Digital Divide Blues
Spotlight
Alaska Consumer Advocate Jeff Waller wrote a song about the digital divide.
People
When We Think About Innovation
Black & Veatch
“If you’re not improving, if you’re not innovating, you’re falling behind.”
Profiles in Innovation: Alyssa Grigoryan, Kathy Hidalgo, Sunanda Singh, Lucero Vargas
Southern California Edison
California’s utilities are using drones, sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to reduce wildfire risk in ways that would seem like science fiction a few years ago.
Profiles in Innovation: Dave Geier and Stephen Johnston
San Diego Gas & Electric
Their project prevents mylar balloons from causing a blackout or fire when they float into a power line.
Profiles in Innovation: Anil Kondabathini, HyoJong Lee, Reynaldo Nuqui, Jiuping Pan
Hitachi ABB Power Grids
“The hacker can ramp down or up the DC power. We monitor those. If the behavior is not consistent with normal operation, we stop the command from being executed.”
Profiles in Innovation: Maria Guimaraes Biagini
EPRI
“In nuclear construction, inspecting by removing samples from the structure is not desirable. That is when nondestructive evaluation becomes a key factor in allowing us to inspect.”
Profiles in Innovation: Geoff Blanford
EPRI
“We’re extending our modeling tools to be able to capture this new set of technologies, thinking about where they might be in 10, 20 or 30 years.”
Profiles in Innovation: Zachary Wassenberg
Burns & McDonnell
“The RealWear device is a voice activated technology that reduces costs and make us more effective. At its core, it’s a safety technology that makes people hands free.”
Profiles in Innovation: Girija Sathyamurthy
Ameren
“These automations are going to help Ameren save costs and in turn help reduce the bills for Ameren customers.”
Profiles in Innovation: Arron Pauley
Ameren Missouri
“All of what we would do if we were in the plant, we can do right there in the virtual space. As an instructor, I can sit and watch everybody. The workers loved it.”