Prisma Photonics Launches Dynamic Line Rating Pilot with TransnetBW on 120km of German Grid

New updates have been reported about Prisma Photonics.

Prisma Photonics is expanding its European footprint with a two-year evaluation program in Germany, deploying its PrismaPower line monitoring technology across 120 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines operated by TransnetBW. The initiative positions Prisma Photonics at the center of Germany’s effort to increase grid flexibility and integrate more renewable power without immediately resorting to costly new infrastructure.

The partnership targets a key constraint for German grid operators: static line ratings that limit capacity and contribute to congestion and renewable curtailment, which cost the system an estimated $3 billion in 2023. By converting existing optical fiber along three circuits into a continuous sensing network, Prisma’s Beacon systems will provide real-time data on wind conditions, line behavior, and events such as short circuits or lightning, enabling more accurate dynamic line ratings and supporting asset reliability.

For Prisma Photonics, the TransnetBW program is a strategic validation in one of Europe’s most advanced power markets, where regulatory pressure from EU climate neutrality targets and Germany’s Network Development Plan is accelerating demand for grid-optimization solutions. TransnetBW has already invested in weather-dependent operations, moving from fixed assumptions to a network of about 300 weather stations, and this pilot will test how Prisma’s technology can extend and possibly streamline that monitoring approach. If successful, the deployment could support broader roll-out across TransnetBW’s network and signal additional commercial opportunities with other European operators.

TransnetBW engineers see potential to use the same fiber-sensing infrastructure not only for capacity optimization but also for precise localization of lightning strikes and other incidents, potentially consolidating multiple monitoring needs into one platform. Prisma Photonics’ CEO, Dr. Eran Inbar, framed the collaboration as an example of how utilities can unlock additional transmission capacity using existing fiber to manage congestion while advancing decarbonization goals. The company already has deployments over thousands of kilometers of transmission lines in the United States, Europe, Israel, and other regions, and this German initiative further supports its positioning as a key enabling technology provider for grid modernization and the energy transition.