In February, EET&D Publisher Steven Desrochers and I attended Distributech 2024, where more than 17,000 individuals gathered at the largest transmission and distribution event in the U.S. The theme this year was “Transforming Electricity.”

Digital transformation, modernizing the grid and transforming electricity are all such broad terms for an initiative that all of our partners across the electric energy sector should have embraced, created a strategy for their approach and begun working on bringing that strategy to fruition.

When I met with exhibitors at Distributech, I asked several of them, “When you use terms like grid modernization or grid transformation, what do you mean?”

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone reading this, but none of those I asked gave me the same answer. It all depended on what their organizations do, the role they or their companies play in the energy sector and how much progress their organizations have made in building towards a modernized grid.

As we began planning for our Q2 issue, we spoke with Matthew Carrara, president of Doble Engineering and ESCO Utility Solutions Group, about featuring him in our Grid Transformation Forum section. Given how many different responses I’d received from exhibitors at Distributech on the concept of a modernized grid, we knew Carrara was the ideal person to weigh in with his thoughts.

As you will read, Carrara defines grid modernization as “the process of updating and strengthening the existing power grid infrastructure to meet the demands of today's digital age… For example, instead of just delivering electricity from point A to point B, a modernized grid can enable communication with various devices to optimize energy usage, detect faults before damage is done to components and integrate alternative energy sources more effectively.”

According to Carrara, Doble has been working on their grid modernization plan for more than 20 years. Since then, they have continued to build on their strategy, which Carrara explains is “dynamic and driven by a commitment to innovation.” Doble also keeps an eye on the latest technology trends and industry standards to ensure their strategy is on track.

One element that Carrara says must be incorporated into an effective modern grid strategy is collaboration. That means companies must promote a culture of collaboration and clear communication within their organization — but it’s equally important that companies collaborate with partners and stakeholders across the electric energy sector.

Acknowledging the important role collaboration plays in modernizing the grid is nothing new. Almost any time you research the term “grid modernization” on the internet, the results include words like collaboration and integration. When the Department of Energy first introduced the Grid Modernization Initiative (GMI) in 2014, they also launched the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium (GMLC). The DOE described the GMLC as a “strategic partnership between DOE and national laboratories to bring together leading experts, technologies, and resources to collaborate on the goal of modernizing the nation's grid."

While many organizations are moving forward with deploying their grid modernization processes, others are behind in their efforts. With this in mind, we asked Carrara to talk about the impact delays will have on those in the energy sector who are lagging.

Carrara does not gloss over the negative consequences that these delays could have and points out some of the specific ramifications the laggards could experience. He also shares insight that is a bit more encouraging. As Carrara explains, the work done by early adopters of grid modernization may give those who are behind in their work an opportunity to learn from the innovators or early adopters and leapfrog past some of the challenges they ran into while benefiting from the lessons they learned along the way.

It has been about 10 years since the DOE launched the Grid Modernization Initiative. The different interpretations of what GMI means may continue to change, and the rate at which the industry moves to plan and deploy its grid modernization strategies may fluctuate, but for the initiative to succeed, the only way it can move is forward – with all parties understanding that to truly modernize the electric grid, they must remain current in industry trends and standards, and they also must be willing to collaborate.

How is your organization doing with its grid modernization deployment? If you have a story to share, it may benefit others in our industry, and it definitely will be interesting to learn about all the unique perspectives.

As always, if you would like to contribute an article on an interesting project, please email me: Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com

Elisabeth