Tuesday November 7th

1. Grid Transformation and Resilience: Are We There Yet?

• Shay Bahramirad, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Asset Management and Capital Programs, LUMA Energy
• Damir Novosel, President and Founder, Quanta Technology
• Ali Yari, Director of Engineering, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
• Michael Pesin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Energy (DOE)
• Fermín Fontanés, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3)

Moderated by: Marianna Vaiman, V&R Energy

2. Experiences and Challenges with Integrating Renewable Energy

• Darcy Immerman, Senior Vice President, NORESCO
• Mark Carpenter, Senior Vice President Operations, ONCOR Electric Delivery
• Tom Dunn, CEO, Vermont Electric Transmission Corp (VELCO)
• Julio Romero, Sr. Vice President of Strategy & Business Innovation, Quanta Technology
• Vic Suchodolski, President & CEO, Sargent & Lundy

Moderated by: Chris Root, Quanta Technology

3. Planning for a Resilient and Decarbonized Grid, Hosted by Industry Technical Support Leadership Committee (ITS-LC)

• Juan Castaneda, Principal Manager, Southern California Edison
• Andrea Harper, Assistant General Counsel, Pepco Holdings
• Aleksi Paaso, Vice President, LUMA Energy
• Dale Player, Director, ComEd

Abstract:

The movement towards decarbonizing the grid in North America and many parts of the world has breathed new life into the energy landscape. At almost every level of jurisdiction, from federal to state, net-zero targets have been established. This collective effort emphasizes a learning-by-doing approach and requires distribution utilities to develop integrated distribution planning frameworks that effectively tackle current and future challenges, all while working towards the ambitious goal of achieving a net-zero grid within the next two to three decades. It is important to establish a comprehensive framework for the holistic approach to integrated distribution grids planning, taking into consideration the multifaceted aspects of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), Electrification, transportation load, and customer participation. By integrating these crucial factors alongside conventional grid planning, the primary objective is to effectively meet the requirements of a decarbonized grid while ensuring the provision of flexibility resources that are both reliable and adequate.

Moderated by: Shikhar Pandey, ComEd

4. Perspectives on Resilience Plans for Extreme Weather Conditions

• Matthew Gardner, Ph.D., P.E., Vice President – Electric Transmission, Power Delivery Group, Dominion Energy
• Dan Smith, Vice President, Operations, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)
• Patrick Arns, Vice President System Standards and Quality, LUMA Energy
• Rafael Flores, Head of Networks, ENGIE Peru
• Alfonso Mugueta, Vice President, Coordination and Planning at Avangrid

Abstract:

With the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions, utilities are challenged to develop comprehensive and effective resilience plans.

This panel brings together utility industry executives in the United States and Latin America to share their insights on developing and implementing resilience plans to address the challenges posed by extreme weather conditions. As climate change continues to intensify the frequency and severity of weather-related disruptions, utilities play a pivotal role in ensuring reliable service delivery while safeguarding critical infrastructure. The panelists will cover region-specific climate vulnerabilities, reflect on past experiences, challenges faced, and lessons learned from actual weather-related incidents as well as provide forward-looking insights for building adaptive and resilient utility systems.

Moderated by: Wayne Bishop, Quanta Technology 

5. Grid technologies, methods, implementations

• Thierry Godard, Vice President and General Manager Energy Automation Solutions, EATON
• Murali Baggu, Laboratory Program Manager – Grid Integration, National Renewable Energy Labs
• Prof. Sakis Meliopoulos, Georgia Tech
• Stacy O’Brien, Vice President, LUMA Energy

Moderated by: Farnoosh Rahmatian, President, NuGrid

Keynote Super Session – Resilience and Recovery in Puerto Rico

• Lillian Mateo Santos, Esq., Associate Commissioner, Puerto Rico Energy Bureau
• Julio Romero, Senior Vice president, Quanta Technology
• Elizabeth Zimmerman, Senior Executive Advisor, IEM (former appointee to FEMA)

Moderated by: Shay Bahramirad, Senior Vice President, LUMA Energy

6. Digitalization in Electrification and Grid Resiliency

• Francisco Berrios-Portela, Deputy Chief of Staff for Energy Affairs, La Fortaleza
• Fabio Mantovani, Vice President, Ventures, New York Power Authority (NYPA)
• Agustín F. Carbó, Director of the Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team
• Babak Enayati, Sr. Director of Grid Modernization, LUMA Energy

This diverse plenary session brings together industry leaders from the US-based electric utility (NYPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the former FERC Commissioner, and Honeywell as an energy technology vendor to explore the pivotal intersection of digitalization, electrification, and grid resiliency. Central to the session is an exhaustive examination of electric grid modernization as an imperative to augment resiliency. Panelists will outline strategies to bolster the grid against evolving threats, including cyber-attacks, extreme weather events, and unforeseen disruptions. They will present a roadmap from their perspectives toward a more adaptive and responsive energy infrastructure by integrating advanced monitoring, control, and automation systems. The session concludes with a forward-looking discourse on emerging technologies and innovative approaches poised to shape the future of electrification. Attendees will gain actionable insights into propelling the pace of electrification and grid modernization, propelling toward a sustainable, dependable, and resilient energy ecosystem.

Join us for insightful discussions on leveraging digital technologies to fortify the grid against evolving challenges, ensuring a sustainable and resilient energy ecosystem for future generations.

Moderated by: Kaveh Aflaki, IEMS Solutions

7. Microgrids for Enhanced Grid Resilience and Economics

• Erik Hall, Director Energy Services, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives (NCEMC)
• Matt Huber, President, LithTech (Stark Tech).
• Mohammad Shahidehpour, Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)

Moderated by: Farrokh Rahimi, OATI

8. Clean Energy, Electrification, Renewables Integration, and Other 3 AM Topics That Keep Our Latin American Executives Awake: A Multicountry and Multidisciplinary Perspective

• Manuel Lopez, OC-SENI, Dominican Electric Power System Operator
• Ernesto Huber, Executive Director,  Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional, Chile.
• Mark Carpenter, Senior Vice President Operations, ONCOR Electric Delivery
• Juan Saca, CEO, LUMA.

Abstract:

Historically, Latin American countries have relied on a significant percentage of hydroelectric generation in their resource portfolio. For the last 5–7 years, they have started including renewables—particularly wind and solar—as key components of their new generation portfolio to achieve clean energy and decarbonization goals. Worldwide, the electrical power industry offers key solutions to achieve society’s decarbonization targets, and many electrical utilities still face significant challenges. At least two issues are still under development: 1) how utilities can best upgrade their infrastructure and 2) how utilities can change their planning practices to deploy investments more efficiently. Resolving these two issues would bring additional value to electricity users and satisfy society’s goals for renewable energy and electrification targets.

This panel presents the challenges that key utilities and power system operators in Latin America face as they plan to integrate renewables with aging infrastructure while addressing key topics in our industry, such as reliability, resilience, safety, and energy justice needs and requirements.

This panel will provide a multidisciplinary view of topics of keen interest to executives relating to the electric power utilities or power system operators they manage and address potential solutions and recommendations. The challenges are addressed within the following topics: 1) clean energy and transportation electrification goals countrywide, 2) transmission and distribution upgrades, 3) system planning and new loads, 4) renewable integration, 5) electric transportation, 6) reliability, and 7) resilience. Participating executives are expected to share best practices to deal with the issues.

Moderated by: David Elizondo, Quanta Technology