The global power systems industry is on the cusp of a new era of interoperability. The shift to distributed energy is essential to regulators and utilities to insure decarbonization of local economies. These demands are fundamentally reshaping the balance between all market players and require a base communication layer between devices, utilities, systems, customers, and other market actors. Open collaboration between utilities, aggregators, regulators, producers, consumers, and OEMs on the non-differentiating software, standards, and hardware, is a crucial component of managing this transition. 

The goal of this session is to transfer knowledge about how to accelerate innovation, development, and diffusion as a means to drive your organization’s optimization and modernization. Given the constraints on talent acquisition, this session will focus on training and community as the de facto pathway for massive utility transformation. 

Increasing the diversity, equity and inclusion within your organization can feel overwhelming. As individuals, you want to support diversity, equity and inclusion but don't know where to start. Many of you may be members of affinity groups that drive change through various organized events or by providing a space for discussion but you wish you had more support. And some of you may find yourselves on committees or councils that have been charged with driving strategy within the organization but you wish you had more direction. This session will explore various ways individuals, groups or committees can engage in pushing forward DEI initiatives and will provide actionable steps you can take to continue to drive DEI change. 

Director of Communications and Programming at Gridmates, Bethany Ruhe, will lead a discussion on what it takes to stand out in a male-dominated energy industry. Coming from retail energy, non-profit and solar, this incredibly talented panel of women will inspire you to make some of your own waves. 

Sally works as an inventor working at the bleeding edge of renewable technologies, including wave energy, current energy and - her particular passion - affordable green hydrogen. This keynote includes her insights on new battery technology, affordable energy storage options, Circular economy innovations and future directions in transportation and building energy systems. Exploring resilience and decentralized energy solutions, Sally also poses the question: if we have abundant renewable resources for energy generation, can we remove the focus on efficiency and thus serve more people?

The next generation of AMI will define the digital utility landscape, expanding the amount, quality, and applications of data across the grid. Join Carlos Nouel, VP of Smart Solutions at National Grid, and Jay Lasseter, VP of Industry Solutions at Landis+Gyr, for a fireside chat exploring how meters are poised to enable the clean energy future. 

Our main quest in the energy transition is to decentralize our existing systems to create a distributed network of renewables that can generate, store, and distribute energy across the grid. Follow our guides as we walk you through how technology and analytics unlock the power of decentralization to create cleaner energy for all.

Join EPIcenter's CEO, Kimberly Britton, and Zpryme’s Senior Marketing Director, Ricky Murray, as they discuss how Sustainability, Customer Empowerment, Optimization, Resilience, and Electrification(SCORE) are key factors to innovation 

It's becoming clear that sustainability goals are not enough to slow the global rate of climate change. Communities, states, and countries need to aim for the next level of decarbonization. This session discusses how we define additional steps to take, what new ambitious goals we should set, and how utilities can act now to push their organizations and communities to the next level.

Increasing and evolving customer demands are driving utilities to adapt across the entire enterprise. Back-office operations are key to meeting customer expectations and are ripe for automation and optimization. This session will discuss the changing customer experience landscape and how utilities are solving challenges with back office innovations.

While 100% of automotive manufacturers intend to release electric vehicles, less than 4% of customers seeking electric vehicles turn to their utilities for guidance. Not only are electric companies challenged to establish themselves as a trusted advisor to customers, but also strategically shift resulting loads to protect the grid in this context of increasing variability. Further, with $200 billion in potential EV revenue on the line, electric companies are racing to redefine existing business models. 

A clean and carbon free grid requires energy control inside the home and integration into customers’ day-to-day lifestyle choices. Technology companies have successfully integrated themselves into our lives, but energy is a different world. Tech-savvy professionals are playing an increasingly vital role in the rapidly changing energy landscape. In this session, Armada Power's President, TJ Harper, and PacifiCorp’s Senior VP of Transmission Development, Scott Bolton explore how technological expertise in areas such as IP, security, manufacturing, and installation helps the energy transition now and into the future.

The human element of cleantech cannot be ignored. Customers are looking for ambitious clean energy goals and a new generation of capable workers will be needed to operate it. This session will focus on how utilities can strategize to meet rising customer expectations and create an enduring proactive enterprise in the cleantech era. 

Externally and internally utilities are digitizing systems across the enterprise, and new platforms are rising to manage increased complexity. This session will focus on applications and use cases of AI to help utility processes, workforce management, customer relations, and more! 

The nature of utility-customer relationships has fundamentally changed in an increasingly connected digital world and utilities must adapt by envisioning and implementing programs that address the needs of the their customers and communities. This session will focus on what kinds of new customer programs are on the horizon as well as what can enable new dynamics between utilities and consumers. 

The grid edge is a wide open space for innovation. Customers are taking their energy futures into their own hands and utilities are trying their best to meet them there. This session will explore the ways that the future of the grid will be determined by what happens at the edge and how utilities and customers can both take advantage.

Digitalization is not optional. It is central to a distributed energy future in which there may be billions of devices and buildings connected to power networks. At the heart of the communication between these devices is software. Critical infrastructure must not be allowed to be compromised by malicious actors. Therefore, we must fundamentally make security central to the design of power networks from coding, to the field, to retirement. Not acting has proven costly and kills. The only path forward is to work together and collectively raise our game.

This session will engage experts in the area of supply-chain security from the different points of view of the utility, software vendor, hardware manufacturer, and cross-industry community leadership perspective. 

Electric Vehicles are one of the most decentralized aspects of the global effort to reduce emissions and are therefore going to be a continuing trend basically everywhere. This panel will focus on how utilities can standardize EV infrastructure and make their systems flexible enough for a “plug and play” ecosystem at the grid edge. 

