Most of the articles we’ve published in the past few issues of EET&D have focused on the pandemic. In this issue, only about half of our contributors write about recovering from the impact of COVID-19 or how to ensure we are prepared for the next major event that could negatively impact the power grid. Chances are, we will be talking about the pandemic for years to come, but with each passing month, utilities and energy consumers are getting a better grip on our current reality.

The Bigger Picture section of this issue features an article by Roberta Bigliani with IDC in which she shares the top four of 10 predictions she and her fellow Energy Insights analysts compiled for 2021. In her article, Bigliani talks about shifts that are happening now and will continue to happen as a result of the pandemic and refers to the “next normal,” as life post-pandemic.

Over the years, I’ve heard several references to the “new normal,” but the “next normal” is a term I came across only recently. Curious when that term became a part of people’s vernacular, I did a quick internet search and discovered that McKinsey & Company coined the term last spring as a way to talk about life post-pandemic.

As challenging as the COVID-19 outbreak has been, our industry seems to have reached a phase where those who invested time and money into infrastructure and innovative technology are reaping the benefits of their proactivity.

In their “Green Ovations” article titled “2020: One Star. Would Not Recommend,” Prasenjit Shil, Ph.D. with Ameren and Mike Smith with SAS report that despite the disruption the COVID pandemic has caused, we are seeing more silver linings around difficult situations, showing that all is not lost. Rather than expecting readers simply to take their word for it, Shil and Smith address how the electric energy’s resiliency has paved the way for a number of positive outcomes. An example of their hopeful outlook is this passage: “Every bit of good news that is helping keep people alive and economies afloat all have the underpinning of an energy infrastructure that did not fail to accomplish its mission through operating conditions that seem like they were dreamed up by a creative movie producer in Hollywood.” As proof, the authors list examples of rapid responses to the pandemic that have kept utilities running, while safeguarding assets, crews and customers.

As I wrote in my introduction, utility companies have a reason to be hopeful at this stage of the pandemic, but it will require utilities and industry partners to embrace the next phase with foresight and planning, an innovative approach to building, updating or maintaining infrastructure and a sizeable budget that can support investing in more efficient operations.

For this issue’s Grid Transformation Forum column, we spoke with David Wade, president and CEO of EPB, the electric power distribution and telecommunications company owned by the City of Chattanooga, TN. Recently, EPB has received several accolades for infrastructure projects like their community-wide fiber optic network and the smart grid they began building in 2008.

In our discussion with Wade, he explains that with Chattanooga’s fiber optic network in place, EPB was able to respond quickly when the pandemic resulted in schools switching to online teaching. EPB worked with Hamilton County Schools and other state and local partners to launch HCS EdConnect, a fiber optic broadband internet service. Not only has that fiber optic network made it possible for students to attend classes remotely, but the internet service is provided free of charge to the homes of economically challenged families with K-12 students.

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy designated Chattanooga’s smart grid as a living laboratory. Since then, EPB has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other national organizations to test new energy technologies.

While Wade talks about how the Chattanooga community will continue to benefit from EPB’s foresight, he also offers lessons-learned to prepare other utilities working or embarking on similar projects.

IDC’s Bigliani suggests that as we move towards a post-pandemic reality, “utilities' executives will have to continue balancing resiliency and reinvention, keeping their hands in the present and eyes on the future.” EPB demonstrates what balancing resiliency and reinvention looks like, and why such an approach is worth the investment of time, money and human resources.

It may not be until the pandemic is long behind us that we can appreciate the resourcefulness and resilience of our industry. It certainly will take a while to feel our lives are back on track, but today, we can work towards whatever the “next normal” might be and acknowledge that regardless of scale, any progress is good enough, at least for now.

Note: As the EET&D editorial staff is finalizing this issue, Texans are facing the aftermath of a brutal winter storm. While there is much finger-pointing over whose fault it is, many are working to get basic supplies to the people of Texas. The causes of and responses to the ERCOT grid’s weaknesses are likely to be studied for years to come, and I imagine some of our industry partners will offer their insights into recovery and prevention going forward. My hope is we also will see even greater examples of just how resilient and resourceful the electric energy community is. For now, we are keeping the people of Texas and all of the rest of those around the globe experiencing extreme weather in our thoughts.

If you would like to contribute an article or if you have an idea about interesting technology, solutions, or suggestions, please email me at: Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com

Elisabeth