Building Endurance for Utility Longevity will be the focus of the upcoming AclaraConnect Executive Summit 2018, a highlight of the AclaraConnect Conference set to take place from the 14th to the 17th of May at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, California, United States (U.S.).
To be held on Tuesday, May 15th, the day-long summit will deliver on the overall AclaraConnect theme, Come Together. Connect for a Better Future, by providing a forum for utility industry leaders to engage with other thought leaders, gain new insights, establish valuable new connections, and develop strategies to navigate the transformation shaping the utility industry.
The summit will feature three panels sure to stimulate lively discussion. Participants will explore strategies for planning for and responding to disruptive forces facing electric, gas and water utilities, including the impact of distributed energy resources and other new business paradigms, changing regulations, issues caused by aging infrastructure, and the need for robust consumer engagement programmes.
The first panel, Squashing the Duck, will examine how the realities of electricity demand versus available solar energy are affecting utilities today. It will help attendees better understand and evaluate the true impacts of the duck curve, learn about solutions to help “squash” the curve, and minimise its effects on the grid. Panellists are:
Troy Anatra – Vice President, Commercial Operations at Enbala
Carl Zichella – Director, Western Transmission, National Resources Defense Council
Craig Horne – Vice President Business Development, Energy Storage at Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc.
Dora Nakafuji – Member of the Strategy and Innovation Group at Kamehameha Schools
The second panel, Resilience – Prepare, Respond and Recover, explores how utilities can enhance preparations to maintain adequate levels of service and operation in the face of myriad threats ranging from weather events to natural disasters, water scarcity, cyber attacks, and more. Panellists are:
Rich Svindland – President, California American Water and Hawaii American Water
Roberto Herrera – Dominican Republic Country Manager at InterEnergy Holdings, CEO of CESPM & MD of CEPM
Erik Christian – Vice President, Business Development & Strategy at Aclara
In the final panel, Infrastructure Review and Improvement, attendees will join a panel of experts to discuss the importance of investing in modernisation versus maintenance, and better understand the impacts of smart infrastructure. Panellists are:
Bud Vos – President and CEO, Enbala
David Swank – CEO, Central Electric Cooperative
Greg DiLoreto – Chair, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for America’s Infrastructure
Patrick Van Beek – President of MEA Energy Association
Brian Serati – Vice President of US Sales, Hubbell Power Systems
Seating for the Executive Summit is limited.
