## Terna’s Innovation Zone Forum in San Francisco: Fostering a Just Energy Transition Through Open Innovation
Terna, the Italian transmission system operator, has taken a bold step towards a sustainable and digitalized energy future by hosting the Innovation Zone Forum in San Francisco. This two-day event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including leading industry players, innovative startups, and key investors, to discuss and collaborate on the technological solutions that will shape the electric grid of tomorrow.
The Innovation Zone Forum represents Terna’s first initiative in its Silicon Valley Innovation Zone, a testament to the company’s commitment to open innovation and collaboration. Terna recognizes the immense challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a more sustainable energy landscape. As renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, become increasingly integrated into the grid, the need for advanced technologies to manage this non-programmable and intermittent energy flow becomes paramount.
The Forum, organized in partnership with the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub (INNOVIT), the Italian Consulate General in San Francisco, and Mind the Bridge, provided a platform for dynamic interaction and knowledge exchange. Key highlights of the event included:
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The Italian Energy Showcase:
Five Italian startups presented their energy-related technologies to Silicon Valley innovators and investors, showcasing the innovative solutions emerging from Italy. These startups, many of whom have collaborated with Terna on key projects or are part of Terna Forward, the Group’s Corporate Venture Capital company, demonstrated their capabilities in areas like electric infrastructure maintenance, network operation, and resilience.*
The Energy Industry Innovation Talk: Focus on Grid:
This session, held at Mind the Bridge’s headquarters, brought together Terna, other European and US energy companies, and leading clean tech investment funds for a focused discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the future of the power grid. The dialogue centered on identifying and prioritizing the development of key technologies to ensure a reliable and efficient energy system.One of the key takeaways from the Forum was the demonstration of a powerful AI-powered asset management solution developed by a startup backed by both Terna and the Spanish grid operator. This solution leverages advanced visual data analysis to automatically detect infrastructure faults, enabling more efficient monitoring and maintenance processes. This proactive approach to fault identification contributes to greater reliability and operational continuity for critical grid resources.
Terna’s Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Giuseppina Di Foggia, emphasized the importance of this event: “Terna is on its way to confirming itself as a leading company in the technological innovation field, in the service of a just energy and digital transition. The Innovation Zone Forum consolidated our role as an aggregator of international innovation players, especially in the energy sector.” She also highlighted Terna’s commitment to supporting Italian innovation abroad, noting, “As a strategic company for the country, we are responsible for promoting Italian innovation excellence abroad. This is why we set off on a path to enhance startups, working side by side with them to get them ready for the US market.”
The success of the Innovation Zone Forum in San Francisco is a testament to Terna’s commitment to leading the charge in the energy transition through open innovation and collaboration. By creating a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and investment, Terna is not only shaping the future of the electric grid but also fostering a more sustainable and equitable energy future for all.
