Highlights of the Program

2 days business program:

Learn from real-world case studies by industry leaders.

SHOWCASING INNOVATION:

Discover the latest technology and techniques from across the industry.

leaders talk:

Hear from top-level experts about how to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

MULTIPLE STREAMS:

A business program that is multi-disciplinary, giving you a broad view of the industry.

SMART TECHNOLOGIES:

Explore the latest smart and AI-driven solutions, and see how they can be used in your business.

roundtable discussion:

Join talks with industry peers. Share ideas, make connections, and find new partners.

Program

Day 1 :

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2026

08:00 - 09:00

REGISTRATION AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS

09:00 - 09:10

OPENING ADDRESS

09:10 - 09:35

RESTORING AT DIGITAL SPEED: ADMS-DRIVEN GRID TRANSFORMATION

Amy Grice

Peninsula Light Company

Delivering second-level restoration through advanced automation, reducing SAIDI, SAIFI, and CMI
Integrating ADMS, OMS, digital twin, and mobile tools for real-time, end-to-end grid visibility
Designing a future-ready stack enabling AI-driven analytics and automation across utility operations

09:35 - 09:40

Q&A SESSION ON ADVANCED DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION AND ADMS STRATEGY

09:40 - 10:05

AI AND DATA ANALYTICS FOR OPTIMIZING GRID OPERATIONS AND ENERGY UTILIZATION

Sundeep Dakarapu

Infosys

Modernizing distribution planning with AI driven load forecasting amid DER growth electrification
Transitioning from static feeder forecasts to granular scenario based models reflecting local behavior
Enabling scalable powerflow analysis to identify constraints defer upgrades and prioritize investments
Governing AI responsibly through data integration explainability and utility grade model oversight

10:05 - 10:10

Q&A SESSION ON APPLYING AI FORECASTING IN DISTRIBUTION PLANNING

10:10 - 10:35

POLICY RESPONSE TO AI AND AFFORDABILITY: HOW FEDERAL ACTION SHAPES MARKETS

Jack Painter

Capstone LLC

Highlighting federal directives pushing non-firm transmission service in organized markets
Reframing interconnection and cost allocation frameworks for large AI-driven data centers
Forecasting federal and state policy shifts ahead of 2026 elections and market impacts

10:35 - 10:40

Q&A SESSION ON FEDERAL POLICY AI LOAD AND MARKET STRUCTURE

10:40 - 11:00

MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA

11:00 - 11:30

PANEL DISCUSSION ON BUILDING THE FUTURE: CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY STORAGE, AND GRID OPTIMIZATION

Identifying the most urgent US grid constraints and scaling safer batteries for widespread storage deployment
Comparing pumped hydro capacity with lithium ion banks and outlining resources that respond to grid disturbances
Accelerating virtual capacity with VPPs and co optimized front of meter storage plus behind the meter flexibility
Assessing AI data center demand tariffs and EV battery storage for grid optimization and US EV market growth

| Qnovo

| Hydro Governor SME LLC

| Qcells North America

| EcoTech Capital

| RDW Consulting

11:30 - 11:55

SMART GRID PATHWAYS FOR COOPERATIVE RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCE

Jeffrey Groenewold

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Highlighting cooperative smart grid investments improving reliability, resilience, and responsibility
Review of emerging technologies and market products shaping cooperative investment strategies
Exploring future smart grid partnerships supporting rural electrification and collaboration

11:55 - 12:00

Q&A SESSION ON COOPERATIVE SMART GRID STRATEGIES AND RURAL POWER

12:00 - 12:25

ASSET LOADING ANALYTICS AND METER INTELLIGENCE HUB FOR GRID RELIABILITY

Joyce Solomon

Southern Company

Fusing high-resolution AMI data with predictive models to reveal feeder and transformer stress
Orchestrating a utility-owned MIH with geospatial views for proactive planning and operations
Governing cloud-native data pipelines and real-time visualization to improve forecast confidence
Scaling predictive asset management to support DER and EV growth with earlier intervention

