North America Smart Energy Week

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September 11-14, 2023
The Venetian Convention and Expo Center Las Vegas, NV

The Electric Avenue Webinar Series

Feeding an Electricity Hungry Future: The Evolving Grid-of-Grids

These live webinars present opportunities for interaction with thoughts leaders shaping the energy landscape, and how distributed energy resources and microgrids integrate with that planning.

Produced by EMerge Alliance

Up next:


March 28, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Power to the People:
Microgrids for Neighborhood and Community Applications

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelist: 
Kevin Meagher, Chief Science Officer, The Sun Company
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, BlockEnergy

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Compare Microgrid Networks to Virtual Power Plants
  • Define the path to resiliency via deployment of microgrids
  • Understand the best way to facilitate all forms of energy use
  • Lower the cost and increase the employment of local power production
  • Network power in a resilient local microgrid mesh to handle peak loads and islanding events

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why storage is significant
  • Incorporation of EV charging and electric heat pump loads
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combinations
  • Include mixed use commercial facility loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

This market segment is already implementing basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, what future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Neighborhood and community microgrids
  • Community level Virtual Power Plant (VPP) networks
  • Distributed semi-autonomous microgrid power management
  • Bi-directional capability
  • H2 long term storage

April 11, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Cyber Surety and Security:
Microgrids for Information and Communications Applications

Past Webinars:


July 12, 2022

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

The Grid-of-Grids

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelist: 
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, Emera Technologies
David Lawrence, Technology Manager, Duke Energy Emerging Technology and Innovation Center
John Reynolds, CEO, Agile Fractal Grid

The growing desire to transition to a cleaner, more electricity centric energy economy is forcing the issue of grid adequacy. One answer is the greater use of distributed energy resources, primarily incorporated into distributed microgrids that can bi-directionally exchange power in an increasingly transactive mesh network of grids. The advantages of moving in this direction are becoming increasingly apparent, but so are  the challenges to do so. This webinar will discuss the basic configuration options included in the Grid-of-Grids solution to provide more and cleaner power at the grid edge. A part of this discussion will include the increasing use of direct current and hybrid AC/DC microgrid architectures.  Interconnection challenges faced by operators on both sides of the meter will be reviewed, including the notion of a semi-autonomous balancing authority which can manage “Ask/Offer” arbitration, virtual and physical firewalling of control and power flow in a zero-trust cyber environment, physical power flow safety, and metering and revenue management. Test, pilot and real time commercial examples of power systems that are addressing and resolving these issues will be reviewed and discussed.

July 26, 2022

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Personal Power - Microgrids for Residential Applications

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelists:
Dusan Brhlik, Co-founder and CEO, Direct Energy Partners
Phil Teague, Co-founder and CEO, Rectify Solar
David Lawrence, Technology Manager, Duke Energy Emerging Technology and Innovation Center
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, Emera Technologies

The increasing desire for home owners to use Electric Vehicles, Electric Heat Pumps, and an increasing thirst for smart home electric appliances and home entertainment are putting a premium of the supply of electricity.  One obvious solution is for consumers to move from being part of the ‘problem’ to become part of the solution by installing home embedded microgrids.  The evolution from home solar generation, to solar storage systems to full-blown home microgrids is beginning to take shape.  But the variety of choices facing buyers can be daunting.  This webinar will discuss the merits of various system topologies, and relate the experience of the panelists regarding actual tested, piloted and installed systems.  Projects covers will include, the Purdue DC Home, the TECO deployed Emera Residential Development Microgrid platform, and the Kirtland AFB Housing Microgrid Network.

