ISON: A valuable network for international information sharing, innovation and best practices in grid management

With so much change occurring in the energy landscape, no single grid operator has all the answers to today’s challenges. That is why some of the world's leading system operators came together in 2024 and created ISON, the International System Operator Network.

As ISON’s website spells out, the organization was established “to facilitate a shared approach to tackling obstacles and enable rapid knowledge sharing and deployment of best practices and innovations to support the global network towards the renewable energy transition.” 

The California ISO (CAISO) is an active ISON member and finds genuine value in the peer-to-peer sharing of experiences and lessons learned, which pay pragmatic dividends for all of us and the systems we manage.

ISON has no physical headquarters and a small staff, but its influence extends across power systems serving millions of people around the world.  In addition to the California ISO, members include AEMO from Australia, EirGrid from Ireland, Denmark’s Energinet, ERCOT form Texas and NESO from Great Britain.  

The network is intentionally kept small to bring together a select group facing similar challenges to encourage open dialogue, trusted relationships and practical information sharing. These ISON system operators exchange best practices, sound strategies, experiences, challenges and emerging risks from different perspectives and conditions that can be applied immediately. 

To help support its work, ISON is also engaged in research partnerships that include universities and research agencies that share information about what works best in a bulk power system that relies more and more on renewable energy.

One of the most valuable aspects of ISON is its annual in-person gatherings, where members convene to discuss emerging trends, establish priorities and exchange ideas on the operational tools and strategies that the different systems find most effective.

As ISON chair in 2026, CAISO hosted the network’s “Oscillation Detection and Source Location Workshop” over two days in May at our Folsom headquarters. The event brought together lead engineers, grid technical designates, and leadership from our various organizations. 

The workshop also reflected the broader set of issues currently receiving significant attention across the network, including:

• Efficiently integrating large loads onto the grid
• Designing and operating the control room of the future
• Leveraging emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence
• Coordinating distributed energy resources and behind-the-meter assets with power systems operations

We also focus on what Yvonne Coughlan, ISON’s executive director, likes to refer to as “support for going where no one has gone before.”

Like California, ISON member organizations are navigating a rapidly evolving energy landscape marked by increasing reliance on variable resources such as solar and wind generation. Together, we are confronting many of the same challenges: integrating new technologies, maintaining reliability, and finding innovative ways to manage evolving grid resources. That collaboration allows each organization to learn from each other and more effectively manage their systems and meet any challenges head on.

Managing a large bulk electric system in a dynamic energy landscape has never been more complex and multi-faceted. In addition to all the new resources and technologies that have emerged in recent years, grid operators must respond to impacts from a changing climate that includes catastrophic wildfires and other more frequent extreme weather events. The enduring value of ISON is that it is a community of organizations committed to solving the challenges of tomorrow’s electric grid together. The California ISO is proud to be part of that effort and grateful for the partnerships that make it possible.