UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Few creatures are more amazing than the octopus: jet propulsion, RNA-powered camouflage, and magic ink that helps it disappear faster than David Blaine. But did you know that its neural network is a great model for how to modernize our electric system?
Achieving the kind of emission reductions needed to ward off the worst consequences of climate change will require a more flexible, responsive and sophisticated grid. Suzanne Russo, chief executive officer for Pecan Street Inc., will discuss how guidance from natural systems, namely the octopus, may help solve this problem at noon on Thursday, March 3.
Russo’s seminar is part of a new two-part seminar series established by the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to celebrate Women’s History Month. The series will spotlight women’s voices within the energy field from both academia and industry.
According to Russo, an octopus’s neural network is distributed throughout its body, with a third of its neurology in a centralized cluster and the other two-thirds spread across its body — making real-time decisions without sending information back to a central command center for processing.
“To fully optimize investments in clean energy, distributed energy resources need to respond to the needs of the grid within a few seconds, if not milliseconds — requiring artificial intelligence solutions deployed across our grid to balance out our grid’s needs and resources in real time,” Russo said. “This would allow distributed energy resources to perform like a virtual power plant that can be ramped up and down and that, unlike traditional power plants, can provide smart grid services like voltage stabilization. All of this is critical for phasing out fossil fuels on the timescale required to avoid the worst effects of climate change.”
“We are very excited to highlight the amazing accomplishments women are achieving in the energy sector with this new series,” said Chiara Lo Prete, associate professor of energy economics and associate department head for diversity, equity and inclusion. “My hope is that amplifying new voices will further our mission to build a more diverse and inclusive department and foster a strong sense of community.”
The seminar will be delivered from noon to 1 p.m. in 157 Hosler Building and online via Zoom. The event is free to the public, food and drinks will be available. Registration is required to attend via Zoom.
Russo served as chief of staff and now chief operating officer for Pecan Street Inc., a not-for-profit organization based in Austin, Texas, that utilizes a community-based approach to high-fidelity data generation to accelerate development and adoption of climate solutions in the electricity, transportation, water and agriculture sectors. During this time, Forbes named her one of five women "Using Technology to Blow Up Social Change." Prior to joining Pecan Street Inc. in 2010, Russo was director of sustainability initiatives for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development where she led the development of green building and sustainable retrofit standards for municipally-funded affordable housing. An urban planner with a master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of Texas at Austin, Russo has worked in Africa, China, India and the U.S. on community-based sustainable development.