Agenda

Workshop: Government Policy and Regulation: What’s the Way Forward for Microgrids? 

Hosted by Think Microgrid

(Special registration required. Limited capacity.)

Technology catches up with — and often outpaces — policy, which means that policymakers today bear a great responsibility. They are charged with designing utility markets that are resilient, clean and equitable. This is a daunting task. When it comes to microgrids, how can the industry assist?

This preconference workshop gathers policymakers, lawmakers, regulators and industry experts to work together on key issues facing the microgrid industry.

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Welcome and Platform Explanation

Main Stage/Salon EF

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Sponsored by:

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney Opens Microgrid 2022

Main Stage/Salon EF

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Keynote 

Main Stage/Salon EF

Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Director for the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia Climate School, Columbia University and author of Rethinking Readiness: A Brief Guide to Twenty-First-Century Megadisasters

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Main Stage Discussion: Megatrends and Microgrids: Macroeconomic Influences on the Microgrid Market

How will megatrends — such as inflation, rising interest rates and war — affect the economics of microgrids and their financing.

Main Stage/Salon EF

Moderator: Ken Horne, Director of Portfolio Operations, Spring Lane Capital

Featured Speakers:

• Rob Hong, Co-Founder and CEO, Sapling Financial
• Rob Howard, CEO, ClearGen
• Allan Schurr, Chief Commercial Officer, Enchanted Rock

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Break

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Main Stage Discussion: Making Microgrids a Building Block of US Infrastructure and Climate Goals

What opportunities does the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure act — and other federal climate and energy programs — create for microgrids? How can you capture them? What role might communities play? And what can we do to ensure that microgrids become a bigger priority for Washington lawmakers and policymakers?

Main Stage/Salon EF

Moderator: Cameron Brooks, Executive Director, Think Microgrid

Featured Speakers:

• Elizabeth Bellis Wolfe, Senior Consultant, Loan Programs Office, US Department of Energy
• Amanda Corrado, Government Relations Advisor, Schneider Electric
• Matt Borron, Executive Director, Association of Defense Communities

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Announcement of the Microgrid Greater Good Award Winners

Main Stage/Salon EF

Awards presented by Peter Lilienthal, Global Microgrid Lead, UL Renewables

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Lunch

Breakout Discussion: Microgrids to the Rescue: How a Small Nonprofit Is Changing the Face of Disaster Recovery

From the Texas deep freeze to Hurricane Ida and now the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis, the Footprint Project is there supplying reliable energy through mobile microgrids — and offering a new blueprint for disaster recovery.

Salon EF

Moderator: Matt Roberts, Director of Market Development, Blue Planet Energy

Featured Speakers:

• Samantha Childress, Solutions Architect Manager, Schneider Electric
• Will Heegaard, Operations Director, Footprint Project
• Moira Hanes, Executive Director, Empowered by Light
• Mary Kombolias, Researcher, Agrafa Solutions/E2 Fellow 2021-2022

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Breakout Presentations: Growing Food, Grapes and Cannabis with Microgrid Power

The war in Ukraine and supply chain issues underscore the need for reliable energy to ensure adequate food production and distribution. Here we look at microgrids getting the job done.

Salon AB

Moderator: Michael Stadler, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Xendee

Featured Speakers:

Francisco Morocz, Co-Founder and General Manager, Heila Technologies

• Is 100% renewable energy even possible? It is for Stone Edge Farm in Sonoma, California, which has operated on 100% renewables for over five years, effectively off-grid since 2019 through use of emergent intelligence.

Brent Voelker, Director, Kinsley Energy

• Learn about a 3.5-MW multigenerator off-grid microgrid and chiller plant operating on liquified natural gas as the sole supplier of electric power, hot water and chilled water to Pennsylvania Options for Wellness, a state-of-the-art medicinal cannabis and research facility.

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Breakout Presentations: But Is a Microgrid Possible for My Community? Veteran Microgridders Show the Way

More and more communities are taking control of their energy with microgrids. What are the steps to success? Learn from projects in Quebec and New Jersey.

Salon CD

Moderator: Joe Sullivan, Vice President, Concord Engineering

Featured Speakers:

Tim McDuffie, Senior Business Development Engineer, Smarter Grid Solutions

• How to make the idea of a community microgrid a reality. The story of the Lac-Megantic community microgrid in Quebec, Canada.

Jason Hutchins, Team Leader, Power and Process Systems, CHA Consulting and Adam Zellner, President, Greener by Design

• The regulatory and technical challenges of creating a microgrid for Woodbridge, New Jersey — and the solutions found.

James Naviaux, Director of Global Partnerships & Commercial Strategy, ESS and Joe Sullivan, Head of Sales, PXiSE Energy Solutions

• How Cameron Corners, California, will protect numerous critical community facilities including a fire station, a health center and key telecommunications equipment during the state’s notorious public safety power shutoffs.

