# Keynote Case Study: TechAdvantage 2018 — The Energy Future Is Distributed + Hyperconnected
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At TechAdvantage 2018, futurist Jim Carroll challenged the utility sector to see rapid change as opportunity — from battery advances and grid parity to microgrids, analytics and distributed technology resources. The Energy Future Is Distributed + Hyperconnected Utility business models were entering a world where customers could generate, store, share and intelligently manage more of their own energy. Jim's keynote left the room with a clear challenge: the future belongs to those who are fast. Six trends are shaping that shift. Hyperconnectivity. Homes, devices and infrastructure increasingly become connected parts of the energy system. Big Data + Analytics. More operating data supports faster insight, prediction and management across the grid. Battery Advances. Rapid improvements in storage expand the practical role of distributed and renewable energy. Grid Parity. Changing economics bring new generation technologies closer to traditional cost structures. Microgrids. Customers and communities can generate and exchange more energy through local networks. Distributed Resources. Edge energy technologies change where power is created, managed and consumed. When energy becomes distributed, the utility model becomes a software, data and network story, Jim told the TechAdvantage audience. It's the reframe utility technologists in that room carried straight into their own grid modernization plans. Explore more keynote case studies.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2018/02/techadvantage-2018-past/