When we think of the grid, we often think of something vast, analog, and unyielding. But what if we imagined it differently? Imagine the grid not as a hulking relic of the industrial era but as something akin to the internet: dynamic, responsive, and full of transformative potential. In this week's episode of Wicked Problems – Climate Tech Conversations, we sit down with Alexina Jackson, an energy influencer, grid expert, and evangelist for the digital transformation of energy systems. Together, we explore how the leap from traditional telecoms networks to the internet offers a roadmap for rethinking the grid in an age of renewables and decarbonisation.
The Telecoms Parallel: Lessons from Leapfrogging
Alexina’s insights are shaped by her own journey through the tech and energy worlds. She began her career in telecoms during the pivotal shift from analog systems to the digital world, an experience that informs her vision for the grid today.
“I grew up with family in Brazil waiting years for access to fixed-line telephony,” she recalls. “But when cell phones came along, they leapfrogged over that entire infrastructure. That’s the kind of transformation we need to think about for the grid.”
This leapfrogging isn’t just about skipping steps; it’s about seeing infrastructure challenges as opportunities for innovation. The internet revolutionised telecoms by enabling faster, decentralised communication, and Alexina argues that a digitally enabled energy grid could do the same for power distribution, reliability, and renewable integration.
The Three Steps to Grid Digitalisation
Alexina outlined a vision for this transformation, framing it as a journey with three critical steps:
Embrace the Digital Foundation: Many components of today’s energy systems are already digital, from battery storage to EV chargers and advanced metering. These tools provide a foundation for transformation.
Get Smarter About the Dynamic Grid: Digital tools like grid-enhancing technologies can improve situational awareness, enabling operators to optimise performance and plan smarter investments.
Unlock Visibility and Control: Using platforms, digital twins, and AI-driven simulations, utilities can plan for future needs, allocate resources efficiently, and present transparent, verifiable decisions to stakeholders.
As Alexina puts it, “The combination of visibility and control is a superpower. It allows us to invest strategically, building the things we need when we need them.”
Why Now?
The urgency of this transformation cannot be overstated. The energy system is under unprecedented pressure to decarbonise while meeting growing demands. As Alexina noted, countries will either optimise existing infrastructure or build new systems from scratch. Either way, a digitally enabled grid is essential.
But this isn’t just about technology. It’s about collaboration. “Everyone can benefit from this transition,” Alexina insists, “but it requires people coming to the table together with trusted, transparent information to find shared solutions.”
Alexina’s Catalysts: Influences That Shaped Her Vision
Toward the end of our conversation, Alexina shared three “catalysts” that have deeply influenced her perspective on energy and sustainability:
Book: Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
A guide to navigating the tough dialogues that underpin collaboration and shared outcomes, a skill Alexina sees as critical to solving wicked problems.
Life Experience: The Bar Exam
Studying for the bar exam revealed to her how systems of rewards and punishments shape societal behaviors. She draws on this framework to think about how values drive decision-making in energy policy.
Book: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Specifically, Chapter 7 inspired her to consider how purpose and method intertwine in communication. For Alexina, this has been a cornerstone in conveying complex ideas about the grid in an accessible way.
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