DistribuTECH 2026 in San Diego

The utility industry is currently undergoing seismic transformation driven both by the impact of severe weather and shifting demands on the grid.  The latter is a result of capacity constraints attributed to data center loads, the changing energy mix (decommissioned nuclear plans and renewable investments), and extreme weather.  Severe weather is leading to wildfires in unexpected regions and flooding and high wind is taking its toll both inland and in major cities.  Utilities are being forced to identify new ways to reliably and safely deliver affordable power.

Across the exhibit floor, vendors, old and new, combined innovative sensors, cloud, and AI to identify and assess issues before they become a problem.  We saw intelligent edge devices monitoring infrastructure and vegetation, cameras across the service territory, and AI driven control rooms that notify and even trigger maintenance to avoid disruptions.  Combined with weather driven insights and public safety incident data, utility dispatch centers are able to respond more expeditiously when disaster strikes.  We met with vendors across the ecosystem excited about integrating data to deliver timely, relevant insights to grid operators.  

In addition, we had a chance to present at the Initiate Start-up Hub and participate in an emergency operations discussion that reaffirms the need to orchestrate critical event response across all infrastructure providers and public safety personnel.