measured, auditable coverage across the lines you already own.

Where it fits

GridBoost® | One platform, three complementary DLR strategies
OPGW-based DLR extends your reach. It doesn't replace what already works. Each approach has its sweetspot, and all three can be combined on Ampacimon's Gridboost® platform for a grid-wide Dynamic Line Rating roll-out.
Sensorless DLR
Model-based ratings for broad, low-touch coverage across lines with no hardware installed.
Sensor-based DLR
Direct, highest accuracy measurement at your most critical spans - the proven benchmark.
OPGW-based DLR
Continuous, whole-line measurement on lines already carrying OPGW - nothing added to the conductor.

The solution

Your OPGW is already the sensor
Nearly every transmission line already carries optical ground wire. We read it. A single DAS interrogator in the substation listens to the fibre already strung across your towers and measures the wind acting on the line - span by span, along up to 2 x 100 km , with nothing added to the conductor. Ampacimon's GridBoost® platform converts those readings into a deterministic, physics-based rating for every span and delivers it to your control room every 5 minutes.
AP Sensing logo
A global leader in fiber-optic sensing. Its Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) turns the OPGW into a continuous measurement instrument - no conductor hardware, no outage.
Ampacimon logo
15+ years in Dynamic Line Rating. The physics-based rating engine and production grade GridBoost® platform that Tier-1 utilities already run in their control rooms.
One interrogator. Existing fibre. A rating you can audit.

How it works

1. Listen
The DAS interrogator reads the existing OPGW fiber across the line.
2. Measure
Acoustic signatures reveal wind conditions span by span.
‍
- Patented technology -
3. Calculate
GridBoost® converts measurements into deterministic, physics-based dynamic ratings.
4. Operate
Ratings are delivered to control room and planning systems.

What you get

Four gains, no new hardware on the line
1
More usable capacity,
safely
Real-time, per-span ratings replace conservative static limits. Move more power over the assets you already own, connect renewables faster, and defer reinforcement.
2
Full-line visibility,
not a few spans
Wind is measured on every span, and the most-limiting span sets the rating. Because the critical span shifts with the weather, whole-line coverage catches it.
3
A rating you can
defend
Deterministic and physics-based. Every rating is traceable and auditable for operators and regulators. Sag and conductor temperature are derived per span.
4
Deploy without
touching the line
One DAS unit in the substation, on existing fiber. No outage, no conductor site work, no calibration, and no extra weather hardware.
A whole-line view from infrastructure you already own
Runs in GridBoost® and feeds SCADA/EMS, market and planning systems via HMI, REST API and CSV - cloud or on-premise.

The proof

Proven on a live 380 kV line
In a pilot on a transmission-grid 380 kV line, OPGW-based ratings tracked closely in line with conductor-level sensor DLR - and ran conservative in most cases, staying on the safe side of the true rating.

Wind was validated span by span against Ampacimon's patented conductor-mounted sensors.
In line with
sensor-based DLR
accross the pilot
Conservative
by design
safe-side in
most cases
Every span
validated
against conductor-level
wind sensors

Beyond capacity

Your OPGW can do more for the grid
The same acoustic sensing that measures wind listens to the whole line, continuously.

That opens the door to grid situational awareness - detecting and locating events along the route in real time.
Vandalism & theft
Wildfire ignition & spread
Vegetation encroachment
Lightning strikes
Short circuits & flashovers
Partial discharge & corona
Icing & galloping
One fiber, one platform - start with DLR today and expand into situational awareness as your needs grow.

Why Ampacimon

The DLR partner utilities already trust
15+ years of DLR expertise, multiple patents, and wide industry recognition.
The only DLR solution past pilot stage in both Europe and North America, in production with Tier-1 utilities.
The only DLR sensors that measure wind directly at the conductor (patented) - the ground truth behind these results.
One platform, every DLR strategy - sensorless, sensor-based and OPGW-based DLR scale together in GridBoost®.
See what your OPGW can already do
Send us your line and OPGW details and we'll assess where DAS-based DLR can unlock capacity across your network.
Talk to our DLR experts to assess your OPGW network