ORANGE, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A diverse array of technology leaders converged at the Connecticut headquarters ofAVANGRID (NYSE: AGR) last week to showcase the latest in digital solutions for the energy sector as part of AVANGRID’s second annual Digital Summit.
“With the uncertainty in today’s economic landscape, innovation and disruptive technology take on heightened importance as the keys to resiliency and growth,” said Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID Chief Executive Officer. “AVANGRID’s 2022 Digital Summit demonstrates our commitment to digital transformation and creates a powerful learning and collaborative environment to ensure we keep evolving. It was an amazing opportunity to continue identifying, analyzing and debating new technologies that will position AVANGRID and Iberdrola ahead of the digitalization wave and allow us to thrive.”
AVANGRID is a leading sustainable energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group. Its two-day event was part of Iberdrola’s global Digital Summit series, which includes similar events for its companies in Brazil, Mexico and the U.K.
The event included “innovation speed-dating” workshops that AVANGRID calls ITechShows, where technology partners, such as AWS, Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Deloitte, Accenture, ESRI, NTT DATA, Wipro and Schneider Electric, showcased their newest digital products and services in hopes of finding promising use cases in across key areas like customer service, operations and smart grids.
“As a leader in utility digital transformation, we at Deloitte are proud to team with AVANGRID in an event like the ITechShows to explore innovative technologies that deliver sustainable outcomes for organizations in the Utilities sector and everyone in our communities,” Gabriel Tovar, Managing Director at Deloitte said.
Featured technologies included advanced analytics, machine learning, edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and robotics, among many others.
“To achieve innovation at scale, companies need the right digital infrastructure, but they also need the right people, processes and a culture of innovation that allows good ideas to come to become a reality,” said Damien Buie, Sector Lead for Renewables and New Energies at AWS, who delivered the day’s first keynote talk. “AVANGRID’s Digital Summit and ITechShows have been a showcase of a great culture of innovation.”
AVANGRID invested more than $90 million in energy innovation projects in 2021 and is on track to increase that investment this year. The company is highly recognized as a clean energy innovator, having won prestigious SAPPHIRE and SAP Innovation Awards for utilities in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and having been named to the list of Top Innovators in the Utility Sector by Public Utilities Fortnightly Magazine in 2019 and 2021.
AVANGRID operates approximately 8.5 GW of wind and solar generation and is a leader in the emerging offshore wind industry with 2.4 GW contracted, including its landmark 806 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project, a 50/50 joint venture with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The company’s Networks business serves more than 3 million customers across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York.
“As AVANGRID helps lead the country’s clean energy transition, it is critical we continue to invest in innovation, talent and cutting-edge technology,” Azagra said. “The path to a cleaner future depends on our ability to modernize and keep evolving. The Digital Summit was just the first step to implementing new technologies that will make AVANGRID the utility of the future.”
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $40 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs more than 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021 and 2022 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. AVANGRID is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world’s biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of EUR141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of EUR12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than EUR130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.