The Microgrid Global Innovation Forum - North America, December 6-7, 2022 in Oakland, CA brings together thought leaders, utilities, energy providers, project managers and other stakeholders for focused networking and in-depth information sharing concerning the latest technological developments, design, implementation and operation of hybrid renewable energy microgrids. The emphasis is on maximizing the business case for microgrids, integration into the larger grid, and sharing real-world case studies of both grid-tied and off-grid/remote environments.
Topics to be covered include:
- Microgrid feasibility, design, and implementation
- Ownership models and benefits for multiple stakeholders
- Microgrids withing EV charging infrastructure
- Leveraging microgrids to maximize the penetration of renewables
- Off-grid, remote, and rural use cases and advances
- Utilizing microgrids to cope with grid outages and crisis situations
- Utility-driven microgrids and deployment partnerships
- Public-purpose, city-community, and commercial microgrid deployments
- Integration of microgrids into the larger grid
- Determining the correct technology mix for hybrid energy systems
- Advanced battery, fuel cell, and flow battery technologies
- Microgrid power control and performance management
- Virtual power plants vs. microgrids
- Regulatory and public policy developments impacting microgrids
- Standards and interoperability issues
- Market drivers and opportunities worldwide
AGENDA
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
8:00 - 9:00 am Registration and Welcome Coffee
9:00 - 10:30 am
Microgrid Policy and the Resilient Grid
Federal legislation in the past year has created new funding streams and financing mechanisms for microgrids. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act prioritized community resilience, followed by the Inflation Reduction Act that created new tax credits for microgrid technologies. At the same time, proposals at the state level are aimed at aligning grid modernization goals with urgent demands for resiliency in the face of increasingly severe and frequent natural disruptions. California, for example, is considering applications to create "microutilities", which is only one of the regulatory trends that will be explored in this session examining current trends and policy innovations.
- Cameron Brooks, Executive Director, Think Microgrid bio
- Allie Detrio, Chief Strategist, Reimagine Power bio
- Peter Asmus, Executive Director, Alaska Microgrid Group bio
- Brady Van Engelen, Senior Policy Manager, Bloom Energy bio
10:30 - 11:00 am
Networking Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:30 am
Long-Duration Energy Storage-Centric Microgrids
- Mike Gravely, Research Program Manager, California Energy Commission bio
11:30 - 12:00 pm
California Microgrids: Common Use Cases and Lessons Learned from Operating Projects
The California power landscape presents a unique opportunity for expansive growth in hybrid microgrid installations. With expensive and unreliable power, and incentive programs to propel the industry forward, many developers are looking to offer deployable microgrid solutions for their customers.
Ageto is operating over 20 resilient grid-tied and off-grid microgrid projects in California. These include:
- An off-grid winery pumping well water with diesel generation
- A civic center with funding that needs to keep the doors open during PSPS events
- Large homes that turn to commercial backup systems to save money and keep the lights on
What benefits can microgrids bring to these repeatable use cases? What lessons can be learned from these projects? And how can we deploy more? This session will examine these practical microgrid installations and key takeaways for energy managers.
