Next Generation Doesn't Need to Start From Scratch

There’s a transformation happening in the energy sector that goes far beyond electrification, smart grids, and new technology.

It’s about the people who will steward the networks forward.

Grid operators hold an enormous amount of expertise. Knowledge built up over many years, sometimes decades, through the same people following their installations over time and learning how they function – and sometimes how they tend to behave.

That experience is invaluable. But when a generation with deep expertise leaves the sector, a challenge emerges: how do we ensure that the next generation has the opportunity to build on what’s already known?

At the same time, conditions are changing rapidly for grid operators.

Networks need to expand to meet electrification, while existing assets need to serve longer and be maintained thoughtfully. And here comes an additional challenge: much of the expertise built up over decades is leaving the organizations.

Resources are finite, and demands for both reliability and efficiency are increasing. At the same time, the next generation needs to be able to build on the knowledge that exists today – even when the most experienced staff members are no longer there.

In that reality, it becomes increasingly important to know where to invest your time and resources – and when. But also to make that information and experience accessible to more people.

This is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in the shift from scheduled to condition-based maintenance.

Not because the old approach was wrong. Quite the opposite. Scheduled maintenance has been a crucial part of building and managing our power grids for a long time.

But when we get better information about the actual condition of our assets, we create the opportunity to make more informed decisions. To direct resources where they make the greatest impact, rather than relying solely on the calendar.

This is also where I think the change perspective becomes so important.

Moving from an established way of working to a more data-driven and condition-based approach is not just a technical change. It affects priorities, planning, and how decisions are made in daily operations.

And it’s rarely realistic to change everything at once.

In my work with customers, I often see that the greatest progress comes when you start somewhere the value is tangible and felt. A single asset, one type of problem, or a limited area can be enough to begin.

When people see that the information actually helps in their daily work, something important is created: confidence.

Confidence in the data. Confidence in the decisions. And gradually, confidence in the new way of working.

The beautiful thing is that we don’t have to choose between experience and data.

Human experience will continue to be essential. Someone who has worked long with a network will always carry knowledge that’s difficult to replace.

But by combining that experience with better data and a clearer picture of asset condition, the organization can gradually build on its collective knowledge.

Then digitalization becomes not a way to replace what you’ve done before, but a way to do what you already do even better – and to make that knowledge accessible to more people.

I think this is particularly important as a new generation now enters the energy sector.

They don’t need to start from scratch.

They need the opportunity to understand what already exists, see what needs to be done next, and step by step build on it.

Perhaps that’s the most important part of this transformation: not trying to change everything at once, but continuously taking the next step toward a more proactive, quality, and value-creating way of managing our power grids.