Explore cutting-edge tools, analytics, and strategies transforming transmission and distribution operations—from DER integration to advanced control room operations.

As the electric grid evolves to support greater complexity, resilience, and sustainability, utilities are deploying advanced tools and strategies to optimize operations across both transmission and distribution systems. This topic explores cutting-edge developments in grid monitoring, automation, and system flexibility. Sessions will examine how utilities are leveraging data, real-time analytics, and emerging technologies— such as DERMS, ADMS, SCADA, and grid-enhancing technologies- to manage and control the future grid through orchestration, flexibility and stability.

Sponsored by:

G&W Electric

Core Concepts Discussed

  • Real-time situational awareness
  • Grid automation
  • Operational intelligence
  • Control room operations
  • Integrated T&D operations
  • System flexibility
  • Grid reliability and resilience
  • Predictive analytics
  • Dynamic system modeling
Keynote Session

Advanced operations opportunities

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10:00 AM
  1. An Industry First: What the First IEEE 1547 Plug-Fest Revealed
    B207
    50 mins
    As distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to scale, stakeholders across the ecosystem—including utilities, aggregators, VPP providers, DER vendors, and gateway manufacturers—face growing challen …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ibtissam Kharchouf
    Ibtissam Kharchouf, Scientist, Information, Communication & Cyber Security of DERs - Electric Power Research Institute
    Speaker image for Ben Ealey
    Ben Ealey, Sr. Principal Team Lead, DER Communication and Data Integration - Electric Power Research Institute
    Speaker image for Robby Simpson
    Robby Simpson, Principal and Co-Founder - Enetrics
    Speaker image for Matt Wallace
    Matt Wallace, Distribution Control Center Engineering, DER Interoperability Lead - PPL Electric Utilities
    Speaker image for Chris Dunlap
    Chris Dunlap, Industry Manager, Energy North America - WAGO Corporation
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for George Bjelovuk
    George Bjelovuk, Partner - Bjelovuk Design & Advisory Partners
1:00 PM
  1. From Concept to Operation: Utility Lessons on Siting, Sizing, and Operating Battery Storage Assets
    B207
    50 mins
    Utilities across North America are increasingly turning to battery energy storage systems (BESS) to address a growing range of grid challenges, including distribution capacity constraints, acceleratin …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Sherif Abdelrazek
    Sherif Abdelrazek, CEO - Storlytics Energy Storage
    Speaker image for Christian Ward
    Christian Ward, Battery Storage Engineer - SOUTHERN COMPANY
    Speaker image for Raafe Khan
    Raafe Khan, Head of Energy Storage and Emerging Markets - Camelot Energy Group
    Speaker image for Huimin Li
    Huimin Li, Manager, Energy Storage Engineering - DUKE ENERGY
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Stuart Laval
    Stuart Laval, Director, Energy Control Systems - Eaton Corporation
2:00 PM
  1. ADMS Model Validation: Thinking Outside of the Black Box: Identifying model errors for 9,000 circuits in 24 hours
    B207
    50 mins
    As utilities deploy and expand Advanced Distribution Management Systems, model quality becomes a critical success factor—but validating that model is often treated as an in-house, manual process, or a …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ted Beglin
    Ted Beglin, Principal Engineer - Exelon
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Dan Lysaker
    Dan Lysaker, Sr Director, Product Management - AspenTech
  2. Extending the DER Value with Load Following Capability
    B215
    50 mins
    NCEMC is a G&T cooperative serving 25 member-owned distribution cooperatives which in turn deliver power to over 2.5 million North Carolinians. NCEMC has a combined ~600MW of DER and DR capacity, incl …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Frank Shay
    Frank Shay, Senior Consultant - Logic 20/20
    Speaker image for Duncan Burns
    Duncan Burns, System Analyst - North Carolina Electricity Management Corporation
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Ali Ipakchi