- Michael Murray, Co-Founder and COO, Ageto Energy bio
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Networking Lunch
1:00 - 2:30 pm
The Progression and Challenges for Business Case Assessment and Grid Integration of Energy Storage based Microgrids
Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) can accommodate an extensive variety of functions, rendering them a viable solution to enhance grid resiliency/reliability and enable high penetration of renewable energy resources in the grid. However, the current capital cost, life cycle, and efficiency of storage technologies, although improving, make single application use cases economically challenging. At this point, only stacked applications operation can offer economic feasibility. Stacked benefits can be achieved through manipulation of the active and reactive power capabilities of ESSs to achieve multiple value streams and maximize total benefit while maintaining operational efficiency such that the battery life is not being compromised. While control techniques are progressing in strides, the practice of identification of points on the electrical system, where the need for grid-support and islanding functionalities is the greatest, remains immature. This presentation provides an overview of the following BESS integration aspects:
- Methodologies deduced by Duke Energy to identify grid-tied BESS needs on the grid
- Accurate modeling of performance and degradation of grid-tied BESS projects in the development phase
- New and upcoming BESS technologies and technical challenges for microgrid applications
- Additional BESS requirements and sizing for islanding application
- Island formation and operation with BESS only - control and protection schemes
- Field deployment and testing
- Sherif Abdelrazek, PhD, PE, Director, Renewables Engineering - Energy Storage & Microgrids, Duke Energy bio
- Farid Katiraei, PhD, Vice President, Advanced Technology Integration, Quanta Technology bio
- Amin Zamani, Executive Director, Distributed Energy Solutions, Quanta Technology bio
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Networking Coffee Break
3:00 - 3:30 pm
Utilities Leveraging Microgrids to Build Resilience and Mitigate Wildfires
California is a leader in clean energy innovation. However, increasing temperatures and drought have greatly intensified wildfires, both in quantity and severity, all over the state. California utilities are looking to stand alone power systems or microgrids to provide reliable power to remote areas, to reduce wildfire risk and to provide a cost effective alternative to transmission line replacement or line hardening. This session will:
- Highlight the benefits to utilities from integrating microgrids into their portfolio to meet the increasing demands for resiliency, safety and low-carbon electricity - Describe examples of recently deployed, stand-alone power systems operated in California by PG&E - Give a technical deep-dive into the cybersecurity, performance validation requirements, and key functionality of remote monitoring and control systems to unlock these benefits
- Andrew Mulherkar, Expert Product Manager, Microgrid Policy & Pricing Strategy, Pacific Gas and Electric bio
- Jonathan T. Lee, PhD, Director of Research, New Sun Road bio
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Speeding and Scaling the Deployment of Microgrids
Today, the energy landscape is evolving, and microgrids are well-positioned to help provide solutions to the challenges facing customers and the grid. However, are we moving fast enough? This session will discuss how the acceleration of microgrid adoption can achieve the needs of addressing rising energy costs, extreme weather, sustainability goals, electric fleet and vehicles and cost efficiency. Schneider Electric's Vice President of Microgrid Offer Management will explore upcoming advancements in pre-engineered microgrids, financing and Energy as a Service models, new Federal tax incentives and achievable renewable solutions paired with easy, smart software and solutions. We will also walk-through insights around several successful microgrid implementations from the more than 300 that Schneider Electric has commissioned.
While the energy landscape is evolving, microgrids can be ideally positioned and scaled to meet the new and evolving energy demands. Key learning points include:
- How microgrid deployment can be accelerated in today's evolving energy landscape
- Customer stories of how deployment challenges have been met via microgrids
- How advancements in drivers both financial, technological and engineering can meet the need for speedier microgrid adoption
- Monika Murugesan, Vice President, Microgrid Offer Management, Schneider Electric bio
4:00 - 4:30 pm
Microgrids: Supporting an Evolving Energy Landscape
As the world's relationship with energy rapidly evolves, unchanging energy systems are no longer the solution. Custom microgrid systems are growing in number, and more people are realizing the potential that renewable natural gas and renewable diesel holds for the future of energy. When creating a custom microgrid, focus must be placed on key elements: the Network Operations Center, Microgrid Controls, Switchgear, and Distributed Energy Resources (DER). These elements allow for modernization and change, and add future technologies such as solar, fuel cells, energy storage, and more to microgrids -- in an efficient and cost-effective manner. When creating systems meant to last decades, efficiency and flexibility is key.
