Energy leaders from 20 Dutch companies and institutions met in Spokane in October to tackle grid management challenges and digital energy solutions alongside regional leaders from Avista, Itron, WSU, and the city of Spokane.

Inland Northwest representatives met with the delegation of Dutch energy companies, universities, and organizations at the Catalyst Building, in Spokane. Attendees took a tour of the building and Avista’s Energy Innovation Lab, participated in a networking lunch, and a panel discussion, Avista Communications Officer Kirstin O’Connor Giampietri says.

The delegation was on tour visiting cities including Spokane, Portland, and Seattle during the late October visit, says Marjolein Bot, one of the delegation’s leaders and director of system integration at Energy Innovation NL, a Dutch energy ecosystem organization.

As part of the trip, participants shared best energy management and production practices between grid operators, energy companies, service providers, and municipalities, she says.

“I want our delegation to gain insights and provide insights, to learn from each other and from the people here, and to look for opportunities to collaborate,” Bot says.

Planning for the event began earlier in the year through a combined effort between Itron, Avista, and WSU, says O'Connor Giampietri. 

The event kicked off with a welcome message by Heather Rosentrater, president and CEO of Avista. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown also gave opening comments at the networking lunch. Technical discussions about developing and integrating digital solutions within energy grid systems, grid management, and data application use cases for energy providers were also included, says O'Connor Giampietri.

Representatives from Avista, WSU, Itron, and the Dutch delegation also discussed building international collaborations and how utilities, energy companies, municipalities, and communities can work together to provide better reliability and affordability.

Panel participants included Latisha Hill, vice president of community affairs and chief customer officer at Avista; Anjan Bose, Regents Professor and distinguished professor in power at Washington State University; Randy Bustamante, vice president of research and development at Itron; and Patrick Kools, decarbonization practice leader at the Netherlands office of KBC Advanced Technologies. Nathan South, CEO of Novara Energy Alliance, moderated the discussion.

“Our geographical context is different, but for some of the challenges we’re facing, we can learn so much from each other,” says Bot. “We’re very much inspired already by the people that work here as well.”