    Ali Ipakchi, EVP, and Chief Visionary Officer - OATI
3:00 PM
  1. How Smart are Your Large DER Smart Inverter Settings? - Xcel's Evaluation of the importance of tuning volt-var active controls on net-export generating facilities to optimize system voltage levels
    B207
    50 mins
    The integration of large exporting inverter-based distributed energy resources onto the distribution system introduces critical voltage regulation challenges. While IEEE 1547 establishes default smart …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Bryant Webb
    Bryant Webb, Grid Modernization and Distribution Planning Project Manager - 1898 & Co.
    Speaker image for Kurtis Buck
    Kurtis Buck, Principal DER Engineer - Xcel Energy
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Dan Lysaker
    Dan Lysaker, Sr Director, Product Management - AspenTech
  2. From Pilot to Standard: Pepco’s Framework for Deploying Voltage-Regulating Distribution Transformers to Support DER and EV Growth
    B215
    50 mins
    As distributed energy resources (DERs) and electric vehicle (EV) charging continue to expand across distribution networks, utilities are facing increasing voltage variability and hosting capacity limi …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Julia Vierl
    Julia Vierl, Business Development Analyst and Engineer - Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen
    Speaker image for John Budd
    John Budd, Principle Engineer - PEPCO Holdings Inc.
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for George Bjelovuk
    George Bjelovuk, Partner - Bjelovuk Design & Advisory Partners
9:00 AM
  1. Regaining Control of IT Advacing into Substations
    B207
    50 mins
    For decades, utility protection and control (P&C) engineers maintained absolute authority over the substation through physical isolation and hardwired copper loops. That era of pure isolation is endin …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ed Hutchinson
    Ed Hutchinson, Industrial Edge Architect, Global Edge Architecture Team - Red Hat
    Speaker image for Anthony Sivesind
    Anthony Sivesind, Executive Engineering Consultant - Salt River Project
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Abhiram Vallabhaneni
    Abhiram Vallabhaneni, Lead Grid Operations Engineer - Lansing Board of Water & Light
  2. A Control Center for the 21st Century Modern Grid
    B203
    50 mins
    Transformational Grid Modernization Achievement: Tampa Electric Company (TEC), in partnership with Peoples Gas System (PGS), successfully delivered the Bearss Operations Center (BOC) and Energy Manage …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Catherine Magliocco
    Catherine Magliocco, Manager, Enterprise Business Programs - Tampa Electric Company
    Speaker image for John Currier
    John Currier, Sr Dir Grid Modernization - Tampa Electric Company
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Rob Boone
    Rob Boone, Manager, Grid Modernization - Nova Scotia Power
10:00 AM
  1. Grid DERMS – From the Control Center to the Grid Edge: Aggregator Interface Design, Use Cases, and Roadmap
    B204
    50 mins
    As distributed energy resources (DERs) scale rapidly, utilities must evolve beyond traditional control paradigms to unlock their full grid value. PG&E is advancing a DERMS-centric architecture that ex …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Lei Wang
    Lei Wang, Principle Product Manager - PG&E
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Ali Ipakchi
    Ali Ipakchi, EVP, and Chief Visionary Officer - OATI
  2. Beyond Commissioning: Continuous Performance Monitoring of Inverter-Based Resources and Large Loads
    B207
    50 mins
    Utilities across North America are interconnecting a rapidly growing fleet of transmission-connected inverter-based resources (IBRs) and large computational loads. Each is studied and required to meet …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Zheyuan Cheng
    Zheyuan Cheng, Manager - Danovo Energy Solution
    Speaker image for Clifton Black
    Clifton Black, Principal Engineer - SOUTHERN COMPANY
    Speaker image for Matthew Rhodes
    Matthew Rhodes, Principal Engineer - Salt River Project
    Speaker image for Samrat Datta
    Samrat Datta, Director - ENTERGY
    Speaker image for Davin Ojala
