Olympic innovation professionals spoke about sustainable energy infrastructure plans for the upcoming Olympic Games. (Stella Muzin / Daily Trojan)
According to Vik Trehan, American youth are lucky to have the opportunity to shape the innovation of the 2028 Olympics, as “the legacy is going to stay forever.”
Trehan, the vice president of transmission, substations and operations at Southern California Edison, spoke during the “Energy & Infrastructure: Powering LA28” panel Tuesday as a part of The Games Week at USC.
USC’s inaugural The Games Week began Monday and aims to connect students with Olympic innovation professionals involved in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. LA28 will be the largest temporary power overlay in the history of the games, according to Holly West, a panelist and the head of energy at LA28.
The Games Week was primarily organized by Mitchell Kirby, a senior majoring in civil engineering, and Alex Bartolomei, a junior majoring in environmental engineering. Kirby said they wanted the event to showcase the changes LA28 will bring to USC.
“Look at the buildings that we live in [and] the classrooms; all of it is going to be totally transformed come 2028,” Kirby said. “It felt like, from our perspective, that not enough was being done to really highlight that and highlight that opportunity.”
Stephanie Hallinan, the associate director of U.S. market transformation and development at the U.S. Green Building Council and a panelist, said it is crucial to look at how energy and power infrastructure worked at previous Olympic Games and World Cups to build the energy system for LA28.
“We can take lessons learned from the World Cup happening in June [2026] and apply them,” Hallinan said. “We know what worked and didn’t work in Paris. … We have information to make some of those unknowns known and create an optimal outcome.”
L.A. has been confirmed as the host city for the opening fixture of FIFA’s 2026 World Cup. The games will begin on June 12 in the Los Angeles Stadium.
As the Head of Energy for LA28, West said she and her team have to consider how power used in the game will affect the surrounding area when planning for the Olympics.
“We’re trying to be as predictable as possible,” West said. “We are planning to be responsible at the venues; we don’t want the neighborhood’s [power] to go out around here, we don’t want to suck up all the power at the venue. We really take that seriously.”
West also described the challenges her team is facing, such as an unpredictable Olympics schedule and making sure L.A.’s infrastructure can successfully provide sustainable power.
“[The Olympics] did not ask us for our input on the competition schedule, believe it or not,” West said. “I think NBC Sports and Olympic broadcast services will determine a big part of the competition schedule. ”
Another panelist, Janisse Quiñones, the CEO and chief engineer of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, described how her team has to consider how environmental factors could affect transmission lines.
“My constraint is the distribution system,” Quiñones said. “I can generate a ton of energy, but I cannot distribute it if our distribution system is constrained.”
Sam Gold, a junior majoring in environmental engineering who attended the panel, said she found the discussion relating to sustainable infrastructure to be the most interesting part.
“I have been so fascinated with the games as this push for investment and hard work and delving into the sustainability aspects,” Gold said. “I loved hearing from [experts in] critical infrastructure, your water, your power — that’s where I’m fascinated.”
Kelly Sanders, the event moderator, former assistant director of Energy Systems Innovation at the White House Office and current Viterbi School of Engineering professor, asked panelists about where they see job opportunities for students in this industry. Trehan said students should follow their interests, while also planning to work in a variety of fields.
“If you are a civil engineer, electrical engineer, [or] environmental engineer, learn what’s happening in machine learning [like] AI, because if you look at the investments of the future for the sake of our customers, maintaining affordability and reliability, the human block itself will not have all the solutions,” Trehan said.
Similarly, Hallinan said that while many people fear how the growth of artificial intelligence will affect their future careers, she sees a future where people can implement AI into their professions.
“There is a lot of angst around ‘How does [AI] affect my future,” Hallinan said. “And what I would say to you is, keep your options open. Let your career zigzag, because there is sustainability in everything that you do.”
Kirby said he found the conversation around the role college students can play particularly interesting.
“For me, [something that was interesting] was the impact on the movement and the role that college students can play,” Kirby said. “Not necessarily working as employees, but also as innovators. And looking kind of around and seeing, where are the problems that actually need to be solved?”
According to Hallinan, one of the most significant aspects of the sustainability plans for LA28 is that all of the sustainable initiatives implemented at the venues for the games are designed for longevity in L.A.
