Thank you to our in-person and virtual attendees who joined us for day two of Itron Inspire 2022’s Knowledge Conference. We often talk about the impacts extreme weather has on our industry. At this year’s conference, we experienced it firsthand after Hurricane Ian changed trajectory and passed near Marco Island, FL. Fortunately, everyone stayed safe. Once the hurricane was out of the area, attendees were able to head home safely.

Although Itron Inspire 2022 didn’t go as expected, the insightful discussions and engaging presentations were inspiring. Sessions during day two of the Knowledge Conference took a deep dive into a range of topics including the future of energy, preparing for cyber threats, how EVs are transforming the industry and more. Outlined below are a few of the highlights and takeaways from Itron Inspire day two.

Realizing the Value of Data

On Tuesday morning, Itron’s vice president of global marketing and public affairs, Marina Donovan welcomed attendees to day two of the Knowledge Conference and invited Tom Koulopoulos, futurist, author and chairman of the Delphi Group to the stage. Tom shared his perspective on the transition to a digital ecosystem as time moves forward and unpredictability increases. As he put it, “the catalyst for change isn’t found in the habits of yesterday, but instead the behaviors of the future.”

Looking to the future, there are many unknowns. But we do know that utilities will continue to run into a variety of challenges related to energy reliability, security, grid resiliency, infrastructure complexities and more. One element can help piece it all together: data. At the same time, Koulopoulos discussed how the amount of data created every day and every hour will soon be so immense it will be incomprehensible to humans. However, the intelligence of data-driven digital ecosystems and the capabilities they unlock are key to achieving decarbonization goals, mitigating climate disruption and eliminating water waste.

The Building Blocks of Cybersecurity

The second Big Picture Session, Preparing for Cyber Threats in a Digital World, addressed a top-of-mind concern for utilities everywhere. The discussion featured Don Reeves, Itron senior vice president of outcomes as the session moderator alongside David Wollman, deputy division chief of the smart connected systems division, NIST and Andy Dickson, IT vice president of Digital Grid, Exelon Utilities and chief information officer, ComEd as panelists. The session kicked off with all panelists in agreement that although an organization can be well postured to respond to a cybersecurity threat, it can never be prepared enough. It is critical to practice frequent and proactive cybersecurity hygiene such as creating a compliance program for assets and a robust internal threat program to combat fishing scams. It is also important to ensure partners and vendors uphold the same standards and viewpoints on cybersecurity by running a comprehensive assessment prior to signing a contract. Although this requires time and investment, the program you stand up will enable your utility to be resilient and act with vigilance in the cybersecurity world.

Technology in the EV Transformation

As consumers rush to participate in the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), the electric industry is trying to keep up. In an afternoon session, Role of Technologies (Cloud, Digital, Twin, AI) for Improving EV Infrastructure Stability and Resiliency, Itron’s Jeff Walz, business growth manager took attendees through the basics of EVs, the challenges associated with EV charging, grid analytics using AI and Digital Twins as well as Itron and NREL’s collaboration for an EV charging solution. As the accelerated adoption of EVs continues, the importance of collaboration and cooperation between EV owners and utilities cannot be understated. While a surge in commercial charging can have a negative effect on the distribution system, it can also be turned into a positive if an operating schedule is in place or if the EV owner is willing to act as a producer of energy to support the local grid. There are many moving parts that need to come together to successfully manage commercial EVs and EV fleets, and Itron has the key capabilities and solutions to help your utility make it happen.

Preserving the Most Precious Resource

Did you know that one in 10 people lack access to clean water? Water is becoming much more critical in the world today as scarcities are being experienced all over the globe due to increasing droughts, aging infrastructure and non-revenue water loss. In a Tuesday afternoon session, Achieving Global Success by Reducing Non-Revenue Water, Itron’s director of product management, Jeff McCracken reminds us that as these challenges persist, water is a finite resource and needs to be treated as such. Now more than ever, utilities need an integrated management platform that is stable, secure and accurate and provides operational visibility. That’s where data-driven insights come into play. Itron’s smart devices and analytics solutions can help utilities gain actionable understanding of water metering and use, protect revenue with leak detection and bring intelligence to the very edge of the water distribution network.

Interested in our day one recap? You can read it here. On-demand session content will be available soon. More details to come.