This week, I joined a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) to discuss the future of grid modernization and how the private and public sector can work together to deploy innovative technologies at scale.

At Utilidata, we believe one of the best things we can do to help drive grid modernization forward is take federally funded research – like the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Real-time Optimal Power Flow (RT-OPF) – and commercialize it. There are brilliant minds working in our national labs to create innovative technologies, but in pristine conditions. Our role is to help translate that technology to the real world and work with policymakers and regulators to ensure that the regulatory incentives are aligned all the way through the supply chain. Essentially, getting the technology right is only part of the solution – for grid modernization to be successful, we need to overcome the technological, commercial, and regulatory hurdles.

Part of how we’re able to do that is by embedding our technology in smart meters at the grid edge. The grid edge is where innovation is going to happen, and putting operational software on meters enables us to take a consumer-driven approach to grid modernization, delivering benefits that are meaningful for customers and utilities.

Check out the full discussion, which is part of CSIS’s Energy Innovation Series, at https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-grid-modernization, and hear from the other speakers, including:

• Sean Plankey, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER)
• Juan Torres, Associate Laboratory Director, Energy Systems Integration, NREL
• Amit Ronen, Advisor, Office of Senator Maria Cantwell, United States Senate