12:25 - 12:30

Q&A SESSION ON CLOUD-NATIVE PREDICTIVE GRID OPERATIONS

12:30 - 13:30

NETWORKING LUNCH AND VISITING THE SMART GRIDS EXHIBITION

13:30 - 13:55

ENERGY POWERING THE GRID: RELIABILITY IN A TRANSFORMING RESOURCE MIX

Mark Lauby

North American Electric Reliability Corporation

Examining reliability risks from extreme weather, fuel limits, and variable resource uncertainty
Strengthening resilience through transmission, balancing capacity, and secure energy supply chains
Integrating no- and low-carbon resources while ensuring essential reliability services are maintained
Planning for rapid load growth from data centers, AI, electrification, and concentrated large loads

13:55 - 14:00

Q&A SESSION ON RESOURCE ADEQUACY AND BULK POWER SYSTEM RESILIENCE

14:00 - 14:25

INCREASING GRID EFFICIENCY THROUGH HVDC AND FACTS TECHNOLOGY

Orestes Macchione

Siemens Energy

Advancing power electronics and converter innovations improving efficiency and grid stability
Integrating HVDC and FACTS to connect remote renewables and strengthen transmission networks
Addressing planning challenges, balancing flexibility, reliability, and future grid expansion needs

14:25 - 14:30

Q&A SESSION ON HVDC FACTS AND FUTURE TRANSMISSION PLANNING

14:30 - 14:55

THIS OLD GRID: AUTOMATED AI INSIGHTS FOR PROACTIVE GRID MAINTENANCE

Joel Berntsen

Noteworthy AI

Diagnosing aging distribution assets with proactive, data-driven maintenance amid demand and budget constraints
Instrumenting vehicle-mounted cameras and AI for real-time inspections during operations and storms
Complementing drones and satellites with ground inspection for comprehensive grid visibility

14:55 - 15:00

Q&A SESSION ON AI-DRIVEN INSPECTION FOR PROACTIVE GRID MAINTENANCE

15:00 - 15:30

AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA

15:30 - 15:55

LEVERAGING AI FOR MODERNIZED GRID MANAGEMENT

Nils Frenkel

Schneider Electric

Addressing load growth, DER expansion, regulation shifts, and extreme weather stressing utilities
Equipping planners and operators with advanced grid tools for safe, reliable, affordable service
Applying AI across design, planning, maintenance, and real time operations using broader datasets
Strengthening event readiness through AI enabled prediction, mitigation, monitoring, and restoration

15:55 - 16:00

Q&A SESSION ON USING AI TO MANAGE EXTREME GRID EVENTS

16:00 - 16:25

MODULAR CONTROL CENTER SYSTEMS FOR OPERATING GRIDS WITH 100% RENEWABLES

Arya Fazilat

50Hertz Transmission GmbH

How 50Hertz transitioned from OT legacy systems to an IT-driven modular control platform
Explaining MCCS architecture enabling plug-and-play modules for scalable, secure grid operations
Demonstrating ecosystem collaboration with TSOs, DSOs, vendors, start-ups, and research partners
Sharing transformation lessons from scaling MCCS into a mature product organization within a TSO

16:25 - 16:30

Q&A SESSION ON MODULAR CONTROL PLATFORMS FOR RENEWABLE GRIDS

16:30 - 16:55

APPLIED AI FOR GRID MODERNIZATION: FROM PILOT TO PRODUCTION AT UTILITIES

Nikhil Jathar

AvanSaber Technologies

Prioritizing AI use cases including load and DER forecasting fault detection and asset maintenance
Architecting AI platforms integrating AMI SCADA PMU DERMS data with secure MLOps governance
Quantifying utility ROI through SAIDI gains curtailment reduction and scalable production rollout

16:55 - 17:00

Q&A SESSION ON SCALING APPLIED AI ACROSS UTILITY OPERATIONS

17:00 - 17:25

THREE WAYS TO BUILD A RESILIENT GRID: OVERHEAD, UNDERGROUND, AND SPACER CABLE

Ted (Theodore) Gardner

Marmon Utility

Reframing resilience beyond overhead versus underground by introducing spacer cable systems
Defining spacer cable as a distinct aerial covered conductor with unique design and risk traits
Applying a framework selecting overhead underground or spacer cable by cost risk exposure and speed

