Tantalus CEO: Grid Transformation Forum Calls for Data-Driven Smart Grids

Data-Driven Smart Grids lead utilities to unify AMI, DERs, interoperability, and edge data for grid modernization and resilience as electrification and decarbonization accelerate, says Tantalus Systems CEO Pete Londa at a Grid Transformation Forum.

Utilities face simultaneous pressure to electrify and decarbonize while hardening distribution systems against extreme weather. At the Grid Transformation Forum, Tantalus Systems CEO Pete Londa argued that the only scalable path through this convergence is to treat data with the same rigor as power, building interoperable, data-driven smart grids that make every kilowatt and kilobyte count. He urged utility leaders to move beyond siloed programs and adopt unified platforms capable of ingesting, contextualizing, and acting on edge intelligence across the entire distribution footprint.

Londa positioned next-generation AMI as a foundation, but not the destination. The objective is a truly digital distribution grid that captures granular power-quality and consumption information from meters, distribution automation, solar inverters, stationary storage, microgrid controllers, and EV chargers. With a common, interoperable layer, utilities gain the real-time visibility, command, and control necessary to integrate DERs at scale and to manage bi-directional flows safely. This evolution aligns with broader sector thinking around a digital grid, while ensuring operations teams can translate data into timely field action.

He framed sustainability as a multi-vector mandate: operational, financial, community, regulatory, and environmental. Data-driven workflows connect these vectors, enabling targeted asset maintenance, improved workforce safety, and better reliability outcomes. Londa highlighted how continuous power-quality analytics can flag equipment degradation before overheating or arcing occurs, helping reduce wildfire risk and extend asset life. Proactive insights also support revenue protection, dynamic pricing, and stronger ESG reporting, reinforcing the business case for interoperable platforms that can evolve as policy and technology landscapes change, including initiatives aimed to energize America in the face of rising load and weather volatility.

Edge data, he noted, enhances situational awareness and speeds restoration. During storms, granular telemetry can inform sequenced, managed outages that preserve power for critical services, while coordinated control of DERs and remote disconnect functions help mitigate imbalances between supply and demand. Vegetation management can also become more surgical: recurring momentary contacts identified through endpoint data guide crews to precise spans, limiting unnecessary tree work and truck rolls, and thereby lowering CO2 emissions. These themes echo the industry push for sensor-led visibility and distribution system operator readiness, as seen in efforts around lighthouse smart grid sensors dso visibility that elevate feeder-level awareness without overhauling entire systems at once.

Looking ahead, Londa underscored that a modernized, interoperable platform is the essential first step. With that base, utilities can orchestrate EVs, rooftop solar, and batteries, island portions of the network to boost resilience, and shift demand away from peaker plants. Customer-facing benefits follow, from usage education to faster detection of water and gas leaks via integrated telemetry. The call to action is pragmatic: start by unifying data across legacy silos, then scale advanced applications as capabilities mature. Lessons from past modernization waves, including the 2019 grid cycle and regional initiatives such as Ontario grid modernization supply chain efc advocacy, show that sequencing investments around clear use cases accelerates value realization while keeping options open for future technologies.

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