Happy Spring! Here in Washington, DC, the cherry blossoms are almost at peak and the Tidal Basin is a gorgeous riot of pink blooms and wandering tourists. The biggest grid news from our nation’s capital this month is the Biden Administration’s nomination of three candidates for FERC commissioners. We congratulate Judy Chang, David Rosner, and Lindsay See on their nominations and wish them the best of luck during their confirmation process.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for information (RFI) on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the electric grid. The RFI stems from a recent Executive Order on AI that directs DOE to produce a report within three months on the potential of AI “to improve planning, permitting, investment, and operations for electric grid infrastructure.” Responses to the RFI are due to DOE by April 1.
Our charge from our Board of Directors for 2024 priorities includes a focus on AI, and we are developing a set of activities designed to collect and highlight our members’ work to incorporate AI into utility operations across the enterprise and to inform public policies and R&D agendas at the federal and state levels. To that end, we are planning to survey our members on their current and anticipated use of AI in utility operations and how our vendors and manufacturers are incorporating AI into new technologies.
The GridWise Alliance is once again teaming up with Forbes Magazine to produce a special section on the electric grid in their August issue. GridWise will work with a Forbes reporter on the article included in this issue, and members who sponsor the special section will get additional pages to include their own messaging. Please contact Makeba Scott for more information on this year’s Forbes partnership.
Finally, our team is hard at work organizing all the great discussions from December’s gridCONNEXT®. You can find videos and transcripts of the panels and keynotes here, and we will be highlighting key findings from the sessions in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Karen Wayland