AN AQUAWOLF PILOT PROJECT
Project Description
Electric utilities across the United States face a dual challenge: they must urgently strengthen their infrastructure against intensifying environmental threats—wildfires in the West and increasingly severe storms nationwide—while also managing rising internal costs tied to materials, labor, and capital projects. As utilities scale storm hardening and system resilience efforts, they must also be mindful of the financial burden passed on to ratepayers. This creates a growing need for meaningful engineering efficiencies—not only in design quality but also in how projects are scoped, captured, and executed.
A major opportunity for improvement lies in the way utilities assess and model utility poles. Pole replacements depending on type can cost anywhere from $20,000 and $100,000 each, and traditional structural analysis tools may flag safe poles as overstressed due to limitations in how they model spans and reflect real-world conditions. These inaccuracies can lead to unnecessary infrastructure replacements, project delays, and excessive cost.
A large western utility engaged Aquawolf to evaluate alternatives to their existing field capture and pole analysis process. The team was asked to compare that tool with both a lighter version of Bentley’s PLS-CADD and the full-featured PLS-CADD application. While the more robust Bentley software offered greater modeling precision, the question was around whether this new workflow would be cost-effective at-scale.
Aquawolf proposed a new end-to-end workflow. By integrating 3D survey data captured via a photogrammetric platform (Looq AI) with automated modeling in Bentley’s full PLS-CADD, they hypothesized they could eliminate the need to choose between cost and capability. The capture method reduced field labor requirements and enabled more of the modeling to be handled by lower-cost engineering staff. These fielding efficiencies allowed firms like Aquawolf to offer a higher-quality product at a competitive price—ultimately saving the utility money without compromising analytical rigor.
This project supports the utility’s broader goal to modernize its grid while keeping infrastructure spending sustainable. Following the pilot, they began reviewing internal workflows and bid requirements to incorporate Bentley tools and phase out the legacy analysis software. The success of this initiative demonstrates how utilities and their engineering partners can adopt advanced digital solutions to enhance infrastructure resilience while remaining cost-conscious—unlocking scalable, sustainable modernization nationwide.
The Process
To test the workflow, Aquawolf modeled 20 previously analyzed structures using both Bentley solutions and the legacy tool. The results from full PLS-CADD models revealed significantly lower structure usage values—showing that poles previously flagged for replacement were, in fact, within tolerance. Total analysis costs stayed flat due to the reduced capture expenses, and the utility gained reusable, survey-grade 3D data as an added benefit.
The Result
The breakthrough in this pilot is understanding that they can eliminate a long-standing tradeoff in utility infrastructure analysis: the choice between low-cost workflows and high-fidelity engineering accuracy. Historically, utilities have relied on simplified or third-party analysis tools that introduce assumptions into pole loading calculations. While these tools are budget-friendly, they often lack the precision to evaluate real-world conditions, leading to potential overdesign or premature pole replacements.
Aquawolf’s solution was the integration of automated modeling and photogrammetric 3D data capture with Bentley’s full-featured PLS-CADD application. The result was a streamlined end-to-end workflow that enabled the use of the most robust analysis tool—without exceeding cost expectations. Rather than reducing modeling quality to control budget, the team reengineered the front end of the workflow: how data is captured, processed, and delivered into the engineering environment.
Using Looq's rapid capture platform, field teams acquired survey-grade imagery and spatial data in hours or days rather than weeks. More importantly, Aquawolf developed a proprietary solution to quickly and easily organize the captured data into the specific formats and sequence needed for PLS-CADD input. This innovation reduced manual effort and allowed designers to populate and run models efficiently.
Because the full PLS-CADD environment supports more comprehensive engineering inputs—including span interactions, loading conditions, and actual terrain alignment—the resulting models reflect real-world behavior more accurately than those created in simpler tools. This means utilities can make better-informed decisions, avoid unnecessary replacements, and improve system reliability.
To validate the workflow, Aquawolf conducted a pilot with 20 structures that had previously been analyzed. They re-captured field data, processed it through their automated system, and ran models in both a lighter version of Bentley’s tool and the full PLS-CADD platform. The comparison showed that full PLS-CADD models consistently produced more accurate and conservative results. In several cases, poles flagged for replacement under other methods were deemed structurally sound by PLS-CADD—representing a significant potential cost savings.
This pilot proved that high-end structural analysis no longer must come at a premium. By automating the path from field capture to model creation, Aquawolf delivered superior insight at a price point consistent with prior methods. The innovation unlocked a new standard for utility workflows—combining data automation, digital capture, and engineering-grade analysis in a scalable, sustainable way.
