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Beyond the Gridlock: A Grid Affordability Special Report



A century ago, light revolutionized our world. Edison’s glowing invention, powered by coal and grit, lit up cities and launched the modern grid. Today, we stand on the brink of the next great transformation—one powered not by electricity, but by intelligence.


Artificial intelligence promises to be as powerful and disruptive as the grid itself—but it’s only as strong as the system that delivers it. And that system? It’s straining under the weight of what’s next.


After analyzing nearly 6,000 utility challenges across 50 grid modernization plans, one thing became clear: complexity and the need for affordability is paralyzing progress. That’s why InnovationForce created a new report—an interactive, real-time map of the top 10 utility innovation challenges and commercially viable solutions. It’s designed to cut through gridlock, accelerate decision-making, and move the industry from pilot purgatory to scalable progress.


Each challenge includes a challenge statement, a tech stack to help review solution options and the accompanying solution matches in InnovationWorks.


Example challenge with Tech Stack:


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Here is a look at the top 10:

  • 001 Resilient Grid: Building a Weather and Wildfire Resilient Grid in the New Normal

  • 002 Aging Grid: Upgrading Aging Assets in the New Normal

  • 003 Grid Constraints: Overcoming Capacity Bottlenecks

  • 004 Grid Constraints: Overcoming Supply Chain Bottlenecks

  • 005 Grid Constraints: Overcoming Interconnections Bottlenecks

  • 006 Flexible Grid: Operationalizing DERS in a 2-way Grid

  • 007 Flexible Load Forecasting: Planning for a Nonlinear Future

  • 008 Flexible Customers: Engaging Customers in a Dynamic Grid

  • 009 Securing the Flexible Grid: Meeting the Future of OT/IT Convergence

  • 010 Grid Workforce: Enabling the Workforce of the Future


Download the report here:



 
 
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