In this session, we will highlight several real-world customer case snapshots that demonstrate the rapid evolution that we're seeing across our industry today, and how we can use those lessons learned to prepare for the energy transition of tomorrow. Key learning points incllude:
- Microgrids play a key role in the clean energy transition
- Future proofing is an important element in the design of a microgrid
- Microgrids support consumers meeting three business objectives: resiliency, reduced cost, reduced carbon footprint
- Renewable fuels are drop in ready solutions that can be used as a part of a total microgrid development and clean energy strategy
- Eric Dupont, Chief Development Officer, PowerSecure bio
4:30 - 5:30 pm
Drink Reception
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
8:00 - 9:00 am
Welcome Coffee
9:00 - 10:45 am
Key Lessons Learned and Success Strategies from Microgrid Real Life Examples
This panel session will look at a range of microgrid case study deployments with an eye toward key lessons learned, technology optimization takeaways, and positive business models for a range of C&I scenarios. The goal will be to identify strategies and implementations that can be applied to similar environments and thus be a guidepost for organizations planning microgrid projects. Case studies to be discussed:
- Municipal building-type renewable energy microgrid that incorporates charging solutions for large fleet vehicles such as fire trucks, digital power solutions and pre-manufactured mobile electrical rooms. Part of a 40-acre development with long-term plans to include an off-grid residential community.
- A 100-acre higher education campus seeking to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030, utilizing solar, storage, and EV assets. Leverages a microgrid controller that will scale to control these devices and offer resilient, disaster-mitigating power
- A hybrid renewable microgrid project at a remote community in Canada that utilizes a run-of-river hydro facility and a solar+storage system in order to offset diesel powered generation. Special attention to how key learnings can be transferred to on-grid applications with increasing renewables penetration
- A C&I microgrid deployment, illustrating how hybrid renewable energy systems can be deployed to decarbonize the energy mix behind the meter while lowering overall energy costs and providing resiliency and emergency backup power.
- Mark Crowdis, Chief Executive Officer, 127 Energy bio
- Steve Nieland, Vice President, Innovation, EnTech Solutions bio
- Hassan Shahriar, President, ADAPTR bio
- Matteo Vecchiato, Investment Funds Relationship Director, ESPE Srl bio
- Joe Sullivan, Director, Business Development, PXiSE Energy Solutions bio
10:45 - 11:15 am
Networking Coffee Break
11:15 - 12:15 pm
EV Fleet Operations with Grid Attached Microgrids
With EV fleets being added to depots, the bus or vehicle depots turn into a complex microgrid. It's a highly complex task to effectively manage the operation and charging of EV fleets, along with building energy management, local generation and storage, and energy purchases, real time market pricing, resiliency, plus meeting service levels and turnaround time requirements. It requires the intelligent coordination of separate but inter-related systems and the ability to do so in real-time. No one system or human operator is up to the full task. During this panel session we will share some use cases with the BluWave-ai EV fleet orchestrator at Dubai Taxi and other transit agencies, and discuss how a data-driven AI centric platform can meet such challenges as:
- Intelligent management of EV Fleet charging
- Integration of solar generation and battery storage
- Intelligent management of mixed fleets
- Depot resiliency and backup
- Chris Galbraith, Product Manager, BluWave-ai bio
12:15 - 1:15 pm
Lunch Break
1:15 - 1:45 pm
Trailblazing Energy Resiliency Solutions and Leveraging Microgrid Technology: How the U.S. Armed Forces is Advancing Energy Security and Sustainability
The utilization of microgrids to withstand grid outages and climate crises has become increasingly relevant in recent years. As we learned from the widespread outages in Texas and the rolling blackouts in California, we must adapt to create a cleaner, energy resilient world.
