“The magic of this group is this is one of the few conferences where you see across the industry, as we’ve got co-ops, public power, and IOUs. We’ve also got a variety of companies on the supply side in terms of providing programs, opportunities, and the cool things driving the advanced energy economy.”

Conversations with Southern California Edison's Caroline Choi; Arizona Public Service's recently retired Jeff Guldner; PPL Corp.'s Sal Salet, Electric Power Engineers' Hala Ballouz; NASUCA's David Springe; Environmental Resources Management’s Brian Jones; Rappahannock Electric Co-op's Peter Muhoro; Smart Electric Power Alliance's Sheri Givens; CPS Energy’s Elaina Ball, Angela Rodriguez, and Ana Lozano; Commonwealth Edison's Melissa Washington; and Orlando Utilities Commission's Linda Ferrone.

“We developed an AI-powered innovation called HiZ Protect, which has shown highly accurate and fast high-impedance fault detection. These faults can lead to ignition on utility distribution systems. We believe we’ve got a novel approach that can help utilities mitigate faults.”

“One of our recent CEO studies showed that out of all 20 industry segments, the energy segment had the highest positive potential expectation of value from AI, and the lowest in terms of progress of implementation.”

“IOUs and some non-IOUs have dropped over half a billion dollars to acquire private spectrum or get access. One of the key drivers is to make grid control more predictive, by leveraging wireless infrastructure to extract real-time intelligence from sensors at remote sites.”

Conversations with Ericsson Global Head of Mission Critical Networks – Utilities Koustuv Ghoshal. IBM General Manager – Energy and Utilities Casey Werth, Eaton Utility Marketing Manager Jason Plane, with PUF’s Steve Mitnick and Joe Paparello on the conference floor.

“While many utilities start with a well-researched Wildfire Management Plan, these changing conditions require dynamic and continuous management, informed by investments in ongoing situational awareness.“

“The wildfire season we had this year perhaps spurred legislative action. The legislation requires utilities to file wildfire plans, which the Commission must approve. A company in compliance with its approved plan has limited liability protection in any civil action.”

“Communities rely on a healthy utility to keep the lights on and power economic growth, and wildfire puts our ability to do that at risk. Ensuring that our financial health is strong isn’t just about protecting the business. It’s about protecting the affordability and reliability of electricity for millions of our customers.”

“Our capital allocation toward wildfire prevention is growing remarkably fast. This year in Washington State, as part of our rate case, the WUTC approved a tracker that will enable us to invest over a hundred million dollars in wildfire mitigation over the next two years.”