About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges utilities face in innovating and adopting new grid technologies, featuring insights from industry experts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribe When it comes to innovative new grid technologies, every utility wants to be the third in line to try them. None of them want to be the first to take risks and iron out new processes. That's one reason grid-enhancing technologies, better software, and smarter internal procedures stay stuck in pilot purgatory, even as the industry faces the biggest buildout since rural electrification. PG&E's Quinn Nakayama and Microsoft's Hanna Grene discuss what's actually blocking utility innovation — and Quinn offers a novel proposal for paying someone to go first. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 03:44 – Why grid-enhancing technologies stall in the US 07:54 – Selling grid software into utilities: what goes wrong 11:08 – From a pipes-and-wires company to a technology company 12:38 – Pilot program hell and the last 30 percent 15:04 – Innovation as a bolt-on, and the three muscles 17:47 – The digital spine, data quality, and smart meters 23:56 – Org chart versus work chart 25:09 – Strategy, structure, people, process, technology 29:24 – Build, buy, and…

People in this episode

Host: David Roberts

Guests: Quinn Nakayama, Hanna Grene

Topics covered

• utility innovation
• grid technologies
• pilot programs
• software in utilities
• data quality
• market commitments

Keywords

• utilities
• innovation
• grid technologies
• software
• pilot programs
• data quality
• market commitments

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PG&E, Microsoft

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