Building and Operating an Affordable, Reliable, and Secure Regional Grid: WSU-PNNL joint institute hosts another successful AGI Day
Recently, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University (WSU) Advanced Grid Institute (AGI), hosted their annual AGI Day conference. The conference brought together national laboratory researchers, academia, students, industry, and regional and state stakeholders and representatives to discuss topics around this year’s theme, “Building and Operating an Affordable, Reliable, and Secure Regional Grid.”
AGI harnesses the expertise and capabilities of the two organizations to help protect the grid, supporting a more reliable and secure energy infrastructure for the nation.
“It’s a special day when we have this conference every year,” said Angela Becker-Dippman, PNNL interim associate laboratory director for energy and environment, during her opening remarks. “It’s one of the few days we bring people together from across industry, research and regional decision-making entities to think collectively about our future grid… and explore collaborations for the future. To achieve goals of affordability, reliability, and security, it takes all perspectives in this room to move us forward in innovative ways.”
The conference explored multiple topics and conversations through presentations, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions.
Keynote presenters Crystal Ball from Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC), Kurt Beckett from Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, and Jeff Cook from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), painted the picture for the conference before critical conversations on solutions. Ball explained that utilities are facing growing uncertainty and mounting pressure to add resources to the grid to support load and reliability, resources are at great risk of not being deployed, and if delays continue there can be severe adequacy issues.
“There is unpreceded load growth showing in PNUCC forecast… We as an industry have to plan for peak capacity and we have evidence that demand is increasing on hot and cold days… Meeting peak demands caused emergency planning and pulling in significant resources,” said Ball.
Cook’s presentation followed up with more challenges facing utilities including an increased number of data center requests to use the transmission grid, cybersecurity, the people power to continue to evolve the grid, and while balancing the challenge of keeping utilizes affordable and reliable for customers.
Once the stage was set with context for the challenges facing the grid, PNNL, WSU, and AGI leaders had the opportunity to discuss solutions.
“The electric grid is under stress facing an unprecedented surge in demand,” said Jim Ogle, PNNL sector director for Electricity Infrastructure. “Our research is driven by these big challenges, and we’re committed to stabilizing the grid to address the critical issues affecting reliability and security, optimizing the grid for improved performance while maintaining affordability, and grow the grid to deliver electricity from abundant energy sources.”
AGI gave a timely update on R&D areas including energy analytics and decision support, power electronics’ influence on power systems, and grid resilience to all hazardous threats including natural to cyber disasters. AGI also spoke about the Distinguished Graduate Research Program, which is preparing and training eight students directly in areas of grid research.
“Along with WSU and PNNL colleagues, AGI Day brought together major regional and industry stakeholders, including representatives from City of Richland, department of Commerce, Washington State Academy of Sciences, BPA, Avista Corporation, Portland Generic Electric, Puget Sound Energy, SEL, GE Vernova, Leidos, and many other stakeholders,” said Wei Du, PNNL electrical engineer. “Their feedback is invaluable in helping AGI conduct practical research that addresses real-world challenges faced by the regional grid.”
AGI provides crucial leadership in system-centric approaches to building an affordable, reliable, and secure power grid. Our research focuses on three core areas: Energy Analytics and Decision Support, the influence of Power Electronics on Power Systems, and Resilience to All Hazards. The PNNL-WSU AGI combines the complementary strengths, talents, and resources of both institutions to address major challenges in critical mission areas that neither partner could tackle as effectively alone.
AGI Day included a PNNL/WSU Research Highlights session, including a presentation by PNNL electrical engineer, Brett Ross. Ross’s talk was titled Grid Impacts and Opportunities from Large Digital Dynamics Loads and covered typical power electronics designs, their challenges, and future energy storage applications.
During the Q&A session, a WSU student asked Ross about overcoming data center impacts on the grid.
Ross gave a hopeful outlook explaining, “It is a characteristic of the load that we will figure out how to solve. This is possible.”
In the well-regarded industry panel, hosted every year, AGI Industry Advisory Board member William Rambo expressed a similar comment to the audience.
“There are a lot of words thrown out there, such as ‘unprecedented’ or ‘once-in-a-generation challenge’,” said Rambo. “The forecasted load growth is insane and it will be amazing to see where this goes. We are a risk-averse industry that is slow to adopt technology. We have to accelerate that, but we can’t do that without institutes like AGI to help us get out of our own way.”
AGI would like to give a special thanks to presenters, Angela Becker-Dippman, Noel Shulz, Crystal Ball, Kurt Keckett, Jeff Cook, Jim Ogle, Mani Venkatasubramanian, Larry Beckkedahl, Kelly Miller, Andre Coleman, Brad Hellman, Donna Gerardi, Jacob Reidt, Brett Ross, Eleneor Elwry, Nicole Rutherford, Greg Zweigle, Mike Deidesch, William Rambo, Avanaesh Jayantilal, Mark Lauby, and Washington Senator Matt Boehnke.
To learn more about research highlights, view presentation slides, and watch full video recaps, visit our website: https://natlab.wsu.edu/grid/august-2025-agi-day/
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