Grid Innovation

This track will look at innovative ways to handle the evolving grid. Topics may include operationalizing regulation, coordination of grid and load operators in the new distributed environment, navigating new asset types, and the use of AI within utilities.

This track is sponsored by:

Meet the Program Development Team for this track. Learn more about the Operations Conference.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Battery Energy Storage Systems Showcase and Best Practices
Speakers: Jose Cardenas, Distributed Energy Recourses Team Lead, San Diego Gas & Electric Company
Parker Lohrenz, Lead Electrical Engineer, Energy Storage, Black & Veatch
Megan Eckroth, Engineer II, Idaho Power Company
This session will provide a showcase of recently implemented market and micro-grid Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) serving a variety of applications and use cases. Topics will include a discussion on the design, implementation, control, use-case scenarios, and best practices of the show-cased projects.

3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Virtual Power Plants as a DERMS
Moderator: Tyler Kent, Sr. Project Engineer/Department Manager Distribution Engineering Services, POWER Engineers, Inc.
Panelists: Chad Larson, Standards Engineer, Puget Sound Energy
Kevin Gowan, Consulting Grid Mod Engineers, Puget Sound Energy
Rory Lewis, Principal Consultant, Global Advisory, Black & Veatch
Ananth Sundaram, Chief Architect/Senior Manager, Portland General Electric
This session will provide an overview of Virtual Power Plants (VPP’s) within the utility industry from current state into possible future states. VPP’s have many use cases such as: providing a platform to forecast resources; measure and validate performance of programs; scheduling actual resource dispatch, and optimization of available resources. Benefits include advancing clean energy utilization, providing grid support through demand leveling at local and system level, supporting ancillary services such as frequency response and management of grid effects from the resources, and providing energy cost savings.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Exploring AI Applications for Grid Operations
Speakers: Jeff Uken, Senior Director – Strategic Solutions, C3 AI
Jim Ridgway III, Senior Manager, Hazard Awareness and Warning Center, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Ryan Magee, Senior AI Solutions Manager, C3 AI
This session will cover multiple ways that Generative AI will be used at utilities in the near future if not already in place. Topics will include the following:
• Drivers for incorporating Generative AI solution for decision making (inclusive of planned, emergency response, proactive analysis)
• Requirements to incorporate an AI product for data driven decision making (regulatory, policy, data readiness, cybersecurity, privacy)
• Understanding how Generative AI layer fits with other IT infrastructure layers? (GIS, ADMS, etc.)