Here is a detailed summary of the video transcription in markdown format, with sections and single-level bullet points:
Introduction
- FNA zamin, AWS Business Development Leader for Grid Modernization, introduces the session on accelerating grid control system upgrades using AWS and Evergreen testing.
- He is joined by Shawn Moser from Gnovis and Jim Laro from PPL to discuss the challenges in the energy industry and the solutions they have developed.
Energy Industry Challenges
- The energy industry is undergoing massive changes:
- Decarbonization of supply with increasing share of renewables
- Growing electricity demand driven by electrification and new loads like AI data centers and crypto
- Decentralization with distributed energy resources and customer involvement
- These changes are putting significant pressure on the grid to operate in new ways, absorbing renewables and mapping supply to demand while maintaining reliability and affordability.
AWS for Energy and Utilities
- AWS has a dedicated business unit focused on solving the unique challenges of customers in the energy and utility space.
- AWS provides industry-specific solutions, guidance, security and compliance, and data strategy support to customers.
- AWS also has a large partner network to help customers address their challenges.
Hybrid Cloud for Utilities
- Some utility workloads may not be able to migrate to the cloud due to regulations, latency, or local data requirements.
- AWS Hybrid Cloud provides a consistent AWS experience wherever the customer needs it, on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge.
- Hybrid Cloud benefits include compliance with regulations, the ability to modernize at a comfortable pace, and improved disaster recovery and backup options.
Gnovis' Innovative Approach
- Gnovis, a spin-out from the company that invented the grid, develops software to manage the grid.
- The grid is a complex, loosely coupled system with various components, each requiring different software.
- Gnovis' previous software was highly siloed and monolithic, unable to keep up with the rapid changes in the industry.
Evergreen Testing and Deployment
- Gnovis developed a new, modular, and composable software platform called Grid OS, which is cloud-architected and AI-based.
- To address the slow and painful deployment and upgrade process, Gnovis introduced the "Evergreen" deployment model:
- Rapid, frequent delivery of new features and functionality
- Automated deployment to a cloud instance, on-premises instance, and then production
- Tight feedback loops for better product and customer experience
AWS Integration
- Gnovis leverages various AWS services and technologies, such as Kubernetes, Argo, and AppStream, to enable the Evergreen deployment model.
- The full package, including the customer's configuration and data, is automated and deployed to the customer's environment.
PPL's Experience
- PPL, the utility customer, mirrors their production environment in the cloud for testing and validation.
- This allows them to perform comprehensive testing, including failover scenarios, without impacting production.
- PPL can also test integrations and new Grid OS features in the cloud environment before deploying to production.
- The cloud environment enables faster deployment and the ability to quickly spin up and down instances for testing.
- PPL is also exploring the use of AWS Outpost to create a hybrid on-premises and cloud environment.
Benefits and Next Steps
- The Evergreen deployment model and cloud-based testing have significantly reduced deployment and testing times, from days to hours.
- Automation and test scripts are crucial to enable this rapid deployment and testing.
- The goal is to further streamline the process of updating the utility's model and configuration in the cloud environment and synchronizing it with the production environment.