Powering independence

For the vast majority of us, daily life depends on electricity. Yet, few people pay much attention to the complex systems that keep it flowing. With technology and society in a state of flux, the challenge of providing communities with reliable, efficient sources of power is only getting harder.

Renewable energy, electric vehicles, AI-powered data centers, and aging infrastructure are all placing unprecedented pressure on electricity networks that were designed for a very different world. Increasingly, generating power isn't the hardest part—managing it is.

For almost 30 years, OATI (Open Access Technology International) has been helping utilities meet that challenge. While rarely in the spotlight, the company has become a powerful force behind the scenes, developing software that enables electricity providers to operate increasingly complex power systems. A hidden giant, quietly addressing the grid's greatest challenges.

Founder and CEO, Sasan Mokhtari, has spent decades watching the world of power evolve. “When I started my career,” he reminisces, “power grid operations looked very complicated […] Today, it’s ten times more complicated.”

Traditional grids were built around large, centralized power stations. Today's networks must coordinate thousands—if not millions—of distributed energy resources, from solar panels and battery storage systems to electric vehicles and local generation. All while continuously balancing supply and demand in real time.

To help utilities navigate this shift, OATI has developed a suite of technologies designed to make modern grids more intelligent and resilient.

Its Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) acts as a digital backbone that coordinates distributed energy resources across the network. OATI GridMind®, meanwhile, enables advanced control of microgrids—local energy resources that can operate in conjunction with the wider grid, or independently in the event of outages. More recently, OATI AI Genie™ has enabled operators to process vast quantities of operational data, automate routine tasks, and make faster, more informed decisions in an increasingly data-rich environment.

The impact of these technologies can be seen in communities such as the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Northern California. Like many communities across western United States, the Paskenta have witnessed increasingly destructive wildfire seasons. While landscapes and lives have changed beyond recognition, power outages have become more frequent, with networks falling under increasing strain. In 2018, a series of catastrophic fires made one question impossible to ignore: what happens when the systems a community relies on suddenly become unreliable?

Working with OATI, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians is building a microgrid powered by GridMind®—generating and managing more of its own power, strengthening resilience against risks, and moving closer to a long-standing goal: energy sovereignty.

As the world continues to evolve, solutions like these will become increasingly important. And, while the technology itself may remain largely invisible, the impact won't be: Showing up in lights that stay on, hospitals that keep running, and communities that no longer have to wait for someone else to restore their power.

OATI is dedicated to empowering the energy industry in a landscape that grows more complex by the year. For communities like the Paskenta—and countless others—this crucial work could make all the difference.

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