“Where did this year go?” It is a rhetorical question, but I hav e found myself marveling at just how quickly the last 12 months have passed. If I break down international, national, or even personal events, there was a lot packed into the year, but I could swear it was only two or three months ago that people were talking about keeping their 2019 New Year’s resolutions.
Over the summer, as the editorial team at EET&D planned the 2020 media kit, which includes our editorial calendar, we asked several industry leaders to identify the trends the electric energy community should be aware of. Reviewing notes from email exchanges with our industry partners, or from in-person discussions with them at events like DistribuTECH, IEEE PES GTD Asia and CIGRE, we compiled a lineup of topics we covered in 2019, along with those we wanted to include in 2020. Among the industry visionaries to offer suggestions was SEPA’s Chief Innovation Officer Sharon Allan. Allan provided a succinct list of subjects she considers especially pertinent to the power sector. Hers were among the terrific suggestions we compiled onto the list of what we will be covering in 2020.
While emerging technology will always be of keen interest to our readers, one of the major topics that continues to surface as a “hot item” is the push by utilities to be carbon-free. Leading the way towards providing a carbon-free energy system is Xcel Energy, which was the first utility to announce its commitment to deliver carbon-free energy by 2050. Since then, other utilities have begun to step up. In the Q3 issue of EET&D, we spotlighted Green Mountain Power, who has committed to being 100 percent carbon-free by 2025 and 100 percent renewable by 2030.
In this issue’s “Powherful Forces” column, we profile SEPA CEO and President Julia Hamm, who talks about the work her organization is doing to guide the industry through the complexities of delivering a carbon-free energy system by 2050. Recently, SEPA introduced its “Renovate” initiative, which addresses what needs to happen on a state regulatory level to enable the innovation and operational practices required to make clean energy a reality.
Another non-profit organization working to deliver clean energy is the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which is developing a first-in-the-nation carbon pricing proposal that would leverage its wholesale markets to create a price signal for low-carbon resources. You can read about NYISO’s effort in this issue’s “Grid Transformation Forum.”
One item subject matter experts (SMEs) have written about over the past year is the role drones are playing in the utility space. In our Q3 issue, we published an article by Alex Babakov with Aeriosense Technologies, who wrote about how utilities are beginning to leverage drones to inspect their power lines. In this Q4 issue's "Green Ovations" section, Don Gilbreath, with Rajant Corporation, dives further into the use of drones, and how they gather and communicate data across the industry’s supply chain. A few years ago, the concept of using drones was fairly abstract, but with a shift towards greater IIOT integration, drones have proven to be tangible tools with the potential to bring value to those who inv est in and deploy them properly.
Over the past year, our SMEs who have contributed so many thoughtful articles covering topics like those I’ve mentioned here, have made it possible for us to keep our readers updated on industry trends. These SMEs have also kept us apprised of the tremendous stride utilities are making to update their infrastructure. Additionally, many have addressed the challenges of and frustrations with emerging technology, but rather than focus on the various problems and things that could go wrong, these contributors have offered solutions to resolve them.
The editorial team at EET&D enjoys passing along these updates because we recognize the research and analyses that have gone into ensuring utilities are providing value while meeting consumer demand for smarter energy solutions. It is this insight that has allowed the magazine to remain a valuable resource to the electric power industry. As we look at what’s in store for 2020, I encourage any of our readers, who have success stories or wish to offer words of caution to prevent certain failure, to share this information. To those who have submitted such thoughtful content over the past year, and to our readers, thank y ou for another great year.
If you have an idea about emerging or innovative technology, or would like to suggest a topic to cover, please email me at Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com.
Elisabeth