17:25 - 17:30

Q&A SESSION ON CHOOSING OVERHEAD UNDERGROUND AND SPACER CABLE SOLUTIONS

17:30 - 17:55

BUILDING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AGAINST FIRE AND EXPLOSION RISKS

Kartik Gandhi

Firetrace International, a Halma Company

Identifying fire and explosion risks across turbines, substations, control rooms, and BESS assets
Analyzing root causes and failure modes using real-world fire and explosion case examples
Recommending detection and mitigation strategies, improving safety, asset protection, and resilience

17:55 - 18:00

Q&A SESSION ON MITIGATING FIRE AND EXPLOSION RISKS IN GRID ASSETS

18:00 - 18:25

ASSET-SCALE WEATHER INTELLIGENCE FOR GRID RELIABILITY AND WILDFIRE MITIGATION

Jeff Gawrych

Western Weather Group

Translating forecasts and field measurements into operational decisions using utility weather networks
Closing weather data gaps with localized sensing to improve outage prediction and system resilience
Mitigating wildfire risk through asset-level weather intelligence supporting safer grid operations

18:25 - 18:30

Q&A SESSION ON USING LOCAL WEATHER DATA FOR GRID RELIABILITY

18:30 - 18:55

AI-DRIVEN LOAD SHAPING FOR MODERNIZING GRID INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE AI ERA

Surinder Singh

Relyion Energy Inc.

Stabilizing AI data center demand into grid friendly base load via forecasting and optimization
Coordinating software defined storage and battery control to cut peaks ramps and SOC drift at scale
Improving resilience through faster interconnections fewer upgrades and reduced load induced transients

18:55 - 19:00

Q&A SESSION ON AI LOAD SHAPING AND BATTERY CONTROL FOR DATA CENTERS

19:00 - 20:00

NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION

Day 2 :

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2026

08:30 - 09:00

MORNING REFRESHMENTS

09:00 - 09:10

OPENING ADDRESS

09:10 - 09:35

GRID MODERNIZATION TO GRID INTELLIGENCE WITH AI DATA AND DERS

Anushree Ramanath

Schneider Electric

Evolving utilities from digitalization to AI driven intelligence amid DER, storage, and EV growth
Deploying AI at scale across microgrids, storage, and EV systems with security and reliability focus
Aligning technology economics and policy to accelerate scalable grid modernization outcomes

09:35 - 09:40

Q&A SESSION ON TURNING GRID AI AND DATA INTO OPERATIONAL IMPACT

09:40 - 10:05

MARKET OR STATE: DIFFERENTIAL APPROACHES FOR MANAGING RESOURCE AND NETWORK ADEQUACY

Farhad Billimoria

Aurora Energy Research

Contrasting centralized and decentralized approaches for resource procurement within CAISO
Evaluating reliability, resilience, and cost tradeoffs across alternative adequacy frameworks
Assessing financial and credit implications tied to long term resource procurement decisions

10:05 - 10:10

Q&A SESSION ON HOW MARKETS AND STATES SECURE RESOURCE ADEQUACY

10:10 - 10:35

FROM TECHNOLOGY TO ADOPTION: MAKING SMART GRID TRANSFORMATIONS STICK

Jonathan Yancy

Yancy Business Consulting LLC

Explaining why smart grid initiatives stall without structured change enablement, despite proven technology
Aligning grid operations, control centers, IT, and field teams across ADMS and DERMS programs
Measuring adoption, readiness, and operational value using metrics that extend beyond go-live

10:35 - 10:40

Q&A SESSION ON DRIVING GRID MODERNIZATION SUCCESS

10:40 - 11:00

MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA

11:00 - 11:25

RESILIENCE IN THE SEA OF CHANGE: HOW TO MANAGE RISKS OF MODERN ENERGY SYSTEMS

Scott Smidlein

Marsh USA LLC

Reviewing new risk exposures from AI, distributed energy, renewables, and evolving grid operations
Designing strategies to strengthen resilience and reliability across increasingly complex energy systems
Leveraging insurance tools to manage risk transfer, recovery, and long-term system stability

11:25 - 11:30

Q&A SESSION ON MANAGING EMERGING RISKS IN MODERN ENERGY SYSTEMS

11:30 - 11:55

DRIVING UTILITY PROGRAM SUCCESS THROUGH AUTOMATION AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

Yihao Zhou

Exponent

Optimizing capital delivery using automation, predictive analytics, and AI enabled workflows
Improving schedule adherence, cost control, and stakeholder communication through digital tools

