Driving Digital Transformation at Itron Inspire APAC 2022

Our second annual Inspire APAC 2022 – Itron’s customer and partner-focused event where we explore the possibilities of a more connected, resourceful future – was a success. After gathering virtually with our customers, partners and industry leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, we’re feeling extra grateful for the opportunity to explore what’s possible with energy, water and city service management. This year’s two-day virtual event included engaging sessions hosted by our leaders and our customers about our industry’s top-of-mind priorities such as integrating renewables, upgrading an aging grid infrastructure, meeting the needs of increased demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and more.

As Itron Inspire APAC comes to a close, we’ve taken a moment to highlight some of our favorite talks and what we’re focused on moving forward.

Itron’s president and CEO, Tom Deitrich, kicked off Itron Inspire APAC 2022 with the opening keynote session by painting a picture of what efficient resource management can look like and the opportunities that lie ahead for our industry. As the amount of large-scale natural disasters continues to increase, so does the need to invest in a more reliant and resilient energy infrastructure. 

Following the keynote, Ty Roberts, vice president of product marketing, Networked Solutions at Itron, shared how with the right Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network, utilities and cities can pursue decarbonization and greener grid management while still maintaining healthy revenue and operational targets. The climate is changing ever so quickly, and utilities and cities across the globe are urgently pivoting towards decarbonization and sustainability by exploring ways to digitize their operations. 

During one of the other conference sessions, Shishir Shekhar, senior product manager for Itron’s EV platform, discussed how today’s utilities can meet the demand for EVs, EV fleets and residential charging. As more EVs come to the market, it is critical that cities and utilities can provide planning and managed charging tools to ensure fuel costs are efficiently managed and remain as low as possible. Utilities also can enable fleet electrification and solve grid challenges as well as customer constraints through education, advisory and charging as a service. 

Day two of Itron Inspire APAC 2022 consisted of six different engaging sessions. To kick off the day, we heard from Itron’s Mohammad Saudi, senior technical sales engineer, about how to unify data from across the water distribution network to drive actionable business outcomes. As we move into an exciting new era of smart metering and smart water management solutions driven by factors such as climate changes, tighter regulations and rapid decarbonization, water utilities and service providers are also challenged with outdated infrastructure that requires significant investment. Integrated water management technologies are key to unlocking data that optimizes water system efficiency and performance.  

We then heard from leading utility organizations across Australia with representatives from Simple Energy Solutions, Ausgrid, IEEFA and Smart Energy Council about both the challenges presented by distributed energy resources (DERs) and the opportunities to integrate them. With the rise in DERs like solar, EVs and battery storage, a new paradigm has emerged for regulators, utilities, retailers and consumers – the pace of change has instituted more volatility and instability to the grid networks. It was an insightful discussion about use cases, takeaways and insights to support utilities across the globe in the transition to a decarbonized future. 

Another great session was focused on the key asset in determining when and how customers use energy: data. Nazaitul Idya binti Hamzah, who is a manager in Tenaga Nasional Berhad tasked with carrying out a long-term peak demand forecast for Peninsular Malaysia, joined the discussion to share how Tenaga Nasional Bhd uses load forecasting data to become operationally excellent. Watch the session on demand here to gain insights into what has been done and what will be done in the future as Malaysia advances energy efficiency improvements, EV adoption, solar adoption and more.

Another great session presented by Dan Evans, senior director of smart cities and smart lighting, highlighted how cities and utilities can leverage the streetlight canopy network to create smarter, safer and more sustainable cities. Increasing urbanization across the globe, rising electricity costs, the push toward decarbonization and increased customer engagement are just a few of the challenges utilities and cities across the APAC region are facing. Solutions that support investment in an upgraded infrastructure while maintaining the systems already in place are key to creating more livable and resourceful communities. 

Missed Itron Inspire APAC 2022?

If you were unable to attend this year’s virtual event, or if you would like to review sessions, all content is available on demand through Aug. 24, 2022. To access the content, click here and select the REGISTER tile on our event landing page (if you have not already done so). Registration is quick, simple and free.