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In the United States, the energy grid is often called the largest machine in the world and like any machine, it’s only as good as the information running it. Right now, that information is a mess. A 2023 Department of Energy report found that 70 percent of utilities still operate with fragmented or outdated data systems, slowing everything from new project approvals to storm recovery. Those inefficiencies aren’t just a nuisance. They cost consumers billions each year, delay clean energy transitions, and put communities at greater risk during disasters.
That’s the problem Ibukunoluwa Adeitan Omokanye is determined to fix. A business analyst and data strategist who works with some of the nation’s largest energy projects, she spends her days making sure the data that drives our public utilities is reliable, connected, and actionable. Her work isn’t just about saving time and money, it’s about building an energy system Americans can trust to keep the lights on, the costs down, and the country competitive.
“One major challenge is the fragmented nature of data across agencies and utilities,” she says. “A lot of decisions are still made using outdated or siloed information, which leads to inefficiencies and delays especially in energy project approvals or disaster response planning. If we streamlined how data flows across systems, we’d reduce costs and accelerate impact.”
Modernization is a word that gets thrown around a lot in infrastructure discussions, but Omokanye points out it’s more than replacing old parts with new ones. It’s about embedding intelligence into every layer of the system. That means predictive maintenance to prevent outages before they happen, digital grid management to respond faster during emergencies, and analytics to allocate resources more efficiently.
“When we delay modernization, we risk more frequent outages, higher operating costs, and slower recovery during emergencies,” she says. “In today’s climate, that’s not just inconvenient, it’s a public risk.”
The stakes aren’t just technical, it impacts nearly everyone. In a country where weather disasters cause billions in damages every year, outages can mean losing refrigerated food and medicine, missing remote work shifts, or being cut off from emergency alerts. Omokanye sees data as the bridge between complex infrastructure and everyday trust. “When customers can see where outages happen, how long repairs will take, or how their usage compares to efficient norms it empowers them,” she explains. “For example, outage management systems that show real-time updates during storms help people feel informed rather than left in the dark, literally and figuratively.”
Globally, the U.S. has strengths to build on. Our grid capacity is high, and investment in energy innovation is robust. But Omokanye warns that these benefits aren’t felt equally. Rural areas and low-income communities often lack access to the same upgrades or smart grid technologies available in wealthier regions. Weak links in the system can make the entire network less resilient. “Closing that gap should be a national priority,” she says, “not just for fairness, but for system-wide resilience.”
The conversation about technology in the workforce often focuses on job loss, especially with the rise of automation and AI. But Omokanye’s perspective is more optimistic. In her world, technology isn’t replacing people, it’s making their jobs safer and more strategic. “Automation helps reduce human error in grid operations or forecasting, which keeps people safer,” she says. “But we still need skilled people to design, monitor, and manage those systems. So, it’s less about replacing jobs and more about reshaping them into higher-value roles.”
That balance is essential if the U.S. wants to remain competitive on a global stage. Countries investing aggressively in smart infrastructure aren’t just building cleaner grids, they’re building the workforce and data systems to support them. By contrast, every year the U.S. delays full-scale modernization is another year of losing ground. Omokanye’s work, from aligning compliance-driven projects with performance metrics to integrating AI-powered risk management, is a blueprint for closing the gap.
“My work helps ensure that critical systems from energy to finance are more equitable, efficient, and accountable,” she says. “Whether it’s design, optimization, or data performance metrics, my focus remains on unlocking opportunities, reducing waste, reducing outages, improving faster service, improving reliability, and building resilience for every community across the country.”
America’s energy system is at a crossroads. The choice is between continuing to patch holes in a decades-old machine or rebuilding it to meet the demands of a data-driven, climate-challenged world. Omokanye is charting a path where information flows freely, technology strengthens rather than replaces the workforce, and no community is left behind. This could be the difference between falling behind and setting the pace for the rest of the world. And in a global economy where reliability is currency, that’s a future we can’t afford to miss.
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This content is brought to you by Melissa Moraes.
Photo provided by the author
