Industry Leaders Gather to Address Energy and Water Transition at Itron Inspire 2023

Attendees explored the possibilities of grid edge intelligence, distributed energy management, water efficiency, gas safety and more.

At Itron Inspire 2023, we had the pleasure of welcoming more than 1,000 Itron customers, partners, colleagues and other industry leaders to spend the week with us in San Antonio, Texas for our 41st annual customer-focused event – making for an unforgettable experience. If you couldn’t attend or would like to tune into sessions you missed, select content is now available for viewing online through Dec. 4. Register here to enjoy some of our best sessions from your monitor and keep reading for a few of the many highlights the week had to offer. 

Itron Inspire provided attendees with two days of thought-provoking content and education on topics including grid modernization, distributed intelligence, distributed energy resources (DERs), water management, demand response, data management, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and much more. In addition, Itron’s Knowledge Center was bustling and full of energy throughout the entire conference. Attendees watched product demonstrations, learned from knowledgeable product experts and had the opportunity to attend Lighting Talks in the Town Square. A few of the Itron solutions on display included distributed automation technology, electric vehicle solutions, the Itron Edge Gateway and more. An in-depth overview of the Itron services and solutions showcased in the Knowledge Center is available here. Itron partners were also on display, including cutting-edge technologies from Aclara, Cyber Lucent, Diehle Metering, Heath Consultants, Sony and more. 

Numerous industry thought leaders took the stage at Itron Inspire, including Itron president and CEO, Tom Deitrich, as he outlined the current forces guiding the energy sector. Attendees also had the opportunity to watch a live demonstration on the keynote stage. The demo was facilitated by Tim Driscoll, director of technology innovation, and included a simulated power outage followed by Itron’s grid edge manager balancing the grid with distributed energy resource to effectively restore power. In addition, I had the opportunity to present Itron’s 2023 Resourcefulness Insight Report, which examines the view of the energy transition among utility executives and state utility commissioners in the U.S., including the barriers they see coming and how they expect to address these challenges. Read this blog for more highlights from day one and check out this blog for a recap of day two. 

This year’s assortment of big picture sessions, breakout sessions, panel discussions and everything in-between were exceptional and raised the bar from years past. The first big picture session, sponsored by Capgemini, emphasized the importance of next-generation advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that’s reliable, resilient and efficient as well as intelligence at the grid edge to create a smooth transition to electrified transportation. The second big picture, sponsored by Microsoft, covered the various use cases and risks of artificial intelligence, and how utilities can leverage it to make more informed decisions. The ability to utilize data effectively is crucial for utilities everywhere, especially given that the energy sector generates the most data compared to any other industry. The continued evolution and modernization of the power grid fundamentally revolves around utilities using data to enhance decision-making and improve operations.  

Year after year, Itron Inspire continues to drive innovation, collaboration and excellence in the energy industry. It’s truly invigorating to see attendees share learnings and bring forward their own utility’s unique perspective. From all of us at Itron, we’d like to extend a sincere thank you to our fantastic customers, partners and colleagues who made Itron Inspire such a success. We hope you left feeling reenergized as we collectively prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Make sure to register for access to select on-demand sessions through Dec. 4., download Itron’s 2023 Resourcefulness Insight Report and mark your calendars for Itron Inspire 2024 in Palm Desert, CA!