During this session, Ameresco's manager of engineering Fred Thwaites will delve into how microgrids can be integrated with renewable energy resources to protect mission-critical operations. Using military case studies from the U.S. Army base at Fort Hunter Liggett and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma, Fred will elaborate on how each base is seamlessly implementing microgrids, and how these solutions will advance them towards their broader sustainability goals. Although they have not reached full operational completion yet, Fred will share planning and early implementation learnings with the audience, providing insight into best practices for attendees interested in exploring microgrid solutions for their own needs. Key takeaways include:
- Best practices and pragmatic steps to implementing microgrid solutions
- How microgrids complement renewable energy resources for energy resiliency and sustainability
- Why energy resiliency solutions must be prioritize now more than ever before for mission-critical operations
- Fred Thwaites, Manager of Engineering, Federal Solutions, Ameresco bio
1:45 - 2:15 pm
Enabling Whole-Home Electrification and the Creation of Mini-Grids
This session will discuss how rising consumer demand for EVs and electrical appliances won't break the grid, thanks to breakthrough technologies in the hardware and software used in home electrical panels that enable whole-home electrification and the creation of mini-grids. Legacy home electrical panels can often prevent or limit options for whole-home electrification with EV charging. Now, almost any U.S. home can quickly, easily and affordably convert to all-electric and add new electric loads without a lengthy, costly service upgrade, freeing homeowners to install solar, storage and/or smart home products and services that make their lives easier and more sustainable. Studies show more than 98% of homes can fully electrify without utility service upgrades, by dynamically controlling new electric loads less than 1% of the time. A new generation of smart home electrical panels are enabling a new level of connectivity and control over home solar, battery storage, EV charging, vehicle-to-grid, demand response and more.
- Arch Rao, Founder & CEO, SPAN bio
2:15 - 2:45 pm
Securing Critical Microgrid Infrastructure: Addressing the Culture Gap Between Engineering and Network Security
Critical infrastructures including electric power rely on industrial control systems. Control systems consist of engineering devices "owned" by engineering and Ethernet networks "owned" by network security. Networks have cyber security, cyber forensic capabilities, and network personnel have cyber security training and a cyber security ethic. The engineering devices use in "old grids, "new grids" and microgrids have no cyber security, cyber forensic capabilities, and the engineers have no cyber security training nor cyber security ethic. Applying inappropriate network cyber security technologies have impacted the operation of the devices exacerbating the culture divide. Technology has been demonstrated that can provide an un-hackable approach to control system devices that can help overcome the cultural divide.
- Joe Weiss, Managing Partner, Applied Control Solutions, LLC bio
2:45 - 3:00 pm
Coffee Break
3:00 - 3:30 pm
Unlocking the Value of Co-located Solar and Energy Storage
The transition to net zero is driving significant change in the energy sector, from the rise of renewables to the ever-increasing need for grid balancing services. The result is a significant requirement for scalable and real-time solutions to manage the energy system of tomorrow. Pairing wind and solar generation with battery storage can result in premiums in power markets while sharing grid connection capacity, coupled with savings on the connection and planning costs that would otherwise be incurred means co-location of renewables and storage seems an attractive investment. But co-location is not the simple proposition it first seems and due to investor uncertainty around revenues, projects aren't progressing to build stage. The challenge is not technology readiness, but how to manage technology within markets. The last 24 months have provided an opportunity to see what the market could look like in a highly volatile world. This session will illustrate the importance of market forecasting, revenue stacking, dispatch optimisation, and auction bidding strategies in ensuring that co-located assets achieve their full value potential. We will also explore the different energy and ancillary markets where solar and storage can earn revenue, and where we see they will develop over the next decade.
- Wayne Muncaster, Senior Vice President, North America, GridBeyond bio
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Smart Charging for Electric Ride-hailing Vehicles Using Solar Microgrids: A San Francisco Case Study
Smart charging-based tools can help synchronize EVs and PVs electricity demand and supply as well as integrate them into the grid. While there are a number of technical and economic options for delivering solar energy to the ERV fleet, this presentation will discuss how offsetting through net metering with a solar microgrid proves to be the most viable in the short-term. The solar, cost, and emission optimization objectives are mutually exclusive during certain times of the day, which requires designing special optimization objectives that can partially leverage all of these factors. We will examine how commercial net metering programs have a quick ROI and can make a solar-powered EV shared fleet profitable.