    Davin Ojala, Director - LG Energy Solution Vertech
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Tim Wolf
    Tim Wolf, Founder and Principal - Wolf Narrative LLC
11:00 AM
  1. DTE’s Strategic Path to Achieving Grid-Wide Distribution Power Flow (DPF) Convergence
    B203
    50 mins
    In 2023, DTE embarked on a 5-year transformative journey to enhance grid reliability and operational efficiency through the implementation of Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration (FLISR) …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Kripa Awasthi
    Kripa Awasthi, Principal Engineer - DTE
    Speaker image for Durgesh Gupta
    Durgesh Gupta, Manager - EY
    Speaker image for Hana Beydoun
    Hana Beydoun, Supervisor- Engineering - DTE
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Lea Maurer
    Lea Maurer, Business Development DIrector - S&C Electric Company
  2. Accelerating DER Interconnection at Exelon & ComEd Through AI-Powered Automation
    B204
    50 mins
    As distributed energy resource adoption accelerates, utilities are under increasing pressure to process interconnection applications faster while maintaining grid safety, regulatory compliance, and a …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Christopher Miller
    Christopher Miller, Partner - West Monroe
    Speaker image for Rose Mary Colella-Seavey
    Rose Mary Colella-Seavey, Sr. Manager, DER Interconnection - ComEd
    Speaker image for Feng Huang
    Feng Huang, Manager, DER Interconnection - ComEd
    Speaker image for Mary Bryan
    Mary Bryan, Director - West Monroe
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Ali Ipakchi
    Ali Ipakchi, EVP, and Chief Visionary Officer - OATI
1:00 PM
  1. Weak Grids, Real Problems: Lessons from the Frontlines of DER Integration
    B207
    50 mins
    As distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to scale rapidly across distribution systems, utilities are encountering a growing and often unexpected challenge: power quality and stability issues in …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Wenzong Wang
    Wenzong Wang, Team Lead, Sr. - EPRI
    Speaker image for Ken Aramaki
    Ken Aramaki, Director of Integrated Grid Planning - Hawaiian Electric
    Speaker image for Leo Jiang
    Leo Jiang, Principal Consultant Engineer - AVANGRID
    Speaker image for Keaton Wheeler
    Keaton Wheeler, Principal Engineer - Fortis Alberta
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Alex Lago
    Alex Lago, Managing Director, Grid Operations - Logic20/20
9:00 AM
  1. ADMS as a Living System: How PPL Is Building Toward a Touchless, AI-Enabled Control Room
    B204
    50 mins
    Infrastructure readiness, not application configuration, turned out to be the primary determinant of how fast PPL could move. That finding reshaped the program. PPL Corporation is in the middle of a m …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Jim Liero
    Jim Liero, Sr Director – Grid Technologies - PPL
    Speaker image for Marian King
    Marian King, Delivery Lead, Grid Transformation - Accenture
    Speaker image for Pratik Lakdawala
    Pratik Lakdawala, Managing Director, Utilities Strategy - Accenture
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Stuart Laval
    Stuart Laval, Director, Energy Control Systems - Eaton Corporation
  2. AMI 2.0 at Scale: National Grid and Rhode Island Energy Case Studies
    B203
    50 mins
    Advanced metering infrastructure was once defined by what it replaced: manual reads and estimated bills. AMI 2.0 represents something fundamentally different—a distributed sensing, communications, and …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Dan Tripp
    Dan Tripp, VP AMI, Process and Performance - National Grid
    Speaker image for Marcos Aguirre
    Marcos Aguirre, Portfolio Manager Apps and Analytics - Landis+Gyr
    Speaker image for Nicole Gooding
    Nicole Gooding, Manager, AMI Business Integration - Rhode Island Energy
    Speaker image for Colin Gibbs
    Colin Gibbs, SVP, Revenue & Partnerships - Sense  
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Aaron Smith
    Aaron Smith, Director - Distributed Device Strategy & Distribution Planning - Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)
10:00 AM
  1. Robot-assisted substation inspection and other advanced applications
