As demand for essential resources like electricity, water and gas continues to surge, utilities face unprecedented challenges in maintaining reliable and resilient grid operations.  

At Itron Inspire 2024, I had the opportunity to join our customers, partners, peers and industry leaders in Palm Desert, California to address these and other pressing challenges facing the industry. Together, we explored innovative solutions that will shape the future of utility operations.  

During the conference’s various speaking engagements and networking opportunities, several key themes and high-level takeaways rose to the top, including: the challenges utilities face are not insurmountable; the role of the consumer is evolving; stakeholder collaboration will be key; edge data is a treasure-trove; artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are both part of the challenge and critical to the solution; and the opportunities ahead are boundless.  

Current industry challenges are significant—but not insurmountable.  

Today’s utilities are up against a growing list of challenges, including aging infrastructure, extreme weather, increasing cyber threats, renewable intermittency, environmental hazards and rising load demands. In addition, factors like electrification, expanding data centers and the reshoring of domestic manufacturing are driving significant annual load growth, requiring over 150 million kilometers of new transmission. As these issues compound, the coming decades will look vastly different from the past. Leveraging real-time data and intelligence at the grid edge will be essential. 

“Waste is what you have when you run out of imagination. The solution? Let’s use data and smart controls to reduce that waste.” – Dr. Michael Webber, the Sid Richardson Chair in Public Affairs and the John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas Austin 

Consumer engagement and expectations are changing.

 

The relationship between utilities and consumers is evolving as distributed energy resources like solar and electric vehicles become more integrated into the grid. Expectations are also shifting—today’s consumers expect real-time information, seamless communication and immediate responsiveness in all aspects of their lives, including from their utility providers. Balancing the demand for instant, transparent service with the complexities and uncertainties of utility operations is a significant understanding, highlighting the growing need for secure, real-time data and agile infrastructure. 

“It’s a partnership now. I live in California, and we have heat waves, wild fires, more solar, the most EVs in the country, etc., and these things require you to have a full-on relationship with your utility. Before, I wouldn’t look at my utility bill in detail unless it was super high. Now, we all must work together.” – Marina Donovan, vice president of corporate marketing, ESG and public affairs, Itron

Stakeholder Collaboration is key.

 

A collective, collaborative approach to addressing today’s utility challenges has tremendous power. Implementing new technologies and addressing shared issues cannot rely on a ‘my way’ mindset—it must be an 'our way' philosophy. Industry-wide collaboration and strategic partnerships are pivotal in driving innovation and efficiency. Working together, obstacles are easier to overcome and more solutions are available. Connecting in person to share ideas, inspire one another and drive the industry forward—like we do at Itron Inspire—is invaluable.  

“At SCE, we don’t pretend to know everything or have it all figured out. This community is in a very similar set of circumstances – gas, water and electricity. We’re all dealing with legacy infrastructure that is changing rapidly based on demand. We don’t compete with each other – we share and trade ideas. That’s how we’re going to move the needle.” – Todd Inlander, SVP and CIO, Southern California Edison 

Data at the edge is a treasure-trove.

 

Every asset holds untapped potential that can be unlocked through better data management. As utilities digitize and gather vast amounts of data from endpoints, sensors and connected devices, it becomes crucial to leverage this information strategically. By maximizing the value of their data, utilities can gain deeper insights into asset performance, anticipate and mitigate issues before they become catastrophic and optimize operations for greater resiliency and efficiency. Effective data integration also plays a key role in advancing sustainability efforts, empowering consumers to reduce waste and emissions, while enabling utilities to integrate more renewable energy sources. 

For utilities to fully capitalize on data, intelligence at the grid edge is essential. This technology enables sub-second autonomous control at the edges of the electric grid, enhancing the reliability and stability of the delivery system. With near real-time, automated grid management, utilities can navigate the complexities of the low-voltage grid, maintain substation voltage, reduce transformer overload and preserve existing infrastructure. 

“There is power in data. Let’s put it to use. Let’s do it in a way that takes advantage of agile assets that can move and change with our needs, and let’s do this together across the full ecosystem.” – Tom Deitrich, president and CEO, Itron 

The role of AI/ML is growing—quickly.

 

AI and ML are expected to grow exponentially, becoming smarter and more efficient over time. At the conference, we unveiled our 2024 Resourcefulness Insight Report: Exploring AI for Utilities: The Promise and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence, which explores current trends and future expectations of AI and ML on utility operations and strategies. The report summarizes key findings from 600 utility executives from the U.S., Canada, France, United Kingdom, India and Australia. Access the full report here and check out my LinkedIn livestream interview with Paul Gerk, content director at Clarion Events, where we discuss key findings. 

“AI is part of the problem and solution. It’s one of the contributing factors to increasing demand on the grid. On the other hand, 86% of utilities in the survey see AI and ML as extremely or very important.” – Marina Donovan

The opportunities ahead for utilities and our industry are boundless.

 

Todd Inlander said it best: it’s an exciting time to be in the utilities industry. The future presents unlimited opportunities, driven by advancements in technology and innovation. Technologies like AI, distributed energy resources and smart grids empower utilities to enhance efficiency, improve service delivery and meet the evolving needs of consumers. By embracing these innovations, utilities can position themselves for success in the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy landscape.  

“We need to be bold in how we’re thinking about tech and AI. How do we leverage AI to autonomously protect the grid? If we’re not bold, we’re going to miss out.” – Todd Inlander, SVP and CIO, Southern California Edison 

That’s a Wrap 

Thank you for an unforgettable Itron Inspire 2024! We hope you found the conference as energizing and valuable as we did. We’re already looking forward to next year!  

We are also happy to share that through our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative with water.org, we provided over 540 people with access to clean, safe water. We greatly appreciate your support and hope to see you at Itron Inspire 2025 in Orlando, Florida, Oct. 24-31 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. Check out our Day One and Day Two recaps and stay tuned for more #ItronInspire24 blogs coming soon.