Circumstances cause the need for change, don't they? Covid, both Delta and now Omicron, have had a profound impact on everyone, including our industry. Personally, I have never seen so much change in the utility landscape. Politics and government also cause things to change. Weather events have caused change, and the list of circumstances goes on and on. Most of these circumstances we can look back on and see how it has impacted the organizations we lead, and the way we conduct our businesses.
But what happens if we look ahead, rather than backwards? Can we predict the circumstances that will cause things to change? What does the landscape look like? It seems that the fabric of life itself is changing more than some people can address; all the while still dealing with the circumstances mentioned above. This is not a rhetorical exercise. If we can predict the future, then we can prepare for the changes ahead.
Given the electrification of transportation and the predicted growth of vehicles that will run on electricity rather than fossil fuels, what will that do to the grid? I am not proposing answers to that question, but would love to get a conversation started about the impact on the grid, especially the reliability of the smart grid. How do we prepare the smart grid for this projected change?
Henry Ford had a similar dilemma; he had to address the need for a reliable refueling service to make sure his mass produced vehicles could operate. Mass production of automobiles created the need for a network of gas stations, nationwide, along with greater oil extraction and refining. The change he brought created an entire industry that, like it or not, we still rely on to this day, and also an industry that will itself be impacted by the switch to electric vehicles.
Are we ready as an industry or is it "every man (person, company, agency) for themselves? What do you see or what is your organization doing to address this change to electric vehicles? Let's collaborate and share the information we have.