Crowdsourcing Underground Distribution Reliability

Deck: 

Duquesne Light

Fortnightly Magazine - January 2022
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Southwestern Pennsylvania might not have been in your mind as an innovation hub like Silicon Valley, but it is time to change that thinking. PUF brings you here an innovator who points out why the area is a hotbed for the best and brightest, as Duquesne Light Company searches for an answer to what makes a healthy underground distribution network.

The utility has turned to crowdsourcing and is seeking to partner with anyone with answers as to how to find the best way to determine how to make decisions around underground cable repair and replacement. It's a challenge, where cuts are made, and the best solutions rise in each phase of the competition. There is prize money too.

To explain more about the search for a solution, PUF talked with Josh Gould, Director for Innovation at Duquesne Light Company. Enjoy the conversation.
 

PUF's Steve Mitnick: What is your role at Duquesne Light Company and what is your typical day like?

Josh Gould: With a director of innovation job, you often don't have the same day. That keeps it interesting. I lead our innovation center and am responsible for serving as the principal liaison to external parties focused on innovation.

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