- Stefania Mitova, PhD, Lead Research Analyst, TRC Companies bio
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SPONSORS
Gold Sponsor
BluWave-ai formed in 2017 around the idea of bringing innovations in artificial intelligence, edge computing, and cloud-based super-computing to the world of distributed renewable energy. The goal of BluWave-ai is to drive the transition from a centralized, carbon-based energy model to the point where clean energy can be produced by almost anyone, anywhere, aided by advanced real-time computing to optimize its generation and use. Visit www.bluwave-ai.com
Silver Sponsors
PowerSecure, a Southern Company subsidiary, is the nation's leading distributed energy innovation company. Our team of experts has developed, installed, managed and serviced 2+ GW of microgrid capacity over the past 20 years, as well as implemented over $800 million of energy efficiency upgrades. We take a full-facility, lifecycle approach through production and management, delivering clean and resilient energy to our customers at the best possible value. By combining our product innovation capabilities with our 360 integrated processes, we offer you the best custom solution for your needs, backed by an unmatched level of expertise, quality and service. Visit www.powersecure.com
New Sun Road (NSR) was established in 2014 with a mission to accelerate renewable energy deployment and access for remote communities. Our unique Stellar monitoring and control platform for renewable energy microgrids is hardware-agnostic. It is flexible and scalable providing industry, government, nonprofit, and academic partners a mission control for their distributed energy fleets. Stellar uses IoT and AI technologies to reduce operating costs, increase uptime, optimize performance, improve resiliency, and reduce carbon emissions. Visit www.newsunroad.com
QualityLogic: Our singular passion is helping you release great, high-quality software -- and we have the expertise and experience to make that happen. We've been in the QA business for over 30 years and have perfected our process, so you can rest assured you're making the right decision when you choose QualityLogic as your software testing company. Visit www.qualitylogic.com
PXiSE (pronounced 'pice'), a member of the Yokogawa Group, develops next-generation grid control technology. PXiSE software solutions unlock the potential of distributed generation to improve grid reliability and increase renewable energy output, while helping ensure system balance and power quality.
Bronze Sponsor
The Ageto ARC Microgrid Controller is a robust, reliable and highly flexible control solution designed to amplify the value of your energy resources in three-phase behind-the-meter and off-grid microgrid installations. The ARC controller acts as the single interface for your entire system, providing autonomous system control and optimization, data collection and visualization, alarm handling and countless other features designed to ease the operation and maintenance of these complex and high investment systems. The microgrid experts at Ageto are committed partners calling on decades of storage and generator experience to exceed project expectations. Visit www.agetoenergy.com
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Sample Attendee Feedback:
"This was a great networking opportunity. Speakers were interesting in and of themselves, but the mix (tech, policy, regulatory, markets) made for deeper conversations than most events provide." -- Paul Roege, Vice President - Strategic Initiatives, Typhoon HIL
"Intra-disciplinary approach leads to this Forum as the premier program in microgrid innovations and thought leadership."
-- Michael J. Zimmer, Washington Counsel, Microgrid Institute
"Excellent. I have benefitted from hearing quite an array of perspectives and case studies. You have brought together a wealth of talent that generated great dialog and will stimulate cross-fertilization."
-- Larisa Dobriansky, Chief Business & Policy Innovation Officer, General Microgrids
"One of the best, with highest quality presenters on timely topics."
-- David E. Geary, PE, Co-Founder and Principal Engineer, DC Fusion
Previous Attendees of the MGIF-North America Include:
• 127 Energy
• 60Hertz Microgrids
• ABB
• Adaptive Microgrids
• Advanced Control Systems
• Ageto Energy
• Air Voltaics LLC
• Alaska Center for Energy and Power
• Alliance for Rural Electrification
• AlphaStruxure
• Ameresco
• American Public Power Association
• ARDA Power
• AutoGrid
• Blue Pillar
• Blue Planet Energy Systems
• Bluefin Energy Solutions Inc.
