AiDASH Evolve 2024: Key takeaways for securing tomorrow

In a first-of-its-kind industry event in New Orleans, Louisiana, AiDASH Evolve 2024 gathered leaders from industry, technology, government and academia from around the world. With nearly 50 speakers, the event went deep on how we can together safeguard our critical infrastructure with modern technology.

A new forum to revolutionize O&M at utilities

AiDASH anticipated that Evolve 2024 would attract energized attendees hungry for a new forum for examining technologies and strategies to revolutionize utility vegetation management, storm management and asset management. Those predictions were spot on, as confirmed by highly attended and well-received keynotes and breakout sessions –– and in a packed-house demo suite overlooking the French Quarter.

In his welcome address, AiDASH CEO and Co-founder Abhishek Singh set the tone for strategic learning, collaboration, and innovation among utilities, vendors, and regulators. Attendees gained valuable insight into the latest advancements in technology and AI to safeguard critical infrastructure, foster biodiversity, and ensure a sustainable future.

Top minds from industry and government talk climate and reliability

Amid 2 days of learning, leaders from organizations, including Entergy SVP and Chief Technology and Business Services Officer, Jason Chapman, discussed their use of AI to improve utility operations. And top officials, including former Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Neil Chatterjee, offered government and regulatory perspectives on ensuring energy reliability and resilience.

Evolve 2024 presenters also included leaders from these organizations (in alphabetical order):

• Accenture
• Alabama Power
• ALN Policy and Law
• Amazon Web Services
• BCG (Boston Consulting Group)
• CIEEM (Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management)
• Department of Homeland Security
• Iowa Public Service Commission
• Jamaica Public Service Company
• KPMG
• Louisianna Public Service Commission
• Maxar Intelligence
• Mississippi Public Service Commission
• Mitchell EMC
• National Grid
• Natural England – Gov.UK
• Newfoundland Power
• Powerco – New Zealand
• Randolph Electric Membership Corporation
• Severn Trent
• Schneider Electric
• South West Water
• TRC
• Tulane University – Utility Vegetation Management Institute
• UP42
• Wake Electric
• Xcel Energy

Takeaways

Here are three key takeaways that made this gathering an unmissable opportunity for industry leaders:

1: Satellites can handle much of the grid inspection and monitoring burden

Inspecting and monitoring T&D assets and surrounding ROWs is a challenge for any IOU or co-op, but when you tally the numbers for utilities across the U.S., the responsibility is staggering, with a massive scope of:

• More than 7 million miles of power lines.
• Nearly 250 million poles.
• Almost a billion devices and assets.
• Billions of trees.

Inspecting and monitoring all of this at scale is humanly impossible. But this is where satellite technology shines.

A key conference topic focused on a satellite-first approach for network-wide scanning. This method supports critical applications like vegetation and storm management, wildfire mitigation, and asset monitoring. It provides insights into pole and conductor locations, terrain, and accessibility, enabling improved response times during incidents, proactive grid maintenance and improved reliability.

A satellite-first strategy offers sufficient detail for most inspection and monitoring needs, allowing utilities to respond to grid challenges quickly and cost-effectively. Ground-based LiDAR, and other remote sensing technologies, plus on-site patrols can then supplement satellite scans as needed for specific use cases, accessibility, or severe conditions.

Satellite imagery — at scale and when fused with other data sources — creates a comprehensive dataset for inspection and monitoring, as well as new insights, in a more economically viable way.

2: Technology and data silos have to go

Today, utilities often complete grid maintenance using a cycle-based approach, using different technology point solutions. Examples include ADMS, GIS, Asset Investment Planner, Enterprise Asset Management, and ERP.

Silos impede the flow of vital assessment and planning information, causing delays and impacting grid reliability.

Since 2019, AiDASH has committed itself to using the latest in satellite technology and AI to respond to utility companies’ most pressing needs in the face of the unprecedented effects of climate change. AiDASH products support utility T&D inspection and monitoring across 125+ utility customers and over 185 customers. To that end, the company has now tackled the issue of siloes in grid O&M:

3: It’s time for a collaborative ecosystem

The challenges before us are too big for any single company to tackle alone.

Collaboration is imperative — among utilities, regulators, government bodies, investors, and partners, including data and technology providers, consulting firms, and systems and technology integrators.

Evolve 2024 catalyzed this cooperation, encouraging representatives from these sectors to create a collaborative ecosystem — to consider climate resilience in all activities, from inspection to mitigation to audit.

AiDASH considers collaboration essential to its mission to make critical infrastructure more adaptive and climate resilient.

Continue the conversation

AiDash Evolve 2024 was not just a conference — it was a crucial moment for the industry to come together to safeguard critical infrastructure and secure the future of humanAIty™.

The issues we face are massive — but so are the opportunities for bold innovation. Together, we can secure our tomorrow.

To continue or join the conversation, please visit AiDASH at www.aidash.com.