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Break

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Breakout Presentations: Sustainable Commerce in the Age of the Microgrid

Salon EF

Moderator: Emily LeJeune, Manager – Federal Market, S&C Electric

Featured Speakers:

Clark Wiedetz, Chief Sales Officer, GreenStruxure and Chris Wolfe, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, Bimbo Bakeries USA

• Bimbo Bakeries: Environmental, social and corporate governance investments are reaching record levels and driving up demand for clean energy as businesses strive to achieve sustainability goals. Where microgrids will fit into this trend remains an open question. But a major US bakery company is offering a model.

Jon Erickson, Senior Project Manager, Power Engineers

• Albertsons is one of the largest retail employers in the US and its 23 distribution centers are moving toward electrifying their trucks. This feasibility study shows how microgrids could serve three California distribution centers.

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Breakout Presentations: Travel Insurance: Why Mass Transit Is Coming to Rely on Microgrids

Salon AB

Moderator: Geoff Gunn, Associate Principal/Energy, Arup

Featured Speakers:

Nicole Geneau, Senior Vice President, Development, AlphaStruxure and Michael Yambrach, Capital Projects, Office of Energy and Sustainability – Montgomery County, Maryland

• Montgomery County, Maryland, has an ambitious carbon reduction goal, and electrification of the Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot and its 5.6-MW microgrid are part of the plan.

Norm Campbell, Manager of Business Development, Go Electric

• How a battery-enabled microgrid for an air traffic control tower is keeping the skies safe over an Army base in Fort Hood, Texas.

Mike Norelli, Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Northeast-Western Energy Systems

• A look inside the nation’s first major US airport powered entirely by a microgrid: Pittsburgh International Airport

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Workshop: Achieving Resiliency Alongside Demand Response

Demand response isn’t what it once was … it’s better than it ever was! Now with more flexibility, options, third-party partners, incentives and microgrid technology, there is a demand response program and backup power solution right for you and your utility. Learn how to select the right program and resilient microgrid solution so you won’t get left in the dark.

Salon CD

This session is brought to you by Mesa Solutions

Featured Speakers:

• Tom Poteet, Vice President, Corporate Development, Mesa Solutions
• Malcolm Taylor, Director, Sustainable Power Solutions, Mesa Solutions
• Mackenzie Owen, Senior Engineer, Energy Project Development, Mesa Solutions

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Breakout Discussion: Greening and Microgridding the Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic states are among the most active in the nation when it comes to microgrids. Learn about projects underway, policies in the making and opportunities on the horizon.

Salon EF

Moderator: Richard Mroz, Regulatory Affairs Consultant and former President, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Featured Speakers:

• Christine Knapp, Sustainability Officer, City of Philadelphia
• Phil Gonski, Project Manager, The Burns Group
• Jon Wohl, Senior Vice President, Project Development, DCO Energy

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Workshop: Innovations in Microgrid Resiliency: The Realities of a Grid of Microgrids and Replacing Diesel Generation

This panel discusses the results from two efforts related to the Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program that share the goal of increasing the resilience of microgrid installations. One of the topics considers the algorithms necessary to create “grids of microgrids” when multiple microgrids can be connected through a single feeder. The other focuses on the use of flow batteries as a potential replacement for diesel generator sets, especially as applied to critical infrastructure. 

Salon AB

This session is brought to you by S&C Electric

Moderator: Peter Curtiss, Principal Engineer, S&C Electric

Featured Speakers:

• Bob Harwig, Manager, Engineering Services, S&C Electric
• Jacqueline Baum, Engineer/Scientist III, EPRI
• Anthony Colonnese, Vice President, Energy Security Solutions, Ameresco

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Breakout Presentations: Even Smarter Cities: Keeping Critical Services Operating When the Grid Is Down

Salon CD

Moderator: Scott Manson, Principal Engineer, SEL

Featured Speakers:

Michael Boswell, Vice President, Power and Infrastructure, Concord Engineering and Michael Samuel, President, R3M Engineering

• Hurricane Sandy seriously damaged the Sayreville pumping station in central New Jersey, resulting in the disruption of services and the release of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Raritan River. Today the pumping station operates with newfound resilience thanks to a 9.5-MW on-site power generation system designed to decouple from the local grid and operate as a resilient microgrid.

Michael Byrnes, COO, Veolia

• Learn how a microgrid brought energy independence, resilience, efficiency and cost savings to a California wastewater treatment plant — and saved an endangered fish species at the same time.

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Reception

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Welcome and Recap

Main Stage/Salon EF

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Day 2 Keynote

Main Stage/Salon EF

Congressman Sean Casten, D-Ill., a former microgrid developer and now co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Climate Change Task Force, provides Microgrid 2022 with a view from Washington, D.C., in an interview with Elisa Wood, editor-in-chief of Microgrid Knowledge.

View the video here.

