Company Background

EleQuant Inc. has recently founded in 2016 a US company with 49 % of ownership EQ-KIDS (EleQuant Knowledge Innovation Data Science), to approach Big Data opportunities in the US as well as Federal Research Grants.

Introduction

Antoni Trias, co-founder of Grupo AIA, who holds a doctorate in physics from Universidad de Barcelona, Spain, took a fresh look at the theory involved in managing the flow of energy on a power grid. An industry that had been totally dependent on the Newton-Raphson theory to manage energy flow was about to experience a major shake-up: Dr. Trias created an innovative and unique methodology for solving the power flow equations of electrical power systems, known as the Holomorphic Embedding Load-Flow Method (HELM™) that, unlike Newton-Raphson, will never yield an incorrect solution. This new approach yielded a real-time management tool that dramatically improved the reliability and restoration of electrical systems: AGORA.

Today, Grupo AIA’s solutions: HELM™-Flow and AGORA are used by the electricity industry in Spain, Mexico and the US, and is expanding to other parts of the world. EleQuant, Inc. was created in 2001 to market Grupo AIA’s product in North America. Since 2014 it is also participating in R&D projects in electric power systems in spacecrafts, funded by SBIR and STTR programs.

History

Founded in 1988 in Barcelona, Grupo AIA is a technology consultancy and software development company that specializes in solving complex problems for the energy, banking and telecommunications industries, with strong emphasis in Artificial Intelligence and recently in the forefront of Big Data analytics.

Group AIA develops advanced software based on: Intelligent Observation Systems; classification, prediction, optimization and simulation techniques; modeling, prescription and Big Data techniques; and application of methodologies used in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. The company main asset is a world class team with talent and creativity composed of more than 65 people with 33% PhDs, 16% BSCs and 30% engineers.

Grupo AIA has more than twenty-five years’ experience in innovative solutions for the energy sector, working at diverse levels: real-time support tools for intelligent observation and management of electrical grids, demand forecast (electricity and gas), renewable generation forecast, electricity market prices forecast, models for electricity markets analysis and hydro-generation optimization.

In 2001, the company launched its U.S. operations with the formation of EleQuant headquartered in San Francisco. Once several patents have been granted and major improvements and updates done to its line of products, EleQuant has been relaunched in 2016. It focuses on selling the company’s energy products to utilities, independent system operators, regional transmission operators and other organizations involved with management of electricity grids throughout North America. EleQuant, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo AIA: Holding EleQuant S.L.

The founders of the company always wanted to establish US operations in the place they believe is truly the center of technology innovation and leadership. A region with major energy demands that has experienced first-hand the incredible challenges of efficient power management.

Solutions

EleQuant’s main energy product, Advanced Grid Observation Reliable Algorithms (AGORA™), allows power system operators to effectively observe as well as simulate the activity on a power grid under any condition, allowing for more accurate planning and response. The system provides much more effective modeling for grid operators than conventional tools offer, even with just partial information about grid conditions.

EleQuant’s also distributes Grupo AIA’s simulation and analysis tool HELM™-Flow for power transmission and distribution that delivers fast, accurate workflow solutions since it is also based on HELM™.