• Bluewave Resources
• Boice Dunham Group
• Bowen Advisors
• California Energy Commission
• California Public Utilities Commission
• Calpine Energy Solutions
• Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
• Canadian Solar
• Castello di Amorosa Winery
• Cenfura Energy
• Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
• ChargePoint
• Citizens Energy Corporation
• ComAp
• Commonwealth Edison
• ComRent
• Concentric Power
• Concord Engineering Group
• Concord Engineers
• Connect California
• Connected Energy
• Covanta
• CPS Energy
• CustomerFirst Renewables
• Customized Energy Solutions
• CWL ENergy Management
• Daegunsoft
• DCfusion / EnSync Energy
• District of Columbia Public Service Commission
• DEIF
• Department of General Services, Montgomery County
• Development Ventures
• DNV GL
• Dobriansky Consultancy
• Doosan GridTech
• Duane Morris LLP
• Duke Energy
• Dynamic Energy Networks
• Eaton
• e-centricity, LLP
• EDF Renewable Energy
• EDI Capital
• Edison Electric Institute
• Edison Energy
• Electrical Industry Group NW
• Electriq Power
• ELM FieldSight
• Elum Energy
• Emera Technologies
• EMerge Alliance
• Enbala Power Networks
• Enchanted Rock
• Energa Group
• Energy News Network
• Energy+ Inc.
• Enernet Global
• EnerVenue
• Envision Solar International
• Eos Energy Storage
• ERS
• ESPE Srl
• Exelon
• e-Zn
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Fermata Energy
• FREEDM Systems Center, NC State
• Future Energy Advisors
• GE Grid Solutions
• General Microgrids
• Geronimo Energy
• Global Common
• Gommyr Power Networks
• GreenStruxure
• GRIDIRON
• Guidehouse Insights
• Harvard University
• Hatch
• Hitachi Systems Power Services, Ltd.
• Husk Power Systems
• Hydro-Quebec
• ICF
• I-EMS Group
• ILAW Energy
• Illinois Commerce Commission
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• Industrial Economics (IEc)
• Invenergy
• itunePower Inc.
• JGC Corporation
• Kore Lithium
• Krevat Energy Innovations
• Lansing Board of Water & Light (LBWL)
• Lico Energy
• Lockheed Martin Energy
• Micgrogrid Institute
• Microgrid Design of Mendocino
• Modelon
• Montgomery County Department of General Services, Maryland
• Morrison Foerster LLP
• MPR Associates
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• NaturEner USA
• New Sun Road
• New York Independent System Operator
• New York State Smart Grid Consortium
• NextEnergy
• North American Substation Services
• North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
• Novartis
• Nuvve
• NV5
• Oceanus Power & Water, LLC
• OMNETRIC Group
• Pareto Networks
• Powerflex by EDF Renewables
• PSE Innowacje
• PXiSE Energy Solutions
• Quebec Government Office
• R J Energy
• Racepoint Energy
• Rakon Energy
• Redstone Technology Integration
• Ricardo Energy & Environment
• RMIT University
• Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
• Rolls-Royce Solutions America
• RTI
• S&C Electric Company
• Saft America
• Sapling Financial
• Scale Microgrid Solutions
• Schneider Electric
• Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
• SDG&E
• Siemens
• Skipping Stone
• Smart Electric Power Alliance
• Smart Grid Energy Research Center, UCLA
• Southern Company
• Southland Industries
• SparkMeter
• Sterling Energy Assets
• Strathmore Energy Research Centre
• Sungrow Power Supply
• Sunverge Energy
• Taiwan Institute of Economic Research
• Tesla
• Tetra Tech
• Tridium
• Tuatara Group
• U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives
• U.S. Energy Information Administration
• Unison Energy
• University of Idaho
• University of Maryland
• University of Ottawa
• University of St. Thomas
• University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
• West Monroe Partners
• Willdan Energy Solutions
• Winch Energy
• World Bank
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development
• ZOME Energy Networks
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Event Venue:
The Oakland Center
In the Transpacific Centre
1000 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
The CSU Oakland Conference Center is centrally located in the heart of downtown Oakland's City Center area. You can access the center by local mass transit (BART), AC Transit, and local interstate freeways. The Oakland Center is only 15 minutes away from the Oakland International Airport and 25 minutes from downtown San Francisco.
>> Directions in Google Maps
>> Nearby Hotels
TO REGISTER: https://microgridinnovation.com/NA2022/register.htm
CONTACT THE ORGANIZER: https://microgridinnovation.com/NA2022/contact.htm
