News and Articles

The Grid Forward blog is the place for original announcements, news, interviews and articles from Grid Forward and around our community. Pitch us your idea – contact us with your article idea.

First Virtual Utility Roundtable Assesses Initial Load Shape Impacts from COVID-19

Our regional power system is operating in uncharted territory, in real time, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. On Thursday April 16, GridForward hosted a Virtual Roundtable of local and national leaders to...
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Early Indications of the ‘New Normal’ in the Grid Forward Community

by Bryce Yonker, Executive Director, Grid Forward We have talked with nearly half of our members one-to-one in the days since the COVID-19 virus has really shut down work as usual. While each organization is...
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GridMod 2020 Part 2: Looking Ahead to the Next Decade of Grid Modernization Empowered by Awareness, Analytics and AI

The Grid Forward organization was formerly launched in June of 2019, but our roots go back to 2010, when a group of forward-looking energy experts banded around the name “Smart Grid Oregon.” Now we look...
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GridMod 2020 Part 1: How Far Has the Smart Grid Come Since 2010?

In a world of synchrophasors, auto reclosers, and volt-var optimization, you may ask, “What do customers have to do with grid modernization?” The reality is that modernization of the electric grid, and transformation of the...
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National Progress on Grid Modernization: Grid Forward Visits Capital Hill

In a world of synchrophasors, auto reclosers, and volt-var optimization, you may ask, “What do customers have to do with grid modernization?” The reality is that modernization of the electric grid, and transformation of the...
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Embracing the Voice of the Customer

In a world of synchrophasors, auto reclosers, and volt-var optimization, you may ask, “What do customers have to do with grid modernization?” The reality is that modernization of the electric grid, and transformation of the...
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Leverage Data, Take Risks, Collaborate – part 2

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...
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Leverage Data, Take Risks, Collaborate

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...
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Setting the Stage for Grid Innovation

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...
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Regulators Explore Policies and Models That Encourage Grid Innovation

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...
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Accelerating Grid Innovation: Grid Forward Launch Event Shows the Way

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 innovation
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“Glimpses of Energy Innovations” – Clearing Up Recaps Launch of Grid Forward

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...
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Why Grid Forward? Why now? The view from executive director Bryce Yonker

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...
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Three Microgrids, Three Approaches to Resiliency for Our Region

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...
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Smart Grid Northwest Now Becomes Grid Forward to Promote and Accelerate Grid Innovation

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...
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