August 16, 2022

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

A Sneak Preview of The Live Microgrid Demonstration at RE+ Anaheim

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelists: 
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, Emera Technologies
Phil Teague, Co-founder and CEO, Rectify Solar

Join RE+ Infrastructure Partner EMerge Alliance’s Chairman, Brian T. Patterson, and the participating company representatives for a sneak-preview of this year's "live" microgrid demonstration in the Infrastructure section at the RE+ Anaheim Conference and Exhibition in September.   Dive into "Digital Fault Managed Power (FMP)," Hybrid AC/DC Microgrid powered homes with both AC and DC powered appliances, HVAC systems and EV charging, residential development peer-to-peer microgrid networks, and in general, how the future of smart electricity is evolving as technology continues to innovate the solar industry. Don't miss out of this exclusive look behind the scenes of the world's biggest and best microgrid demonstration on a tradeshow floor.

October 4, 2022

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Electrified Transportation:
Microgrid EV Charging Infrastructure

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian T. Patterson, Co-Founder & Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelists:
John Reynolds, President, Agile Fractal Grid
Dan Nordloh, Senior VP/GM, EdTech Solutions/Faith Technologies Inc.
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, Emera Technologies/Block Energy

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Eliminate the use of fossil fuel combustion electricity generation
  • Best facilitate all forms of clean EV transportation, personal, fleet, car, truck, bus, service (forklifts, special lifts), etc.
  • Lower the cost and increase the convenience of EV driving
  • Increase generation/supply of electricity for EV’s
  • Network power in resilient local microgrid mesh to handle charging peak loads

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why storage is significant
  • DC fast charge capability
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combination
  • Include mixed use service center loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

And while this market segment is just beginning to implement relatively basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, what future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Autonomous EV charging capable
  • Wireless charge points
  • Bi-directional capability
  • EV-Pass – no-stop charging
  • H2 distribution points
  • Virtual PP networks

November 8, 2022

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Food and Supply-side Energy Assurance:
Microgrids for Commercial, Industrial, & Agricultural Applications

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian T. Patterson, Co-Founder & Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelists:
Hanan Fishman, CEO, Alencon Systems
Dan Nordloh, Senior Vice President, Faith Technologies

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Eliminate the use of fossil fuel combustion electricity generation
  • Best way to facilitate all forms of energy use
  • Lower the cost and increase the convenience of local power production
  • Network power in resilient local microgrid mesh to handle charging peak loads

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why storage is significant
  • Incorporation of EV charging and electric heat pump loads
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combination
  • Include mixed use commercial facility loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

And while this market segment is just beginning to implement relatively basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, what future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Autonomous microgrid power management
  • Fault-Managed Power
  • Bi-directional capability
  • H2 long term storage
  • Virtual PP networks

Invited industry experts will provide actual use case projects in this market application of microgrids. This webinar is part of a 10 part series that will run through May 2023.  All past programs are recorded and archived for on-demand viewing.

January 17, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

In the Interest of National Security:
Microgrids for Military and DHS Operations

Featuring:

Moderator: Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelist: 
Chuck Manto, Chairman-Emeritus, InfraGard's National Disaster Resilience Council
Gary Oppedahl, Vice President, Emera Technologies
Dusan Brhlik, Founder & CEO, Direct Energy Partners

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Identifying the threats to national, regional and local power systems
  • Defining the path to resiliency via deployment of microgrids
  • Best way to facilitate all forms of energy use
  • Lower the cost and increase the employment of local power production
  • Network power in resilient local microgrid mesh to handle peak loads and islanding events

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why storage is significant
  • Incorporation of EV charging and electric heat pump loads
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combination
  • Include mixed use commercial facility loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

This market segment is already implementing basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, what future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Autonomous microgrid power management
  • Fault-Managed Power
  • Bi-directional capability
  • H2 long term storage
  • Virtual PP networks

January 31, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

A Grid's Best Friend:
Microgrids for Utility Scale

Featuring:

Panelist: 
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance Council
Rob Bennett, President & Chief Executive Officer, Emera Technologies, Emera Inc.

