Seventy investors, founders, researchers, and grid professionals filled the room at Baker Tilly in Rancho Cordova on June 18 for CleanStart’s latest Cleantech Meetup, “Intelligence on the Grid: How Much Smarter Does it Need to be?” Fueled by a great spread from our hosts at Baker Tilly, the conversation made one thing clear: the strain on California’s grid is also one of the biggest business opportunities in the state right now, and Greater Sacramento is positioning itself to lead it.

Andy Wunder of E2 opened the evening, and he did not come empty handed. He invited the room to join E2’s Capitol walks, where advocates bring the organization’s progress report directly to lawmakers. I will say it plainly: I love walking the Capitol with that progress report in hand. It is one of the most direct ways to turn a great room of people into real movement on the policy that affects this industry.

Mayor Garrett Gatewood followed, laying out exactly why this region is the place to do that work. He spoke about how the City of Rancho Cordova is actively working to connect investors with entrepreneurs and how the city is building partnerships that support founders as they grow here. It is a reminder that economic development in this region is not abstract policy talk. It is investors in the room meeting the startups they will fund, and a city government that sees grid innovation as an engine for local growth.

With the room set, the panel discussion and audience Q&A began. Indu Nambiar of CAISO, Davis Siap, and Denver Hinds of SMUD took the stage together. The first question came from Kula Addy, founder of IAWFlexhub, who asked how researchers can support the future grid. From there, the panel dug into grid edge technology: how to deploy it safely and securely, how fast the industry can reasonably move, and what is lost if it moves too fast without the right safeguards. All three panelists were genuinely optimistic about AI’s role in the grid, particularly its potential to unlock flexibility on both sides of the meter.

Davis pushed the conversation further, pointing out that one of the biggest obstacles is not the technology itself but getting utilities on board. His work reframes the value of demand response and grid edge resources, essentially flipping the traditional cost conversation on its head so utilities can see the upside rather than just the risk. The panel agreed that what the grid needs now is not just more technology, but technology deployed thoughtfully and with intention.

Denver highlighted that SMUD has been running several pilots, around grid flexibility they are looking to smartly expand.  SMUD already has run pilots and programs for residential and commercial load management. Like My Energy Optimizer and Optimizer+ for qualifying rate payers. They are also looking to learn from pilots like Peak and Power Direct. 

Audience curiosity quickly turned to vehicle-to-grid technology and when businesses might actually be able to adopt it. Denver offered a grounded, practical answer: SMUD has solutions available today, but the utility has to build the plans and policies that protect every ratepayer before it can move forward. It was a useful reminder that grid modernization is as much about trust and process as it is about innovation.

When asked about the single biggest opportunity created by this moment, Indu pointed to building a smarter grid, while Denver highlighted demand response programs as the near-term unlock. On whether AI helps or hurts the grid, the consensus was candid: in the short term, AI will add real strain through growing demand. But as Indu put it, that pressure is exactly why the grid needs to adopt AI tools in a meaningful way now, since the faster the industry moves toward a smarter grid, the better positioned it will be.

The “magic wand” question produced some of the night’s best moments. Davis said if we have a magic wand, we should be wishing for cold fusion. Indu and Denver both pointed to something more immediately actionable: getting smart grid edge devices into consumers’ hands and getting demand response fully utilized by utilities. For the investors and founders in the room, that is a direct signal about where the next wave of opportunity is sitting.

So what should businesses, investors, and civic leaders actually do in the next 90 days? Davis’s advice was direct: do more than another pilot. Indu’s was to get engaged with the AI ecosystem forming around the grid right now. And I closed the panel with mine: get engaged with Rancho Cordova, and walk the Capitol with E2.

None of this happens without the organizations that make CleanStart’s work possible. Huge thanks to E2, SMUD, the City of Rancho Cordova, and the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State for supporting this event and the broader mission of growing cleantech in this region.

If you build, fund, or research the future grid, we want you at the table. Connect with CleanStart, with the City of Rancho Cordova‘s economic development team, and with E2 to find your next opportunity to get involved. And don’t wait until then to stay engaged: CleanStart hosts virtual discussions throughout the year, and our next in-person Cleantech Meetup lands this September.