Agenda
Note: Subject to change. Additional speakers TBA
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
8:00 - 9:00 am Welcome Coffee and Continental Breakfast
This opening Fireside Chat explores how electrification, decarbonization, digitalization, and decentralization are reshaping power systems worldwide, driving unprecedented investment and innovation across transmission, distribution, and energy markets. The discussion will highlight the technological, regulatory, and operational challenges utilities and stakeholders must address to build resilient, flexible, and customer-centric grids that support a clean energy transition.
Addressing the need to integrate renewables, EVs, and distributed energy resources at scale
Enhancing grid reliability, optimizing operations, and improving grid visibility
Aging assets, interconnection backlogs, permitting delays, and evolving policy frameworks pose significant constraints to transformation
How to to unlock innovation, new business models and resilient system design
Additional panelist TBA
This session examines how evolving regulatory and policy frameworks must adapt to enable and accelerate grid modernization. It focuses on process reforms and the implications for planning, interconnection, and implementation timelines as energy systems become more complex and decentralized.
Arriving at streamlined permitting, cost recovery, and approval pathways to accelerate grid modernization
Evolving planning frameworks to support electrification, distributed energy resources, and long-term system needs
Reducing interconnection delays and improving process transparency to enable faster project deployment
Understanding how regulatory decisions shape modernization timelines, investment signals, and grid transformation speed
10:30 - 11:00 am Networking Coffee Break
This discussion will explore strategies to strengthen transmission and distribution infrastructure in the face of rising load growth, extreme weather, and increasing system complexity. Particular focus will be on grid-enhancing technologies, substation modernization approaches, and advanced distribution automation architectures as critical enablers of a more resilient, flexible, and reliable power network.
Advancing grid-enhancing technologies to increase transmission capacity, flexibility, and system resilience
Modernizing substations while ensuring interoperability with legacy infrastructure and evolving digital systems
Implementing distribution automation architectures to improve reliability, visibility, and operational efficiency
Strengthening network resilience to withstand extreme weather, load growth, and emerging system risks
11:30 - 12:00 pm
Utility-Proven Roadmap to Great Electric Reliability and Excellent Customer Satisfaction
Mr. Gogan, a past recipient of the prestigious “Outstanding Contributor to Reliability Award,” will outline a strategic roadmap for utility leaders seeking to strengthen system reliability while elevating customer satisfaction and stakeholder confidence. As utilities face mounting regulatory pressure, extreme weather events, wildfires and rising customer expectations, investment decisions around storm hardening and grid resiliency have become key priorities. Mr. Gogan will examine the key business drivers shaping these investments and define the measurable outcomes that distinguish high-performing organizations.
The session will address governance and accountability in reliability programs, the importance of accurate outage reporting and performance metrics, and the strategic deployment of advanced technologies, modernized materials and equipment, and targeted capital investments. Attendees will gain practical insight into prioritizing investments, aligning reliability initiatives with enterprise strategy, and executing programs that deliver sustainable operational and financial results.
12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 - 2:15 pm
Balancing Hazard Mitigation with Customer Rates & Reliability: The Role of Active Grid Response
Utilities and commissions are faced with increasing hazard risk, decreasing customer affordability for electric rates, and decreasing reliability from aging systems and public safety power shutoffs. This session will summarize how these impacts are affecting utilities, how various jurisdictions have approached this cost-benefit problem, and how Active Grid Response can balance the scales. We will hear from utilities and commissions facing diverse hazards from all corners – from wildfires, to ice storms, to high wind events.
Regulatory cost-benefit best practices for wildfire mitigation and storm response across the US
Exploration of various mitigation approaches and funding mechanisms
Efficacy of Active Grid Response from empirical evaluation
2:15 - 2:45 pm Networking Coffee Break
2:45 - 4:00 pm
Emerging Enabling Smart Grid Technologies for Grid Modernization
Next-gen smart grid technologies are emerging that enable more flexible, data-driven, and automated grid operations to support modernization efforts. This session focuses on the latest developments in advanced platforms and integrated architectures for improving system visibility, coordinating distributed resources, and enhancing overall network performance.
