The future of the grid edge won't be defined by a single technology, vendor, or standard, but by how effectively the industry works together to make them interoperable.

Join representatives from GEISA, OMA, and Itron for a discussion on the evolving standards landscape and the collaboration required to advance grid edge interoperability. Explore how industry initiatives are working together to address utility needs, where progress is being made, and what challenges remain.

Learn how emerging standards can support scalable grid edge solutions, why cooperation across standards organizations is essential, and what utilities should consider as they plan for the next generation of grid modernization efforts.

See innovation in action at the edge. After a brief overview of Itron’s first edge App-A-Thon—where utility teams leveraged Itron’s distributed intelligence (DI) platform, virtual SDK and curated datasets— A panel of your peers will be describing their experience using Itron’s developer platform and virtual software developer kit (SDK). Hear firsthand how utility teams used Itron’s platform, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, to rapidly turn edge data into actionable insights. Discover how Itron’s edge-enabled developer ecosystem makes it possible to design, build and scale new applications that drive smarter, more reliable operations.

Battery VPPs are breaking new MW records. On September 9, 2026, approximately 110,000 Tesla Powerwalls delivered 517 MW during a dispatch across California. This session will explore Tesla’s virtual power plant (VPP) programs across the U.S., including its participation in California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), and best practices for designing VPP programs and aggregating batteries into a dependable grid resource. Attendees will learn about existing aggregation models and how utilities can design programs that scale and strengthen reliability during periods of peak demand.

Hydro One is doing something most utilities have not yet attempted. By treating AMI data as an enterprise asset, the utility is integrating grid edge intelligence and advanced analytics to feed operations, maintenance, investment planning, and demand-side management, not just billing. AMI data is moving out of the meter-to-cash niche and into the enterprise with grid edge intelligence.

 At the center of this work is an enterprise data and AI platform that integrates AMI data alongside data from other systems, with data solutions built for the needs of different business lines. In parallel, the utility is deploying distributed intelligence applications directly on the meters. Use cases already in progress include optimizing outage restoration times, enabling predictive maintenance, prioritizing capital investments, and developing non-wires alternatives.

 The session will also explore the broader opportunity AMI creates across the utility enterprise. When data flows freely from the grid edge into the right systems and the right hands, it changes what decisions are possible. Grid utilization is one example: AMI data makes it possible to see where unused capacity sits, flatten load curves, and defer infrastructure builds. The same data can drive predictive maintenance, inform capital investment priorities, and support affordability goals. Before AMI and enterprise intelligence, these decisions at best were educated guesses.

 Hear directly from Hydro One and Util-Assist on how one of the first utilities in Canada to leverage grid edge intelligence built its enterprise data strategy, aligned IT with the business lines, and is turning AMI data into measurable business value.

Distributed Intelligence (DI) initiatives often begin with a focused use case but scaling them into operational programs requires new approaches to technology, processes and organizational alignment. In this session, Patrick Varuzza, PG&E and Tom Williams, VASS Solutions will share PG&E's journey from an early ChargeBoost proof of concept to today's quasi-production deployment and the roadmap toward full operationalization. Attendees will gain insights into the decisions, challenges and lessons learned along the way, including what worked, what didn't and how those experiences are shaping future DI strategy and implementation efforts.

As utilities work to scale transportation and residential electrification, early deployments are providing critical insights into what it takes to move from pilot programs to broad adoption. In this session, Itron will share lessons learned from an EV fleet deployment in New York, highlighting key successes, operational challenges, and considerations related to charging infrastructure, customer participation, and grid impacts. PG&E will discuss its residential electrification initiatives and perspectives on supporting customer adoption at scale. Together, the speakers will explore the path to scale, examining the lessons emerging from initial deployments, the barriers utilities must overcome, and strategies for expanding electrification programs across diverse service territories.