Digital transformation is reshaping utility grid operations, enabling unprecedented collaboration and efficiency between the office and the field. As the energy landscape evolves with increasing renewable integration and growing climate challenges, utilities are under pressure to modernize their workflows and technology to remain resilient and customer focused.
These transformations were the focus of an Energy Central PowerSession between Kenneth Deremer, Director at SDG&E; Amber Connors, Customer and Grid Operations at SMUD; Robert Sarfi, Managing Partner at Boreas Group; and Troy Freissle-Lewis, Former Product Manager at IQGeo. The panel explored how an optimized grid model with integrated task and workflow management can bridge operational silos and deliver tangible improvements in efficiency and reliability.
This discussion is especially important today with the context of trends such as the increasing impact of wildfires, storms and hurricanes throughout America as well as the new renewable energy environment. These challenges make it important to understand what will better equip utilities to minimize the impact from a technology and business process standpoint.
The panel of industry experts looked at some of the strategies and processes that will help mitigate some of the environmental and financial challenges on the horizon, with the discussion starting off with a look at how successful organizations are approaching the digitalization of fieldwork. The conversation then delved into more detail, focusing on four workstreams: GIS mobility, asset inspections, design/as-built processes, and outage mobility.
The PowerSession hosted by Energy Central kicked off by exploring how utility leaders are taking steps to ensure field teams make a smooth transition to more digitalized fieldwork. One of the first points raised was the huge change required in communication and the importance of change management. The participants stressed that utilities cannot simply rely on technology to drive this change but must also focus on the people and processes that underpin it.
They also mentioned that to drive positive change, it’s important to have a strong commitment to leadership and be clear on the problems you’re trying to solve, with metrics to support and track them. In this sense, managers need to truly listen to what the pain points are in new technology implementation. They must talk to and know their experts in this space, working with them to understand what opportunities are available and making sure that they’re being consistently asked and involved in the conversation. It’s important that the people actually doing the job are part of the core team because they need to be the change agents and the ones attending staff meetings to understand the issues their peers are facing.
‘It’s about accountability, strong leadership, raising issues as and when they’re faced.’ - Amber Connors, Customer and Grid Operations at SMUD.
The discussion also underscored the role of training as a foundation for successful digital transformation. Recognizing that people learn in different ways, the most effective strategies involve layered training. This includes initial sessions, shorter refresher courses, and dedicated lab time for hands-on, independent practice.
When practicing lab time, it’s important to include the project team so that they can ask any questions they may have. This encourages confidence and makes everyone more comfortable with the implementation of technology. People react differently to change, so it’s essential to make the process as seamless as possible. It’s also important for people to work together to keep the process cohesive, which might involve more co-located working, when possible, to encourage the team to act as a cohesive unit.
Throughout the training process, managers should reshare why implementation is important, as a reminder of what’s being fixed – you can’t overcommunicate at this stage. As a result, your experts will see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a clear idea of the end goal.
Finally, it’s essential to create and maintain timely and accurate field data. Accurate data must be reliable and available, as an essential component for enabling new capabilities between the office and the field. It is a critical part of the wider ecosystem composed of the technology, the people and the process. If you want to improve data, you need to:
Leadership accountability plays a pivotal role in maintaining high data standards. When tools, training, and utilization align, field data becomes a valuable asset driving operational insights.
GIS mobility was identified as a transformative force in enhancing field and office integration. By providing real-time data and integration with asset management systems, field teams can make informed decisions on the spot, creating more accurate geospatial digital twins and improving customer interactions.
‘Ultimately what you’re trying to achieve is making interactions with customers easier, whether that’s visiting them less or arming field experts with key information.’ - Kenneth Deremer, Director at SDG&E
Best practices around managing data discussed included:
New technologies like AI and drones are enhancing asset inspection capabilities for utilities, allowing them to handle larger amounts of data. The panel recommended that utilities:
Use specialized software designed to manage increasing data volumes from inspections. This software should be able to process the growing number of images and data points collected.
Develop new skillsets within their teams, particularly in data management and AI model training. These skills are crucial for effectively utilizing emerging technologies in conjunction with existing knowledge of transmission and distribution systems.
Implement solutions that integrate emerging technologies with existing systems. This integration helps create a more comprehensive view of asset health and supports informed decision-making for engineering and operational teams.
‘Software and specific tools for these types of use cases are going to become essential to capitalize on investments and generate ROI.’ – Troy Freissle-Lewis, Former Product Manager at IQGeo
The ideal scenario is to make change happen by connecting emerging technologies. However, there are a lot of bumps in the road to reaching this goal. New skillsets are needed, such as data management and training models for AI capabilities, that might not currently resonate. These skillsets don’t often exist in conjunction with knowledge of the T&D system. To bridge this gap, organizations need solutions and vendors with a comprehensive understanding of emerging technologies.
The discussion progressed to how technology can help make asset management more effective, including the following steps:
✅ Centralized data repository - Integrate disparate data into a single, unified system.
✅ Asset modeling for health assessment - Analyze data to determine asset health and predict the likelihood of failure.
✅ Data-driven decision making - Equip engineering and operational teams with actionable insights for designing projects and programs.
✅ Risk assessment for repair or replacement - Use technology to assess overall asset risk, guiding decisions on whether to repair or replace equipment.
The discussion changed direction to design process challenges. They discussed the as-built process, which presents significant challenges, particularly regarding data reliability and trust. Delays in updating as-built information into the system erode confidence in the data.
Another challenge is having manual processes. Many utilities still rely on paper, so digitalizing the process and enabling the field team to input data from the field is very important to create a more streamlined process. As soon as you leave the field, you are no longer the best equipped person to make a change, so the more that you can enable the user to make a quick, streamlined update, on the spot, the better.
Automation allows people to increase the capacity in their day to do innovative tasks. If you give your people the opportunity to automate tasks, you’re allowing them the time to use the data to help solve problems. With any automation process, you don’t want to rely on the technology until you’ve built that confidence. To overcome this, you must really understand the process.
Effective outage mobility requires utilities to take a holistic and systematic approach to technology improvements. Key focus areas for the discussion around enhancing outage mobility included:
Ultimately, you’re trying to make interactions with customers easier, whether that’s visiting them less or arming field experts with key information. This will improve response times and outage restoration.
Strategies for consolidating systems
When it came to consolidating systems, the group touched on successful strategies they’ve seen in action. When systems are being consolidated, it’s important to look at the processes from a multiple and agile approach.
Reducing the tech stack is an essential component by consolidating the mobile apps, so that the end user doesn’t have three or four apps to use. You could have something that’s a technological success, but if it’s siloed it’s not going to deliver its full potential value.
The key takeaway from the Energy Central PowerSession was that digital transformation in grid operations is essential for connecting office and field teams. By implementing innovative technologies, utilities can enhance their operational efficiency and decision-making processes. Key strategies discussed included:
These approaches enable utilities to better manage assets, respond to outages more effectively, and make informed decisions about repair or replacement. By breaking down traditional silos, utilities can create a more responsive and technologically advanced infrastructure capable of meeting the demands of the modern energy landscape.
To find out more, watch the on-demand recording of the New frontiers in grid operations: Breaking down silos and enabling new capabilities between the office and the field Energy Central PowerSession.