The utility client emphasized that this project has influenced them to consider updating their project scoping and bid criteria to incorporate options for Bentley’s PLS-CADD and consider eliminating the requirement of the use of legacy tools. This shift reflects not just a preference for accuracy, but recognition of a smarter, more efficient process—one that is now economically viable at scale.
The Outcomes
The pilot project confirmed Aquawolf’s hypothesis: by integrating a streamlined field data capture process with Bentley’s full-featured PLS-CADD application, the team could deliver more accurate structural analyses at the same overall project cost as legacy workflows. The pilot evaluated 20 utility poles previously modeled using a third-party tool. New survey data was captured using a photogrammetric platform and processed through Aquawolf’s automated modeling workflow before being imported into both Bentley’s lighter pole analysis software and the full PLS-CADD environment.
The outcomes were clear. Full PLS-CADD modeling produced significantly more accurate and conservative assessments of pole usage. In multiple cases, poles previously flagged for replacement using the other tool were shown to be structurally sound when analyzed in PLS-CADD. These discrepancies revealed a critical opportunity: utilities could reduce unnecessary replacements and associated project costs without compromising safety or engineering standards.
From a project delivery standpoint, the workflow was both faster and more efficient. Traditional modeling methods took three to four hours per structure. With the new process, PLS-CADD models can be completed in about one hour per structure—representing a 60–75% reduction in engineering time. Additionally, the new workflow allowed more of the work to be performed by lower-cost designers rather than field crews, further improving the cost profile.
Another key benefit was the acquisition of high-fidelity, survey-grade data as a byproduct of the capture process. This 3D data would not have been collected under prior methods but now provides ongoing value to the utility for future inspections, system modeling, and planning.
Importantly, the total estimated cost using this new approach was equivalent to or less than previous methods. The savings they estimate that can be realized from streamlined capture and automated modeling can offset the use of Bentley’s more robust (and typically more expensive) analysis tool. This demonstrated that utilities no longer need to sacrifice analytical quality for cost containment.
By reducing over-conservative replacement decisions, this solution can help utilities minimize environmental waste, avoid unnecessary construction disruption, and reallocate budgets to resilience and renewable upgrades. The improved workflow will lower project costs and support safer, more reliable infrastructure—benefiting both communities and ratepayers while helping utilities meet evolving sustainability mandates.
The client’s response to the findings was highly positive. They recognized the potential for large-scale cost savings and risk reduction, particularly across the thousands of poles assessed each year. As a direct result of the pilot, the utility began reviewing internal workflows and project requirements to formally incorporate Bentley solutions, including the option to use full PLS-CADD, while phasing out their legacy third-party analysis tool.
This workflow cut modeling time by over 60% and revealed false-positive replacements flagged by legacy tools. With Bentley PLS-CADD at the core, we helped the utility make smarter, faster, and more cost-effective decisions—supporting both system resilience and ratepayer value.
Detailed Estimations
Pole loading calculations were completed in approximately one hour per structure, compared to three to four hours using traditional methods—representing a 60–75% reduction in modeling time. Importantly, the models created in PLS-CADD revealed that some structures flagged for replacement under other tools were in fact structurally sound.
While this project did not focus on quantifying avoided replacements across the utility’s full system, it's worth noting that utilities like the one involved in this pilot typically replace more than a thousand poles per year. Based on historical public data and average replacement costs of approximately $25,000 per structure, even a conservative 10% reduction in unnecessary replacements could represent a potential savings of over $2.5 million annually. Over multiple years, the cost savings become even more significant.
- Structures Evaluated in Pilot: 20
- Modeling Time Per Structure:
- Traditional Methods: 3–4 hours
- New workflow: ~1 hour
- Estimated Time Savings: 60–75% reduction in engineering hours
- Fielding Time: Comparable across methods, but field capture supported modeling by lower-cost engineering staff
- Pole Replacement Cost (Est.): ~$25,000 per structure
- Utility-Wide Replacement Volume (Est.): 1,000+ poles annually
- Illustrative Potential Savings:
If just 10% of poles avoided replacement using PLS-CADD insights:
100 poles × $25,000 = $2.5 million in potential annual savings
- Additional Value:
- High-fidelity, survey-grade 3D data created for future reuse with Looq AI
- Reduced reliance on assumptions in structural analysis
- Greater modeling consistency and automation with Bentley software
- Traditional Methods: 3–4 hours
- New workflow: ~1 hour
- High-fidelity, survey-grade 3D data created for future reuse with Looq AI
- Reduced reliance on assumptions in structural analysis
- Greater modeling consistency and automation with Bentley software
