The BlackBerry is now just a distant memory to some, and a fruit to others (ehm, Gen Z) but in 2022, it represented the cutting edge technology that brought AI to your fingertips, one keyboard “click-click” at a time. What does the BlackBerry phone have to do in the context of climate action? New, disruptive technologies are analogous to the type of transformative change Utilidata is leading when it comes to equity, affordability and reliability in America’s energy system. And, Utilitdata’s President and Chief Operating Officer Jess Melanson isn’t shy about drawing the comparison in this edition of Raising Your Antenna. 

Today, the U.S. experiences more blackouts than any other developed country, and the electrical grid loses power 285 percent more often than in 1984 when data collection efforts on blackouts began. True grid transformation therefore means doing more than simply monitoring the sustained outages utilities currently track. It requires the integration of new technologies that leverage data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning at the grid edge for a more reliable and flexible power system. 

Join Keith and Jess as they dive into the needed acceleration of grid edge technologies in light of landmark federal investments, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Join the discussion on:

• Why BlackBerries have more in common with new grid technologies than you think
• Transformative AI solutions to help meet energy system demand and a growing network of advanced distributed energy resources 
• How a decentralized grid is critical for the U.S. to meet promise of the Inflation Reduction Act 
• Ushering in a new era of collaboration amongst investor-owned utilities, developers, regulators and climate tech innovators

Follow Utilidata here and subscribe to Raising Your Antenna to listen to the rest of our Inflation Reduction Act series.