Grid modernization discussions often focus on the promise of new technologies such as analytics or energy storage. But the second session of the Grid Forward Accelerating Grid Innovation Summit proved that technological innovation actually occurs when the technology is supported by transformations in business models and financial approaches, along with establishing key collaborative partnerships.Read More

Grid modernization discussions often focus on the promise of new technologies such as analytics or energy storage. But the second session of the Grid Forward Accelerating Grid Innovation Summit proved that technological innovation actually occurs when the technology is supported by transformations in business models and financial approaches, along with establishing key collaborative partnerships.Read More

Many regulators understand that innovation is increasingly important but candid discussion of new, sometimes disruptive, approaches is not simple. The Grid Forward launch event, Accelerating Grid Innovation Summit, provided a rare opportunity to address the issue.Read More

Grid Forward introduced its new name and mission at an event held in Portland, Oregon on June 21, 2019. The event, called “Accelerating Grid Innovation,” kicked off with a range of perspectives on grid innovationRead More

Miss the Grid Forward launch event? Lucky for you, Mark Ohrenschall of Clearing Up was there and wrote this review of the new organization and the entire event. He writes how the event “underscored shifts toward a more decarbonized, distributed and digital energy future, along with increased flexibility and customer choice. While the exact configuration...Read More

By Bryce Yonker, executive director and CEO, Grid Forward The last five years for Smart Grid Northwest have been on an exciting journey of growth, collaboration and progress. Our community has made major strides and big impacts across the Northwest electrical power system. Our members and stakeholders–and our organization, we believe–have played a central role. So...Read More

Approaches to improve resiliency are as varied as the geographies that comprise Alaska, Oregon and Washington. Ongoing regional projects demonstrate how the microgrids can add resiliency in different ways, suited to each community's resources and needs.Read More

To advance modernization of the regional power grid, Smart Grid Northwest announces that it has progressed into a new nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization named Grid Forward. This industry association unites the stakeholders involved in the regional energy system to work together to promote and accelerate innovation across the electric grid. “Smart Grid Northwest has accomplished its...Read More

Idaho Power recently announced an ambitious goal to provide 100-percent clean energy by 2045. In addition to its hydropower facilities, which typically meet almost half its customers’ energy demands, Idaho Power is planning  additional investments in wind, solar and other clean generation sources. For a broader understanding of the utility’s clean power plans, we put...Read More

By Erik Gilbert, Director, Navigant As AMI rolls out, how do utilities find operational insights in a surging river of data? This was the key question in one exciting session at the GridFWD 2018 conference held last October in Vancouver. The conference featured plenary talks from BC Hydro and Portland General Electric, as well as...Read More

There’s nothing like being on the floor of our industry’s biggest show to get a feel for what’s on people’s minds. If you didn’t attend DistribuTECH, or were too busy to get around, read this interview with Smart Grid Northwest’s delegates, Bryce Yonker and Lois Gordon. In talking to over a hundred utility and vendor...Read More

We’re very excited to promote a series of blog posts authored by Cadmus that are exploring the themes and discussions from GridFWD 2018, which took place October 10-11, 2018 in Vancouver, BC. The first two post have just come online, and more are in the works. If you missed GridFWD 2018, here’s your chance to...Read More

Avista Development, a subsidiary of Avista Corp and Duke Energy announced a joint investment in Open Energy Solutions Inc. (OES) to develop open source software for grid edge technology solutions. This marks the first time multiple utilities have collaborated to create open source software, spurring innovation and creating a new market for this technology. For...Read More