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Itron Idea Labs

The Front Door for Cleantech Innovation in Los Angeles

July 08, 2019

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s La Kretz Innovation Campus is the front door for cleantech innovation in Los Angeles. The campus serves as the home for the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), which is building an inclusive green economy through unprecedented programs like the Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP). The TEP is accelerating progress toward the transportation electrification and zero emissions goods movement in the greater LA region in advance of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LACI’s priority areas include zero emissions transportation, 100% clean energy and smart, sustainable cities.

Itron Idea Labs is a proud sponsor of LACI and its mission. Recently, Paul Notti of Itron’s customer enablement team and Frank Monforte of Itron’s forecast team attended a meeting at LACI where the current list of startup companies championed by LACI were introduced to the California Energy Commission staff responsible for funding clean technology research. The 16 startup companies span a range for cleantech technologies from long duration energy storage, spray-on solar PV window coatings, building decarbonization strategies, and transportation electrification via a myriad of EV charging technologies. The information gathered directly impacts Itron’s go-to-market strategies for operational load forecasting and demand management. This is just another example of how Itron is helping lead the way to a more resourceful, greener economy.

By Dr. Frank A. Monforte

Director of Forecasting Solutions

Dr. Frank A. Monforte is Director of Forecasting Solutions at Itron, where he is an internationally recognized authority in the areas of real-time load and generation forecasting, retail portfolio forecasting, and long-term energy forecasting. Dr. Monforte’s real-time forecasting expertise includes authoring the load forecasting models used to support real-time system operations for the North American system operators, the California ISO, the New York ISO, the Midwest ISO, ERCOT, the IESO, and the Australian system operators AEMO and Western Power. Recent efforts include authoring embedded solar, solar plant, and wind farm generation forecast models used to support real-time operations at the California ISO. Dr. Monforte founded the annual ISO/TSO Forecasting Summit that brings together ISO/TSO forecasters from around the world to discuss forecasting challenges unique to their organizations. He directs the implementation of Itron’s Retail Forecasting System, including efforts for energy retailers operating in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, Australia, and the U.S. These systems produce energy forecasts for retail portfolios of interval metered and non-interval metered customers. The forecast models he has developed support forecasting of power, gas and heat demand and forecasting of wind, solar, landfill gas, and mine gas generation. Dr. Monforte presides over the annual Itron European Energy Forecasting Group meeting that brings together European Energy Forecasters for an open exchange of ideas and solutions. Dr. Monforte directed the development of Itron’s Statistically Adjusted End-Use Forecasting model and supporting data. He founded the Energy Forecasting Group, which directs primary research in the area of long-run end-use forecasting. Recent efforts include designing economic indices that provide long-run forecast stability during periods of economic uncertainty. Email Frank at frank.monforte@itron.com, or click here to connect on LinkedIn.