Pushing Boundaries at the Edge: Highlights from Itron Inspire Day Two

On behalf of the entire Itron team, we would like to extend a huge thank you to all our customers, partners, colleagues and industry leaders who joined us in the desert for Itron Inspire 2024! Your presence made the event truly unforgettable and one of our best conferences yet. It was refreshing and inspiring to exchange ideas, learn about advanced technologies and explore the possibilities ahead for our industry.

Here are some of the highlights from Day Two:

Exploring the Energy-Water Nexus

On Tuesday morning, the keynote from 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 at Austin, highlighted the intersection between energy and artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the industry's inflection point brought on by increasing load growth from data centers, electric vehicles and more. Dr. Webber sees this moment as an opportunity, emphasizing the lessons learned from previous energy and technology transitions, as well as the need for more power plants, transmission and distribution, but most importantly, grid edge technologies. "Waste is what you have when you run out of imagination," said Dr. Webber. "The solution? Let's use data and smart controls to reduce that waste," he continued. It's critical for utilities to take advantage of the power of data to maintain reliability and preserve these precious resources.

Deploying AI on the Edge

Next, attendees spent the day in a variety of breakout sessions. In this session, "Using AI to Orchestrate Activity on the Edge," Itron's director of grid management and distributed intelligence, Eric Young, and technical program manager, Meredith Gilstrap, explored the transformative impact of AI on energy management and utility control systems. The session emphasized AI's crucial role in enhancing load flow models, enabling real-time decision-making and facilitating autonomous control at the edge. As utilities grapple with a surge of data from grid assets, AI proves essential for efficient data management and integration. The conversation also addressed the balance between transparent and complex AI algorithms, underscoring the vast potential for further revolutionizing grid operations with advanced edge computing and specialized AI models.

Leading the Way to a Cleaner Energy Future

The second Big Picture Session, "Navigating the Journey Toward Sustainability," featured a discussion moderated by Aaron Smallwood, vice president of research at Smart Electric Power Alliance, with panelists Frankie McDermott, chief operating officer at Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Shiram Ramanathan, AI strategist and chief of staff at Bidgely. This conversation explored how regulations and proactive policies are significantly accelerating the clean energy transition. With mandates increasing around energy efficiency and electrification, these regulations are transforming mere recommendations into essential blueprints for a sustainable, data-enhanced grid that can meet its community's evolving needs as impacts from severe weather, electrification, electric vehicles and more continue to intensify. "Our zero-carbon plan is for the benefit of our customers," said McDermott. "We're investing in our infrastructure-not sacrificing it- with no community left behind."

Inspiration in Action: Conversations with Utility Leaders

Day two came to a close with a fantastic Women Who Inspire session. The panel brought together three executives from leading utilities and municipalities to share their experiences and perspectives as women navigating the industry. Now its ninth year, the session was moderated by Stephanie Kolodziej, Clarion Events, and featured panelists Evelyn Cortez-Davis, LADWP; Brandy Bolden, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; and Cheryl Mele, El Paso Electric Company, covering timely topics ranging from career paths, managing work/life balance, the role of men in supporting women's careers and more. "You set the tone, and you set the pace," said Evelyn Cortez-Davis. "There are organizations out there that have the culture you're looking for."

Thanks for joining us for day two of Itron Inspire! Read the recap from Day One here and follow Itron on social media using #ItronInspire24 for more highlights and takeaways from our customer-focused event.