Southeast Event Schedule

8:30 - 9:30 AM ET

Join us for the GridTECH Connect Forum - Southeast's keynote address and fireside chat featuring our esteemed Host Developer and Host Utility!

9:40 - 10:25 AM ET

Sponsored by:

Developers and utilities are often billed as opponents. While one is in pursuit of fighting the effects of climate change, the other aims to preserve a century-old status quo. Not only does this posturing lack the nuance of a complicated dynamic, but it also stands to stunt the energy transition. In reality, all parties are in pursuit of the cleanest and most-reliable grid. How do we get there, together? This session explores how radical collaboration between developers, utilities, and their regulators can improve resource planning and integration.

9:40 - 10:25 AM ET

Sponsored by:

In this session, we will explore how distributed intelligence can alleviate congestion to defer grid investment, enable investment in distributed assets, and enable new market participation in capacity and flexibility markets. We will review some of the trends from European markets and discuss how lessons learned could applied in the US.

9:40 - 10:25 AM ET

Brought to you by:

In this session, we will explore the world’s most climate-friendly electrified home heating solution and the future of thermal storage. Using advanced controls, Harvest smart units can draw power from the grid when renewable energy is available, and store it in a home’s hot water tank until the house needs it. This conversation will discuss how we can achieve greater use of renewables across the grid, and generate significant savings for ratepayers by optimizing for comfort, control, cost, and carbon. Harvest’s Co-founder and Head of Product and Operations Pierre Delforge will speak about the company’s groundbreaking technology in a fireside chat with Ben Wolkon, cofounding partner of MUUS Climate Partners, an investor in Harvest.

10:35 - 11:20 AM ET

Sponsored by:

As the deployment of distributed energy resources accelerates in the Southeast, understanding the fundamentals of DER Interconnection Agreements has become crucial for utilities and developers. This session aims to shed light on the intricacies of the interconnection process, exploring its benefits and limitations from both utility and developer standpoints. Join us to gain valuable insights into how this process shapes the integration of renewable energy resources into the grid and learn about potential challenges and opportunities.

10:35 - 10:50 AM ET

Sponsored by:

As distributed energy resource interconnection applications surge across the Southeast, many utilities are challenged to keep up, processing growing volume with limited resources; this in turn is leading to growing backlogs and lengthy turnaround times. Many utilities are embracing digitalization, using automation and integration to do more with less. In this session, Clean Power Research CEO Jeff Ressler spotlights work done by a utility in the Southeast to slash their interconnection processing time from weeks to days, and shares insights into how other utilities can leverage digitalization to scale and streamline their interconnection programs. 

10:35 - 11:20 AM ET

Sponsored by: 

New electrification uses, such as hospitality, multi-family, and depot EV charging, put significant new loads on the grid. The engineering challenge is not just accommodating the increased demand, it’s also controlling and managing the loads. Todd Jarvis, an expert in EV charging, and Dan Girard, an expert in DER and utility interconnection, will discuss how microgrids’ energy control capabilities can shift available power to where and when it's needed and thereby offer flexibility and growth opportunities for private and public EV charging and other high load electrical power installations. 

11:30 - 12:15 PM ET

This session will discuss the regulatory and legislative actions around distributed energy interconnection in the Southeast in 2023. Discussion will include noteworthy interconnection developments and processes throughout the country, as well as proposed interconnection process advancements, including implementation of FERC 2023 (i.e. cluster studies).

11:30 - 11:45 AM ET

Sponsored by:

This session delves into the transformative landscape of Smart Grid 2.0, focusing on the integration of digital platforms to optimize energy management, enhance grid resiliency, and drive emobility adoption. The session will explore the intersection of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), eMobility, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), grid automation, Demand Response (DR), and customer & workforce platforms.

11:30 - 12:15 PM ET

Sponsored by:

“Data is the new oil” – Clive Humby.  In the world of utility data, none may be more valuable than the smart meter consumption data.  With modern technology solutions and the cloud, the world has changed regarding what can be done with this data to fundamentally shift the use cases in how utilities can use smart meter data to drive their operations and business.  In this session, we will hear perspectives from Dean Van Gerrevink, GM of Smart Meter Solutions with Vector, AWS senior cloud engineers, and global energy specialist Tim Stafford from Slalom Consulting.  The trio will provide a compelling perspective and set of use cases from Vector and other utilities that are doing groundbreaking technology solutions.

1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Federal policy is moving the bulk power system toward a pro forma cluster study process for resource integration, aiming to alleviate clogged interconnection cues and distribute upgrade costs among multiple parties. The same can't be said for the distribution grid, which remains, in much of the Southeast, fragmented and set in a one-by-one approach to interconnection. This session will analyze the benefits and drawbacks to cluster studies and cost sharing for DER interconnection in the Southeast. 

1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Sponsored by:

This session will demonstrate how Digital Twin technology is helping energy companies to predict faults and critical events, optimize energy assets, and ultimately improve the overall efficiency and reliability of their infrastructure.

Digital Twin technology in the context of electric utilities refers to a virtual representation of the physical assets, systems, and processes involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. By leveraging advanced technologies, data analytics, and real-time monitoring, Digital Twins offer many benefits that can help electric utilities improve the reliability of the grid.

2:10 - 2:55 PM ET

In 2020 and 2021, Duke Energy received approval from state regulators to transition its interconnection process from serial to cluster studies. The approach adds additional responsibilities for both the utility and interconnecting developers to reach milestones and maintain efficiency. Nearly three years later, this session will analyze results from Duke Energy's early cluster studies, as well as potential opportunities for the process to evolve.

3:05 - 3:50 PM ET

Sponsored by:

Transmission interconnection queue placement affords developers access to crucial system data. At the distribution level, however, the process can often be significantly more opaque, with developers lacking access to hosting capacity maps, line and substation load data, voltages, and more. This session will explore opportunities for improved transparency in DER interconnection that balances developer needs with utility system safeguards.

3:05 - 3:50 PM ET

Presented by:

As the demand for electric vehicles continues to surge across the Southeast, utilities and developers are facing critical EV load integration challenges.   This session delves into the most pressing technical and policy elements that impact the successful integration of EV charging infrastructure into the region's grid. Join industry experts as they discuss strategies, lessons learned, dynamic demand-side management, and best practices to navigate the complexities of DER interconnection while promoting sustainable and efficient EV adoption.

Sponsored by:

The U.S. Department of Energy Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) convened diverse stakeholders across the U.S. electricity ecosystem to formulate a practical 5-year Strategic Roadmap for implementing simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection processes while enhancing the reliability, resiliency, and security of our distribution and transmission grid networks. Through a series of virtual meetings covering key issues such as cost allocation, queue management, data transparency, equity, workforce, and grid engineering practices, the i2X team facilitated numerous open dialogues about important interconnection issues, knowledge gaps, practical short-term solutions, and few paradigm-shifting ideas. The result is a roadmap for the next five years of interconnection innovation for stakeholders by stakeholders.

This is your chance to share your feedback and comments with the Department of Energy and i2X!