Image art by Jeremiah Karpowicz via Canva
Dr. Michael E. Webber is an optimist. That’s not because of the accurate predictions he’s made about the present of the energy industry, but because of the systems and people he believes will define its future.
A nationally recognized energy expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Webber has opined on the benefits and challenges of renewables, as well as the increasingly dire need to utilize every tool in the toolbox to rebuild the grid faster than ever before, contributing think pieces to this very website. These are specifics he’ll be exploring as a moderator at Itron Inspire, but as we found out, what he’s focused on today is an approach that transcends any single technology.
A Systems Integration Mindset
Years ago, Dr. Webber made an accurate prediction of a shift in total energy demand, driven by the insight that the rise of high-load electrification and spikes from climate-driven weather patterns would fundamentally alter the peak demand curve. It compelled a ‘use every tool’ approach to rebuild the grid that is ultimately more about systemic thinking than it is technology.
“There’s no one solution that’s all good or all bad,” Dr. Webber said. “They’re all a mix of good and bad. Our job as investors, planners, and just as human beings is to design the system to be more good than bad, so we have to have a systems integration mindset that understands and takes trade-offs into account. The answer that we come up with today might be different if we take a 20-to-50-year view, especially for environmental issues, which can accumulate over decades.”
The need for this approach is especially evident in the face of data center-driven load growth. Dr. Webber has talked about how data center flexibility will be expected, which means the ‘cheap versus clean’ tension needs to be fully considered. If a data center’s cheap, non-flexible power choice today destabilizes the grid, utilities will eventually be forced to adopt more expensive sources of energy, which is the kind of trade-off he’s working to make sure everyone involved realizes.
A similar tradeoff can be seen when it comes to utilizing AI technology itself, which holds the promise of solving complex problems more efficiently, and can do so in the energy industry specifically. He’s talked about how AI can be used to accelerate the discovery of novel materials and chemistries for batteries and to improve how the grid is used. All of that comes at an enormous energy cost, and the irony that the technology stressing the grid could also be the tool that helps optimize it is not lost on him.
“AI is making headlines for its power consumption, which can be scary given the volatility,” Dr. Webber told Factor This. “However, AI holds the promise of solving complex problems more efficiently. The lack of synchronicity on the long-term benefit versus the immediate impacts is catching people by surprise, but in the end, AI is another valuable tool in our toolbox for improving the system.”
Those AI-driven improvements are directly linked to his sense of optimism. Although he anticipates AI will ultimately deliver substantial power and water savings, that potential is only part of why he believes the future is bright.
Breaking Silos to Connect Utility Teams and an Entire Industry
Events like Itron Inspire are designed to unite the utility industry, but the goal of these connections extends beyond sharing individual projects or organizational wins. Instead, it’s about fostering an integrated approach to problem-solving that can apply new technology while actively considering short-term needs against long-term tradeoffs.
This broader perspective is one that Dr. Webber strongly advocates, which has been shaped by his previous role as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, but even more so in his current role as a professor. These experiences have forged an integrated outlook that provides a relevant framework for how individuals and organizations across the sector can effectively move forward.
“The way I approach solving these energy challenges is through systems thinking, which just means they’re all interconnected,” Dr. Webber said. “There’s no part of the energy world or the food world that isn’t connected with the other parts. We can’t invent technologies or deploy policies or make our plans in isolation. How they all connect today and into the far future has to be an active consideration.”
This integrated approach can manifest itself in the energy sector when it comes to specifics like systems permitting and procurement. New high-load infrastructure, like a data center, can be simultaneously evaluated by energy regulators and water regulators. Doing so will best enable a grid optimized for clean and flexible resources that maximizes resilience while minimizing environmental and social externalities.
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These are the sorts of specific policy and integration details that will be discussed at Itron Inspire, but what other topics will define conversations at the event? Dr. Webber is set to lead an executive roundtable discussion at the conference, so what issues and challenges does he believe will be top of mind for utility executives?
“I expect there will be a lot of talk about load growth,” Dr. Webber said. “How are we going to meet the moment? The loads are growing quickly in a way that hasn’t happened for 90 years. Are we ready for this? Do we need to develop the muscle memory on how to grow again? It’s something that impacts regulators, technologists, developers, planners, and investors, so I expect load growth will be on people’s minds.”
Dr. Webber’s ultimate vision for smarter utilities isn’t really about the topics of today, though, but about the people who will define tomorrow. He believes that successful energy transitions require both patience and leadership, but he also recognizes that significant change is a long-term endeavor, rather than an overnight shift. The pieces for each can be found across the industry, but it’s what he’s seeing with both in the classroom that ultimately drives his optimism around getting there.
“There are a lot of reasons why we can think that the future system will be better than today’s system,” Dr. Webber said. “I see it in my students, who are in such a better place than I was at their age. It’s easy to get lost in the headlines, but there are some good fundamentals working in our favor. There are lots of ways that it can go wrong, but there’s even more reasons why it won’t, which is why I tend to be pretty optimistic.”
Hear more about what Dr. Webber had to say about the connections and conversations that are set to define Itron Inspire via the video below, and register now to connect with him at the event!
