IST Lunch Bunch

The electric grid that powers society is undergoing a reinvention in real-time, especially in California, which today hosts more than 50 percent of the nation's distributed solar generation capacity and more than 40 percent of U.S. plug-in electric vehicle sales.  Rapid technology advancement, ambitious environmental policy goals, and customers' growing expectations for reliable, affordable and clean energy are driving significant changes in the electric industry landscape. Southern California Edison envisions both a new utility model and an energy future in which distributed energy resources (DERs) – such as private and community solar, advanced battery storage and electric vehicles – are shifting the dominant paradigm of centralized power generation.  In addition, the discussion will touch on the contributions and opportunities for partnerships between academia and industry to further this vision.

Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, focused on electric power system innovation while serving more than 14 million Californians across a 50,000 square mile service area.