Some of the world’s energy and utility leaders are in San Diego this week for Distributech International, an annual convention that puts public utilities, city planners and technology providers under one roof.
This year presents many of the presenters and visitors with new challenges that need to be solved soon.
“The technology is absolutely evolving,” said Asaf Nagler of ABB E-mobility. “We’re still kind of in the early innings of the transformation.”
Companies and governments are turning toward sustainable, reliable, clean green energy.
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“The power grids are changing dramatically,” added Mary Brown of Open Access Technology International.
Much of that change can be seen in the driveways in California, where electric-vehicle sales are soaring. They’ll be mandated in California by 2035.
“A utility is trying to answer the question of, ‘How can I accommodate the need to charge all these vehicles with the current power that we have on the grid?’” explained Brown, whose OATI works with utilities to efficiently manage all their resources.
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“The requirements of the systems that we have currently need to change,” Brown said. “When you turn on a light switch, you expect the lights to go on and that takes a lot to happen.”
It will take a lot more to handle all the new electric vehicles.
“Electric transportation is the future," Nagler said. "It’s what we’re all striving toward and working towards.”
Nagler said ABB E-mobility just sold its millionth EV charger.
“These chargers are going to be everywhere where you are,” continued Nagler. “You’re going to see these things look less like industrial equipment and more like something you want to have in your home.”
Nagler said everyone under the Distributech roof is working on smarter, more sustainable goals.
“We’re all working together toward the same thing, and we all are really pulling in the same direction,” Nagler said.
“They understand where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we are going,” concluded Brown.
Distributech is at the San Diego Convention Center through Thursday.
