Industry Insights
EEI Convention: Looking Toward the Future
June 12, 2018
I recently had the pleasure of attending the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Annual Convention in San Diego. This annual event brings together energy executives, government officials, energy and smart grid providers and others from across the U.S. to address the important topics currently impacting the industry.
During the convention, I was able to speak on a panel focusing on mapping the technology industry’s vision for the future. Sitting alongside industry executives from Siemens, Oracle and Qualcomm Technologies, this panel—moderated by Quentin Hardy of Google Cloud—focused on how U.S. electric companies, with the assistance of key technology partners, are driving the transformation of the nation’s energy grid into an interactive digital network that is powering a new wave of customer offerings while also bolstering system reliability and resiliency. During a time where climate change, infrastructure and access to resources—both nationally and internationally—are hot topics, it is encouraging to see utilities and energy partners focusing on ways to conserve resources while getting the most out of their systems.
Another key theme and topic of conversation at this year’s event was moving beyond the meter—and how data and intelligence at the edge is transforming the way utilities and cities utilize resources, interact with consumers and overall, run their business. Itron is truly in a unique position as we are helping lead the charge in this space. When pushing intelligence out to the edge, we open additional possibilities for our customers and allow utilities to react quickly to issues—like outages, leaks and grid overload.
It was truly an honor to represent our company at this event and discuss the innovative ways in which we are driving the industry forward. I look forward to joining the conversation next year at EEI and seeing the progress we have made as an industry as we continue to set our sights on the future.
During the convention, I was able to speak on a panel focusing on mapping the technology industry’s vision for the future. Sitting alongside industry executives from Siemens, Oracle and Qualcomm Technologies, this panel—moderated by Quentin Hardy of Google Cloud—focused on how U.S. electric companies, with the assistance of key technology partners, are driving the transformation of the nation’s energy grid into an interactive digital network that is powering a new wave of customer offerings while also bolstering system reliability and resiliency. During a time where climate change, infrastructure and access to resources—both nationally and internationally—are hot topics, it is encouraging to see utilities and energy partners focusing on ways to conserve resources while getting the most out of their systems.
Another key theme and topic of conversation at this year’s event was moving beyond the meter—and how data and intelligence at the edge is transforming the way utilities and cities utilize resources, interact with consumers and overall, run their business. Itron is truly in a unique position as we are helping lead the charge in this space. When pushing intelligence out to the edge, we open additional possibilities for our customers and allow utilities to react quickly to issues—like outages, leaks and grid overload.
It was truly an honor to represent our company at this event and discuss the innovative ways in which we are driving the industry forward. I look forward to joining the conversation next year at EEI and seeing the progress we have made as an industry as we continue to set our sights on the future.