Evaluating smart grid tools that enhance visibility, control, and decision-making across increasingly complex power networks
Aligning ADMS and DERMS platforms to coordinate distributed resources and optimize real-time grid operations
Designing distribution automation architectures that support scalability, interoperability, and advanced analytics capabilities
Leveraging digital integration to improve reliability, operational efficiency, and system-wide responsiveness
4:00 - 4:15 pm Coffee Break
4:15 - 5:00 pm
Ensuring Grid Reliability & System Resilience
This session explores methods for reducing outage frequency and duration, hardening systems against extreme weather, and deploying advanced technologies for faster fault detection, isolation, and service restoration. The focus is on the need for integrated planning, modern infrastructure, and digital tools to build a more adaptive and robust power grid.
Predictive maintenance for outage reduction and speed of restoration
Cost-effective strategies for climate-focused grid hardening
Integrated planning and digital tools for strengthening overall resilience
5:00 - 6:30 pm Drink Reception
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
8:00 - 9:00 am Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 10:15 am
Data, Digitalization, AI & Advanced Analytics in the Evolving Grid
Digitalization, AI and advanced analytics are transforming grid planning and operations. Central to this is the role played by digital twin architectures across transmission and distribution systems, predictive analytics for improving asset reliability, and AI-driven approaches to strengthening cybersecurity. This panel addresses these issues as well as evolving AMI 2.0 data management strategies and analytics that enable more informed, real-time decision-making.
10:15 - 10:45 am Networking Coffee Break
10:45 - 11:15 am
DER, Inverter-Based Resources & Load Flexibility
This session examines the growing role of distributed energy resources, inverter-based technologies, and flexible load in shaping a more dynamic and decentralized grid. The presentation explores technical and operational considerations for high DER penetration, grid-forming inverter capabilities, virtual power plant integration, and managed charging strategies to support transportation electrification.
Increasing technical and operational complexity associated with high DER penetration
Expanded system stability and control capabilities through grid-forming inverters
Aggregated DER coordination and market participation via virtual power plants
Greater load flexibility and grid optimization through managed EV charging
11:15 - 12:00 pm
Speed to Capacity: Unlocking More from Your Existing Distribution Grid
Load growth isn’t a future problem; it’s a right-now problem. Utilities are being pushed to deliver capacity on timelines that traditional infrastructure upgrades simply can’t match. In this session, we will show how distribution system modernization is emerging as one of the fastest, most practical paths to new capacity, without waiting years for new lines or substations. Real-world examples will be used to break down how dynamic phase balancing, alongside other modern approaches like VPP programs and distributed generation, is enabling utilities to unlock more operational flexibility and offer a safe way to unlock capacity from systems they already own.
The focus is speed to capacity, shifting the conversation away from long buildout cycles, toward near-term solutions utilities can deploy today. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how modern distribution tools can accelerate interconnections, defer major capital projects, and support faster, confident decision-making in an increasingly constrained grid environment.
How ADMS and automation improve both visibility and operational flexibility
The role of modern protection schemes in safely unlocking additional capacity
How utilities are deferring infrastructure upgrades while meeting near-term load growth
12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch Break
1:00 - 2:15 pm
Microgrids & Local Resiliency Systems: Positioning the Grid for the Future
This session explores how microgrids and local resilience systems enhance reliability, flexibility, and energy security in DER-dense environments. It examines advanced control strategies for stable islanded operation, protection coordination challenges, and lessons learned from real-world industrial, campus, and community microgrid deployments. Participants will gain practical insights into integrating distributed energy resources while maintaining system stability, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Practical approaches to microgrid control and seamless islanding under diverse operating conditions
Protection coordination strategies for systems with high DER penetration
Insights from operational industrial, campus, and community microgrids
Design and operational lessons that improve resilience, safety, and scalability
Additional panelists TBA
2:15 - 2:45 pm Networking Coffee Break
2:45 - 4:00 pm
Energy Storage Advances and Integration
This session examines recent advances in energy storage technologies and their expanding role in grid reliability, flexibility, and decarbonization. The discussion covers best practices for siting and sizing storage systems, modeling and forecasting for efficient operations, and the evolving requirements for protection, fire safety, and regulatory compliance. Real-world utility-scale case studies highlight performance, integration challenges, and lessons learned across diverse grid environments. Attendees will better understand how to deploy storage systems that deliver both operational and economic value while meeting safety and code requirements.
Methods for optimal siting, sizing, and grid-support functionality of energy storage systems
Use of modeling and forecasting tools to improve operational efficiency and planning
Critical safety, protection, and compliance considerations for modern storage deployments
Lessons learned from utility-scale storage projects and their grid integration impacts
Additional panelists TBA
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