Jason Park

Exponent

Automating reporting and planning execution to reduce risk, rework, and program variability
Showcasing case study results, lessons learned, and best practices for technology adoption

11:55 - 12:00

Q&A SESSION ON AUTOMATION STRATEGIES FOR UTILITY PROGRAM DELIVERY

12:00 - 12:25

METERNET SECURE BLOCKCHAIN GRID SOLUTION FOR ELECTRIC CO-OPS, MICROGRIDS, AND IPPs

Greg Wible

MSBG Corp

Introducing a secure blockchain platform enabling DER metering, billing, clearing, and settlement
Detailing the MeterNet system architecture linking smart meters, portals, servers, and grid platforms
Illustrating how co-ops, microgrids, and IPPs scale trusted energy data across decentralized grids

12:25 - 12:30

Q&A SESSION ON BLOCKCHAIN-ENABLED METERING FOR DISTRIBUTED GRIDS

12:30 - 13:30

NETWORKING LUNCH AND VISITING THE SMART GRIDS EXHIBITION

13:30 - 13:55

NON-WIRES SOLUTIONS: BEST PRACTICES, CHALLENGES, AND CASE STUDY

Kailin Graham

The Brattle Group

Responding to rate pressure and DER cost declines with NWS as alternatives to grid upgrades
Integrating NWS into distribution planning as states refine processes and target deferral value
Identifying best practices and pain points as regulators require broader NWS investigations
Presenting case-study findings on upgrade traits most suitable for deferral via NWS portfolios

13:55 - 14:00

Q&A SESSION ON INTEGRATING NON-WIRES SOLUTIONS INTO GRID PLANNING

14:00 - 14:25

THE ROLE OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION

Louis Langlois

Renewable Properties

Positioning DG assets as resilience drivers enabling jobs innovation and distribution level impact
Examining regulated and deregulated markets including ERCOT California PJM and ISO NE
Outlining next phase DG growth across solar storage EV charging policy finance and offtake

14:25 - 14:30

Q&A SESSION ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION MARKETS AND FUTURE GROWTH

14:30 - 14:55

UNLOCKING GIGAWATTS ON EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A SMART GRID

George Shrouder

Omnipower Energy

Upgrading existing AC corridors to HVDC to bypass land acquisition and lengthy permitting delays
Demonstrating how faster time-to-power offsets HVDC upgrade costs compared with delay impacts
Positioning HVDC corridors as critical for resilience, data centers, and next-generation grid planning

14:55 - 15:00

Q&A SESSION ON SCALING HVDC USING EXISTING TRANSMISSION CORRIDORS

15:00 - 15:30

AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA

15:30 - 15:55

FROM SMART METERS TO PRIVATE GRIDS, DATA OWNERSHIP, AND UTILITY FUTURES

Teresa Ringenbach

Bloom Advisory Partners

Tracing smart grid evolution from early HEM meters to data driven behind the meter decisions
Examining regulatory shifts from net metering to grid responsive programs in US and UK markets
Questioning private mini grids reshaping utility roles, social compacts, and infrastructure ownership

15:55 - 16:00

Q&A SESSION ON THE FUTURE OF SMART GRIDS DATA AND OWNERSHIP

16:00 - 16:25

KEY MEASUREMENTS FOR PROTECTING RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION

Lee Doyle

Vaisala Inc.

Measuring wind ramps to reduce forecast gaps, penalties, costs, and GSU transformer stress
Protecting turbines and GSU transformers from gust loads using accurate short-term forecasting

Ryan Matt

Vaisala Inc.

Enabling safe erection and crane maintenance via stable wind monitoring and GSU health tracking
Linking weather intelligence with grid operations to improve reliability and renewable output

16:25 - 16:30

Q&A SESSION ON WIND RAMP FORECASTING AND GSU TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

16:30 - 17:00

RESERVED PRESENTATION

17:00 - 17:15

FEEDBACK AND RAFFLE DRAW

17:15 - 17:30

CLOSING REMARKS

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