the soft grid 2013

Hear about how one of America's leading IOUs, PG&E, expects data and analytics to shape the evolution of their grid.

So much of what makes an effective analytics tool successful is its user interface, both on the front- and back-end. What are the best ways to develop a user interface that will engage a customer in its use? How do utilities want to interface with massive amounts of data such that usable recommendations can be made and actions taken? This presentation will look into the best practices, latest technologies and trends relating to the development of useful, engaging software tools for the utility industry.

Customer analytics aren't just about providing more detailed usage data and reducing peak demand. Utilities are using customer segmentation and profiling analytics to figure out which customers to target with pilots or initial deployments of technologies (in-home displays, smart meters, etc.), gain visibility into individual customers' responses to price signals, identify the best customers to target with specific marketing campaigns, and to develop and offer the most optimal rate structures. This session will help to define the type of analytics utilities are using to find the best ROI and level of engagement for their customer-facing programs.

Moderator: Zach Pollock, Analyst, Smart Grid, GTM Research

As the distribution grid infrastructure, and the assets that make it up, continues to get built out via new communications capability and smart hardware, such as digital meters and control and protection equipment, the stage is being set for an exponential growth in the amount of data that utilities will confront about the operation of the grid itself. While the challenge to integrate traditionally siloed systems and rapid-fire data sources remains real, so does the possibility to have a more optimized, efficient, reliable, secure and cost-effective power grid. On this panel of industry experts hear how innovations in areas of modeling & simulation, asset management, asset health, energy theft detection, DMS/OMS, fault detection & correction, weather data integration, crisis management and mobile workforce management are revolutionizing grid operations.

Moderator: Ben Kellison, Analyst, Smart Grid, GTM Research

For the last 5 years GTM Research has warned - without a modern grid infrastructure in place, distributed generation (i.e. renewables), electric vehicles and other consumer advancements would not be able to gain meaningful traction, and to scale to mass penetration and adoption. The intersection of greentech technologies, such as PV and storage, and smart grid applications, such voltage regulation, becomes more obvious and necessary with each passing year. As solar panels, EVs, and other new grid ‘assets’ begin to both ‘plug in’ and communicate, not only will we see the proliferation of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication to the grid's edge, we will also see the immediate need for advanced analytics to manage energy dispatch and usage, voltage irregularities, and other grid operation challenges initiating from the edge of the grid. Hear leaders in the domains of software analytics, grid operations, and renewable energy explain how analytics will optimize and protect the grid while empowering consumers to move towards clean energy and web-based energy management.

Moderator: Rick Thompson, President and Co-Founder, Greentech Media

Can the utility industry survive the current energy transition that is upon us? Absolutely. The "Utility of the Future" will mean different things to different utilities, based on everything from geographic location to the amount of distributed generation to the evolution of the pricing of electricity, among other variables. One thing that is for sure is that three things will define a utilities future: technology, people and information. All three of these key assets will need to change and evolve in the new energy era. People - from executive management to distributionengineering to the distributed workforce - will have to evolve in everything from skill set to mindset in the utility of the future. How are utilities looking within to drive the industry forward? Technology and information go hand-in-hand in the context of The Soft Grid. Infrastructure technology is evolving rapidly. Networks and communicating sensors and nodes of all types will be ubiquitous throughout the distribution grid by 2020. All of this leads to more and more information at the utilities fingertips to move the industry forward. How are utilities positioning themselves going forward for the coming Soft Grid?

Moderator: Jeff St. John, Senior Editor, Smart Grid, Greentech Media