2026 Event Schedule

As distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to transform the power system, coordination across state, utility, and community levels is essential to achieving grid reliability and sustainable city growth. This session brings together industry experts from California ISO, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) to discuss how multi-level efforts enable real-world smarter and sustainable cities. The discussion will highlight California’s pioneering role in integrating DERs, from state-level market participation and bulk power grid management (CAISO), to utility-level transmission and distribution orchestration, DER and microgrid operations (SDG&E), to consumer community-scale innovation through UCSD (one of the top five universities recognized globally by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for sustainability) and its NSF-funded DERconnect testbed. Attendees will gain insights into the regulatory, technical and operational strategies driving California’s clean, connected, and resilient grid infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

1. Multi-level DER Development and Collaboration: Understand how state, utility, and community entities drive efforts and maximize DER value to grid reliability and city sustainability 
2. Technical Innovation: Explore how innovative technology, utility and community-scale programs accelerate practical and scalable solutions for smart cities 
3. Operational Resilience: Learn how integrated and coordinated DER management and strategies enhance clean energy adoption, system resilience and emergency preparedness  

Session Sponsored by AVEVA