Itron and GE Vernova Pioneer Unification of Grid Edge and Grid Operations Data, Giving Utilities Real-Time Insights Needed to Enable a More Reliable, Resilient Grid

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Feb. 22, 2024 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, and GE Vernova, a planned, purpose-built global energy company, today announced a collaboration designed to help utilities around the world employ grid data to operate and orchestrate the distribution grid in real-time to enable a more reliable, resilient grid for the end user.

Itron and GE Vernova are leading the way and plan to share innovative data fabric technology and build a unified data model to ease the integration and utilization of data from the edge (behind-the-meter) to the core (grid control room) by connecting the two for real-time data insights for utilities and grid operators. Bringing together grid edge data with operations data will close gaps in visibility that previously prevented utilities from identifying and resolving grid issues quickly and efficiently.

By integrating Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence solutions with GE Vernova’s innovative GridOS® orchestration software, the companies will enable utilities to address grid operations challenges brought about by renewable energy generation and behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs), such as customer-owned solar, EV charging infrastructure, or battery storage. Solutions resulting from the collaboration will enable grid operations managers and analysts to make more strategic use of high-resolution data collected from the grid edge through the head-end to Itron’s DataHub, leading to better forecasts and the ability to provide dynamic load management capacity via a high-fidelity analysis of response and resolution grid constraints.

GridOS® leverages unified access and integration of distributed data and events in real-time by enabling local autonomous action at the grid edge or by triggering events in the control room. Itron and GE Vernova software solutions are expected to activate vast numbers of aggregated DERs to help ensure grid reliability. Because these capabilities require data at a scale of millions of endpoints —Itron’s grid edge solution portfolio, which builds on Itron’s decades-long leadership in automated meter infrastructure (AMI)—and GE Vernova’s GridOS® Data Fabric, which provides the federated data foundation for grid orchestration, plays an essential role in capturing and processing real-time intelligence across the entire grid network.

The combined solutions are expected to deliver a range of customer benefits, including:

• Improved navigation and response to load demands via GE Vernova’s GridOS® advanced distributed management systems (ADMS) software and Itron’s ability to deliver distributed intelligence (DI) data such as service transformer data, location, phasing and voltage loads.

• Resolve grid constraints with greater access to optimize residential DERs like smart thermostats, residential solar and EV chargers, via GE Vernova’s GridOS® DERMS (distributed energy resource management system) and Itron’s Aggregation and Edge DERMs data, including type, location, load and status.

• Real-time automated model accuracy via artificial Intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) with meter data management (MDM) data/insights to identify discrepancies in the geo network model based on real-world data.

• Better reliability and more stable power supply via GE Vernova’s Geo Network Management software and Itron’s extensive distributed intelligence (DI) distribution meter data.

“In a rapidly evolving age of renewables, EVs, climate and energy security disruptions, achieving comprehensive understanding of grid performance is imperative for utilities aiming to orchestrate a reliable and more sustainable grid to meet customer expectations,” said Mahesh Sudhakaran, general manager at GE Vernova's Grid Software business. “Bringing Itron’s experience at the edge and GE Vernova’s deep expertise in grid operations together offers a path for utilities to streamline and unify their approach to demand management, DER optimization and grid operations to deliver a grid fit for the future.”

“Itron and GE Vernova both recognize that grid operators need more data and insight for proactive, real-time decision making, reliable forecasts, rapid and confident responses to outages, non-wires capacity upgrades, and the ability to predict potential problems before they occur,” said Don Reeves, senior vice president of Outcomes at Itron. “The challenges grid operators face today are many. They will only multiply tomorrow. The answer is access to high-resolution grid edge data and operational insight, and the ability to leverage that data to achieve the visibility needed to build and manage the grid of the future. That’s what this collaboration is about.”

“At Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), we leverage innovative technologies to deliver reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Ed De Varona, vice president of Power Delivery for FPL. “This innovative collaboration between Itron and GE Vernova is exciting and has the potential to add efficiencies and provide enhanced integration of data across our system.”

LinkedIn Live Sessions and Demonstrations at DISTRIBUTECH 2024, Booths #2127 and #2020

Itron and GE Vernova will hold a livestream to LinkedIn at DISTRIBUTECH 2024 in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. EST, where leaders Sean Moser, Chief Product Officer at GE Vernova's Grid Software business; Don Reeves, Itron’s senior vice president of Outcomes; and Stefan Zschiegner, Itron’s vice president of product management of Outcomes, will discuss the shared technology and unified data layer needed for real-time grid management applications. They will highlight how this partnership goes beyond arm’s length integration to provide a more seamless view of the grid with less data integration effort and fewer resources. The livestream can be viewed on LinkedIn and in GE Vernova’s booth #2127.

Itron and GE Vernova will also hold joint demonstrations of their innovative data fabric technology and a unified data model applied in GridOS applications like ADMS and DERMS at the tradeshow. The demonstrations will focus on enhanced situational awareness and improved capabilities to manage both generation and loads. These solutions ultimately improve a utility's ability to leverage DERs to mitigate grid constraints, minimize congestion and help accelerate grid modernization and a clean energy transition. The demonstrations will be available in Itron’s booth #2020 and GE Vernova’s booth #2127.