Breakout Presentations: Microgrids and the Future Grid: A Preview of What’s to Come

From sectionalizing the grid for greater resiliency to creating a more safe and secure power flow and keeping us all connected to the Internet, microgrids will transform the way we manage energy. Here are three technical presentations that offer a peek into the future.

Salon EF

Moderator, Eric Dupont, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, PowerSecure

Featured Speakers:

• Shashank Pande, Software Solutions Architect-Utility Control Center Solutions, Siemens Grid Software
• Dean Richards, President and CEO, Piller Power Systems
• David Theodore, co-founder and CTO of Climate Resilient Internet

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Breakout Presentations: Is Local Energy the Key to Energy Equity?

Salon AB

Moderator: Jayant Kumar, Chief Business Officer, L&T, PT&D Digital Solutions

Featured Speakers:

Michael Ginsberg, Vice President, Energy Transition, Bowman Consulting Group

• Low to moderate income communities face a multitude of barriers to clean energy microgrids, from access to financing to split incentives between owners and tenants. This presentation will provide lessons learned from a California Energy Commission project in Oakland, CA called EcoBlock, which is creating a model for a block-scale community microgrid with rooftop solar, battery storage, EVs and energy & water-efficient retrofits.

Dana Al-Qadi, Digital Innovation Market Sector Leader, AECOM Technical Services

• How microgrids advance community equity and resilience.

Greta Foster, DER Product Line Manager, Eaton

• Puerto Rico continues to recover from its 2017 grid collapse from Hurricane Maria and other natural disasters that followed. This case study provides an overview of the Puerto Rico microgrid projects currently in development including key business drivers and expected outcomes.

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Breakout Presentations: Microgrids for Homes and Neighborhoods

Home microgrids offer the opportunity for true energy democratization. But until recently they’ve been an unrealized ideal. OhmGrid, Emera Technologies and Sunnova Energy explain why that’s changing.

Salon CD

Moderator: Peter Asmus, Adjunct Research Professor, University of Alaska

Featured Speakers:

• Ben Parvey, CEO, OhmGrid
• Bobbi Dillow-Walsh, Vice President, Sales & Commercial Strategy, Emera Technologies
• Davis Peden, Vice President IT & Microgrids, Sunnova Energy

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Break

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Breakout Discussion: Why Microgrids Are Becoming Important to Military Missions

The US military has advanced microgrids more than any other branch of government and now the Army plans to equip all of its bases with microgrids by 2035. Why is gaining energy independence, security and sustainability so important to the military and what kind of microgrid development will it pursue in the coming years?

Salon EF

Moderator: Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Federal Solutions, Ameresco

Featured Speakers:

• Hanan Fishman, President, Alencon Systems
• Jason Smith, General Manager, Bright Canyon Energy
• David Irwin, Director of Project Development, U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives

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Breakout Discussion: “Yeah! We’re Going to Electrify Everything … Uh Oh”

The transportation industry is becoming electric, which will mean more demand for clean energy. What role will microgrids play in a more electrified and renewable world?

Salon AB

Moderator:  Michael Ginsberg, Vice President, Energy Transition, Bowman Consulting Group

Featured Speakers:

• Jana Gerber, President, North American Microgrid, Schneider Electric
• Adnan Khan, Program Manager – Microgrids, Energy Storage, & Hybrid Power, Siemens Smart Infrastructure
• Andrew Levine, Co-Chair, Environmental, Stradley Ronon

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Breakout Presentations: Microgrid Innovation

Salon CD

Moderator: Erika Pearson, Technical Support Specialist, OPAL-RT Technologies

Featured Speakers:

• Matt Nyquist, Project Manager, Concord Engineering
• Kurt West, Vice President, Business Development, 2G Energy
• Marshall Worth, Senior Director of Power Control, PowerSecure

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Lunch

Breakout Discussion: How to Bring Maximum Microgrid Value to Utilities and Their Customers

Utilities offer an array of value-added services for their customers, among them microgrids. But developing a utility microgrid is not always easy given the regulatory constraints utilities face. Utilities talk about the hurdles they face and the solutions they’ve found to make their microgrids a reality.

Salon EF

Moderator: Nathan Johnson, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Featured Speakers:

• Allan Schurr, Chief Commercial Officer, Enchanted Rock
• Tom Bonner, Energy Policy Manager, PECO
• Judson Tillinghast, Leader, Product Development and Strategy, Customer to Grid Solutions, Arizona Public Service
• Alex Rojas, Director, Innovation Implementation & Strategy, Ameren

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Breakout Session: Presentations by Microgrid 2022 Greater Good Award Winners

Winners of the 2022 Microgrid Knowledge Greater Good Awards present their projects. 

Salon AB

Moderator: Mohammad Zadeh, VP, ETAP

Speakers are the winners of awards for:

• Highest Recognition
• Grid-Connected Microgrid
• Remote Microgrid
• Pennsylvania Microgrid (conference host state)

Watch the video here. View the slides here.

Workshop: How to Accelerate the Transition to 100% