PNNL

The United States consumes more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, with demand projected to grow by one-third by 2050. To meet this rising demand, the nation’s electric infrastructure requires substantial upgrades. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Electricity Infrastructure (EI) sector is at the forefront of this transformation, pioneering efforts to modernize the grid for greater affordability, reliability, and resilience.   

Leading the EI sector is James (Jim) Ogle, research principal with more than 30 years of industry experience. Ogle and the PNNL team are advancing technologies that strengthen grid reliability and security, increase transmission and distribution system capacity, and reduce costs of grid expansion and operations to ensure affordability while meeting future energy demand. 

“Our mission is to support and drive innovation throughout the entire energy delivery system,” Ogle said. “To address challenges that the electric industry is facing, we need to accelerate innovation, improving efficiency and reducing the time it takes to transition research outcomes into real-world applications for impact.”  

Ogle specializes in distributed intelligent systems, communication networks, machine learning, data analytics, and the integration of these technologies with advanced energy system controls to enable a more secure and resilient energy future. He has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing utility data management and grid edge intelligence, earning numerous patents in the areas of advanced meter infrastructure and communication systems. His innovations have enabled secure, two-way communication with a broad set of intelligent devices at the grid edge, ensuring reliable data collection and a scalable path toward a data-driven grid. 

Ogle is an active member of the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 57, responsible for development of standards for information exchange in power systems and other related systems, including Energy Management Systems, SCADA, distribution automation, and teleprotection. He holds a BS and MS in electrical engineering from Seattle University and Columbia University, respectively.