We’re only a few days away from the utility industry’s leading transmission and distribution conference, DistribuTECH. This year’s event returns to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
As a member of the advisory committee and the chair of the Enterprise Grid Management Track, I’m privileged to have a leading role in organizing the conference and aligning content with attendees’ key interests. The committee received a record number of abstract submissions this year, and more than 100 utilities and vendors were selected to present.
DistribuTECH offers three key components that I believe are the most valuable conference components and which deliver valuable information, networking, and product awareness to the 13,000+ people who attend.
1. Summit Sessions
Formerly called breakout sessions, the summit sessions are organized into 11 tracks presented by industry thought leaders. This year’s tracks are:
- Asset management
- Customer strategies and technologies
- Cybersecurity and incident response
- Data analytics
- Distributed energy resources management system (DERMS)
- Disruptive, emerging, and innovative technologies
- Distribution automation
- Energy storage
- Enterprise grid management
- Microgrids
- Smart cities and IoT
I’m particularly excited about the summit sessions in this year’s Enterprise Grid Management track, which include topics on ADMS change management, network model management, and building digital twins for grid operations. Speakers include experts from Indianapolis Power and Light, Southern California Edison, Exelon, Entergy, Duquesne Light, PacifiCorp, and other leading utilities.
On Thursday, January 30, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., I’ll be moderating a paper session entitled Importance of Network Model Management for Operational Systems in room 217C. Three case studies will be presented, focusing on the approach utilities have taken to model a single source of truth for operational systems.
2. Knowledge Hubs
Introduced last year, Knowledge Hubs are presentations delivered right on the exhibit floor that are free and open to all DistribuTECH attendees. This co-located approach enables attendees to maximize their time between attending presentations and visiting vendors – all within the same space.This year, there will be five Knowledge Hubs, including:
- Decarbonizing the grid
- Digitalizing the grid
- e-Mobility and smart cities
- Expanding the grid
- Innovative and emerging technologies
I’ll be moderating two Knowledge Hub sessions on Tuesday, January 28, at booth #417. The first is How Memphis Light, Gas & Water Updated Their Ecosystem Across All Three Services, where I’ll be joined by Michael Faulk, the CIS manager of Memphis Light, Gas & Water and Geoff Glave, Clevest senior product manager. The session begins at 3:00 p.m.
Then at 3:30 p.m., The Human Component of a Utility’s Strategic Transformation will feature Dennis Kluck, AMI operations manager for WEC Energy Group, and Haley Reddington, a manager at Ernst & Young
3. Breakfast Roundtables
Networking in person with fellow colleagues is invaluable. As a way to foster collaboration, DistribuTECH will host breakfast roundtables on Wednesday and Thursday where experts can come together to discuss the industry’s hottest topics over breakfast. This informal setting provides an ideal way to ask questions and gain new information about trends and challenges.
On Thursday morning, I’ll be leading the discussions on the topic of Utility of the Future. Tickets for this and other roundtables are still available.
Need More Reasons to Attend?
Besides my top three reasons, there will also be engaging keynote speakers, informative mega sessions, and 570 vendors on the exhibit hall floor. With representatives from utilities, co-ops, municipalities, consultants, federal agencies, and manufacturers, DistribuTECH is a must-attend conference for hearing the latest information on everything related to transmission and distribution automation.