As the energy industry moves to decarbonize, an often overlooked resource is energy efficiency. Demand response programs can help reduce energy consumption to increase resiliency of the grid while allowing customers to play a role in energy conservation. How can policy help remove barriers to enable and improve energy efficiency programs? 

Chicago Legend, featuring Shermann Thomas, “Dilla” with an inside look at a husband, father, urban historian, and line-worker who calls Chicago home.  

This film was made possible by Salesforce, Zpryme and ComEd.

Opening by Kelly James, SVP & GM, Energy and Utilities, Salesforce

Today's grid will not meet the demands of the 21st century and beyond, and utilities need solutions that will drive better business decisions. Interactive 3D Digital Twins harness the power of location intelligence to give utilities a more complete picture of their assets. This session discusses the digital utility of the future and how locational intelligence influences better investment and operational decision-making.

Utilities are facing increasing calls to invest heavily in both renewable resources and grid resiliency. This session will discuss emerging technologies, policy proposals, and infrastructure investments that ensure reliability is maintained during this period of accelerated renewables integration 

These top 6 startups are challenging the status quo & reimagining how utilities POWER UP their performance. Over the course of the next hour and 15 minutes, we will hear groundbreaking case studies in the format of 4 minute presentations followed by 7 minutes for judges Q&A. You don't want to miss this jolt of innovation first thing in the morning!  

Demand IQ, 8:50 am - 9:01 am  

ClearTrace, 9:02 am - 9:13 am 

Armada Power LLC, 9:15 am - 9:26 am 

Innovation Force, 9:27 am - 9:38 am 

UMS Group - InfraShield Labs, 9:39 am - 9:50 am 

ATX LED, 9:51 am - 10:02 am 

As we inch closer to deadlines for sustainability and net zero goals, utilities and cities are planning for fleet electrification as a way to reduce emissions and decarbonize the energy sector. This panel will discuss how fleet electrification plays into the broader energy transition, the roles different stakeholders play in electrifying large fleets, and challenges and opportunities for utilities as infrastructure for fleet electrification is implemented

The convergence of electric and water utilities, telecom, and tech is creating new opportunities to enhance the capabilities and performance of the grid. This fireside chat will go into how emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, drones, robotics, and more can be utilized to create a new ecosystem that can benefit utilities, entrepreneurs, and customers alike.

Utilities are constantly looking for ways to take their customer experiences up to the next level. To achieve greater customer service, unifying user experiences is critical in bridging gaps between employees, customers and the organization. This discussion will focus on how automation and optimization support workforce empowerment and connect communities to ultimately better serve the customer. 

CPS Energy Customer Video Introduction will lead us into the announcement of a final winner from the [email protected] pitch competition. The winner will be provided a monetary prize in addition to utility connections!

In an era of radical technological, social, and economic transformation, utility business models simply cannot afford to run the same way they have the last hundred years. This session will focus on how utility business models and decision-making processes need to modernize for successful ventures in an era of digital transformation. 

Low-income customers stand to benefit significantly from installing rooftop solar panels, but barriers like living in rental properties and discriminatory lending practices have left these communities behind. This session discusses pathways for more equitable deployment of rooftop solar to historically underserved communities.  

The consumer is playing a significant role in shaping not only how energy is consumed but also how it is generated and distributed, giving rise to what the industry now calls the ‘prosumer’. For that reason alone customer empowerment is more essential than ever in the industry. Utilities can inform and empower consumers to become more responsive and engaged with adequate outreach and educational tools and programs.

Energy storage - or batteries - are a constantly-evolving technological hype in DER. Batteries can be a solution to integration and optimization. But as a technology that is still in its infancy, they come with their challenges. Join the discussion on overcoming those challenges and the best ways to utilize energy storage solutions

While the word “automation” brings to mind robot arms on assembly lines, in energy automation is more based in data analytics and digital processes. The intersection of automation and utility business practice if implemented strategically can lead to a more responsive utility with more complex services.

As more Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are added onto the grid, the need to establish and maintain self-managed systems becomes more critical. Microgrids, for instance, can provide stable, continuous management of energy generation and distribution. Listen to industry experts discuss the advent of microgrids and how they’re going to power up the grid of the future 

The digital transformation is changing the energy landscape, along with the workforce. How does the workforce adapt to new opportunities and challenges, and what does the workforce of the future look like?

Utilities can often have difficulty getting the message out about their transformative programs and strategies which can frustrate customers and prevent others in the industry from learning by example. This session will focus on building holistic communication strategies around key transformative practices like decarbonization, electrification, and customer engagement to make sure everyone at your enterprise and as much of your customer base as possible is aware of your long term goals.

Open to all attendees 

App Orchid & Google are hosting an exclusive event Wednesday April 13th at 7:00 pm.Join your peers to discuss Google & App Orchid’s Utility focus and innovation while experiencing Austin by sunset. Enjoy a 2-hour cruise on Town Lake, some of Austin’s finest BBQ, drinks, and live music. Register now to reserve your seat, limited seats are available. 

Transportation will be provided to and from the boat. (This is limited to Utility invites only. Not open to vendors)

Register Here

The CEOs of three powerhouse utilities assemble on stage to discuss their visions for the future of their business and the industry as a whole. 

Utilities and the military have a long history of talking to each other. The speed of change in the energy business has shown that closer collaboration is needed to build a safe, reliable, resilient and clean grid. The panel will share experiences that demonstrate how keeping the lights on and defending the nation are complementary as we accelerate toward a net-zero 2050 economy.

How can regulators and policymakers help create a more diverse and community-enabling industry?