    B207
    50 mins
    This panel presentation will provide an overview of Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s 36-month pilot using the ANYbotics ANYmal robot to assist with substation inspection.  The motivation of the …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Paul Bingaman
    Paul Bingaman, Market Manager - Power & Utilities - ANYbotics AG
    Speaker image for Eric Poff
    Eric Poff, Director Substation Telecommunications & Metering Assets - Sacramento Municipal Utility District
    Speaker image for James Frasher
    James Frasher, Director of Research & Development, Grants, and Partnerships - SMUD
    Speaker image for Deepak Aswani
    Deepak Aswani, Supervising Principal Engineer R&D - Sacramento Municipal Utility District
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Alex Lago
    Alex Lago, Managing Director, Grid Operations - Logic20/20
  2. Driving ADMS Success Through Operator Competency
    B203
    50 mins
    Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) implementations frequently meet technical requirements but still struggle to deliver expected operational outcomes. One common gap is operator readiness. …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Chad Parks
    Chad Parks, Manager, Project Management - Alabama Power
    Speaker image for Brandon Dowless
    Brandon Dowless, Director, Grid Operations - Mosaic
    Speaker image for MaryAnn Dillahunty
    MaryAnn Dillahunty, Senior Director of Distribution System Operations - PG&E
    Speaker image for Billy Spadinger
    Billy Spadinger, Director, Distribution Control Center - Xcel Energy
    Speaker image for Josh Benson
    Josh Benson, Manager, Distribution Operations - AES Ohio
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Aaron Smith
    Aaron Smith, Director - Distributed Device Strategy & Distribution Planning - Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)
11:00 AM
  1. From AMI Data to Grid Operations: Building the Trust to Act on Meter Data
    B207
    50 mins
    Utilities have generated enormous volumes of AMI data, but the real challenge is not collection — it is trust. As utilities shift from data accumulation to operational decision-making, the central que …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Seshadri Nadendla
    Seshadri Nadendla, Manager - Deloitte Consulting
    Speaker image for Michael Cleveland
    Michael Cleveland, Principal - Deloitte Consulting
    Speaker image for Kerry Fast
    Kerry Fast, Manager - BC Hydrp
    Speaker image for Ken Beard
    Ken Beard, Information Architect - TECO Energy Inc
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Lea Maurer
    Lea Maurer, Business Development DIrector - S&C Electric Company
  2. ADMS + DERMS: Choosing the Right Integration Model
    B204
    50 mins
    As utilities accelerate distributed energy resource deployment, they must define how Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) work tog …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Goran Savcic
    Goran Savcic, Director, Grid Modernization - Mosaic
    Speaker image for Yashar Kenarangui
    Yashar Kenarangui, Senior Principal Engineer - Xcel Energy
    Speaker image for Varun Perumalla
    Varun Perumalla, Adv. Apps. Product Owner, Grid Operations Applications & Transformation - PG&E
    Speaker image for Jyoteesh Arumalla
    Jyoteesh Arumalla, Staff Engineer - Dominion Energy
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Abhiram Vallabhaneni
    Abhiram Vallabhaneni, Lead Grid Operations Engineer - Lansing Board of Water & Light
11:00 AM
  1. Real-Time Load Transfer Studies Using ADMS
    B207
    50 mins
    Hydro One implemented a Real-Time Load Transfer Study (RTLTS) capability within its Schneider Electric EcoStruxture Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) to modernize outage response and impr …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Nikola Mijatovic
    Nikola Mijatovic, Tx/Dx Operating Tools Officer - Hydro One Networks Inc.
    Speaker image for Omar Mohamed
    Omar Mohamed, Sr. Manager, Grid Operations - Hydro One Networks Inc.
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Rob Boone
    Rob Boone, Manager, Grid Modernization - Nova Scotia Power

 

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