Case Study: A2A Life Company achieves a rapid, patentable compact underground substation design with Wazoku

A2A Life Company - Customer Case Study

A2A, a major Italian energy and services company focused on renewable generation, electrification and the circular economy, needed 1,000 new secondary substations by 2030 but found dense urban sites left little space. Underground deployment promised a solution but raised access, overheating and flooding risks, and suppliers had no viable designs — so A2A turned to crowdsourcing through InnoCentive to find a novel compact substation concept.

InnoCentive launched the challenge in two weeks and, over four weeks, engaged 75 solvers, delivered 12 submissions and 3 complete proposals. The winning concept reused existing equipment in a compact, low‑maintenance layout; A2A filed for a patent, began prototyping and plans to offer a turnkey device to other utilities. The result accelerated A2A’s 2030 rollout and helped establish an ongoing open-innovation program blending external, internal and venture channels.

A2A Life Company