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on:

  • Identifying the challenges to national, regional and local power systems
  • Defining the path to resiliency via deployment of microgrids
  • The best way to facilitate multiple forms of energy use, i.e. AC and DC
  • Lowering the cost and increasing the employment of grid edge power delivery
  • Utility networking of power in resilient local microgrid mesh to handle peak loads and islanding events

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why and where storage is significant
  • Peak load strategies for EV charging and electric heat pump loads
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combinations
  • Including mixed use commercial facility loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity backup generation
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

The utility market segment is already implementing basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, but future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Autonomous microgrid power management
  • Fault-Managed Power
  • Bi-directional capability
  • H2 long term storage
  • Virtual PP networks

February 14, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Power for Off-Grid Locations:
Microgrids for Remote & Rural Access to Electricity

 

Featuring:

Moderator:
Brian Patterson, Co-founder and Chairman, EMerge Alliance

Panelists:
Jim Gula, JLG Consulting, Co-Founder of Open DC Grid
Wayne Gutschow, IEEE 2030.10 Chairman Systems

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Identify the challenges to power off-grid locations
  • Define the path to remote application power via deployment of microgrids
  • Optimize multiple forms of energy use, i.e. AC and DC
  • Lower the cost and increase the safety of off-grid power delivery
  • Provide the building blocks for eventual grid integration.

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why and where remote microgrids are useful
  • DC coupling of essential microgrid elements
  • Distributed intelligence for microgrid management
  • Commercial and residential off-grid applications
  • Alternates for backup generation
  • Storage strategies for high instantaneous load profile challenges

The utility market segment is beginning to implement remote off-grid microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, but future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Reducing the danger of long remote overhead wiring
  • Self-contained microgrid power systems
  • Remote black-start capability
  • Preservation of scenic and environmentally sensitive terrain

March 14, 2023

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

Critical Power for Essential Services:
Microgrids for Health, Emergency, and Municipal Services

Featuring:

Moderator:
Joe Suppers, President, NODECOM/Swiss Vault

Panelist: 
Joe Magno, Managing Director, JoeMagno.com
Chuck Manto, Chairman-Emeritus, InfraGard's National Disaster Resilience Council, CEO, Instant Access Networks
Mark Welsko, Chief Technology Officer, Worldwide Environmental Services (WES)

 

This Electric Avenue segment will focus on how to:

  • Identify the threats to local mission critical power systems
  • Define the path to resiliency via deployment of microgrids
  • Find the best way to facilitate all forms of energy use
  • Lower the cost and increase the employment of local power production
  • Network power in resilient local microgrid mesh to handle peak loads and islanding events

Some architectural and interconnection considerations include:

  • Why storage is significant
  • DC coupled bi-directional power flow
  • Grid and local virtual power network combination
  • Include mixed use commercial facility loads
  • H2 fuel cells for large capacity
  • High instantaneous load profile challenges

This market segment is already implementing basic microgrids in their infrastructure topologies, what future advanced considerations are already in the works, including:

  • Autonomous microgrid power management
  • Fault-Managed Power
  • Bi-directional capability
  • H2 long term storage
  • Virtual Power Plant (VPP) networks
  • Neighborhood and community microgrids

About Emerge Alliance

For providers and users involved in distributed generation, EMerge Alliance promotes better and more practical ways of getting the most out of direct current and the combination of both AC and DC power technologies.

We are a nonprofit, open industry association established to promote the adoption of safe, pure DC and hybrid AC/DC microgrid systems that involve on-site power generation, integration and distribution.

EMerge Alliance develops and maintains open standards that integrate
renewable and non-renewable power sources, wiring infrastructures, controls and a wide variety of loads, from lighting, appliances, desktop and plug loads all the way up to building and campus level HVAC and other support equipment including the array of connected Internet of Things. We support a common platform that adds flexibility, resiliency, safety and sustainability to new and existing renovation projects.

Learn more

Sponsorship Opportunities

Position your company as a subject matter expert and gain recognition within your field by sponsoring one or more webinar in the Electric Avenue series!

Sponsor

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