LEARNING LABS

DEEP DIVE INTO FASCINATING TOPICS

Immerse yourself in these four-hour sessions led by renowned industry gurus. Perfect for those eager to expand their expertise and master new skills.

Monday, September 30, 2024
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Doug Houseman
Learning Lab

Cost: $150.00 on or before August 23, 2024
$200 after August 23, 2024

Click here to register

In the next 25 years, the transmission and distribution world will change drastically with some distribution circuits providing up to 10 times the electricity they do today. The grid will be stressed during winter nights as peak shifts to support transportation and winter heating. The grid tends to last 40 or more years, so half of the grid likely will not get upgraded by 2050, and the other half needs to be built to deal with the higher demand—demand that could be two-way, exporting during the day, and importing at night. Most upgrades are 70 percent labor and 30 percent materials and equipment. Some materials (like wooden poles) might not be available, and others might have lead times measured in years. Changes to regulations could make building or upgrading new distribution or transmission more difficult and expensive, slowing further the pace of upgrades.

This workshop will look at some of the “No Regrets” strategies and tactics that will lower the cost of upgrades and stretch scarce dollars to do more. Regulators are going to be tough negotiators on new capital investments as the cost of energy rises and will look to minimize cost increases for infrastructure. The session will deal with everything from poles and structures and construction standards to real estate, software, communications, protection, and other no regrets moves that a utility can make to be ready for the future. After all, no one wants to bring a new electric vehicle home and find out they are not able to charge it at night.

Course purpose

  • Identify “No Regrets” strategies and tactics needed to build the T&D grid of the future
  • Identify construction requirements, standards and material bottlenecks
  • Identify software, communications and protection requirements

Who should attend:

  • Electric power professionals (operations, engineers, managers and procurement) tasked with upgrading the existing grid and planning the future grid to meet greater electricity demand, changing generation mix and changing peak demand.
  • Representatives of electric transmission and/or distribution utilities
  • Professionals interested in financial and regulatory requirements

Prerequisite skills and knowledge

  • Knowledge of electricity transmission and distribution operations
  • Business processes for planning and operating T&D infrastructure

Takeaways

  • Challenges created by federal and state regulations and policies will require new strategies and tactics related to T&D infrastructure management and construction
  • It is possible to create no regrets strategies that will support T&D changes and challenges into the future (up to 25 years)
Robert Uluski Stipe Fustar
Learning Lab

Cost: $150.00 on or before August 23, 2024
$200 after August 23, 2024

Click here to register

This Learning Lab provides information electric utilities need to plan, integrate, and commission an advanced distribution management system (ADMS) that includes functions for electrical optimization, outage management, DER Management, and other advanced applications.

Learning Objectives
•    Key terms and definitions
•    Basic and advanced functionality of the latest ADMS (DMS, OMS, DERMS) including the concept of a “DER-Enabled” ADMS
•    OMS, ADMS, and DERMS architecture alternatives 
•    Effective implementation strategies and internal resource requirements
•    ADMS business case

Knowledge, skills and/or capabilities that attendees should acquire through this course.  
•    System integration guidelines and challenges
•    Current vendor offerings
•    Implementation strategy

Who should attend this course?
•    Electric utility operators, engineers and managers involved in the operation, design and optimization of electric distribution systems
•    Representatives of electric distribution companies that are implementing or planning to implement ADMS and DERMS functionality
•    Information technology and business process personnel responsible for system integration and transitioning to modern distribution control centers
•    Financial personnel interested in the business case for deploying ADMS/DERMS

Prerequisite skills, knowledge, certifications
•    Knowledge of electric distribution operations
•    Business processes for managing customer outages
•    General knowledge of communication media for remote monitoring and control of electric power apparatus

Key Takeaways
•    Insights on the importance of ADMS/DERMS for optimal distribution system efficiency, reliability, an overall performance
•    Challenges to utilities posed by increasing penetrations of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) including distributed generators, energy storage, and controllable loads (including electric vehicles, programmable thermostats, etc.)
•    Change management strategies for distribution system operators, engineers and other ADMS/DERMS stakeholders.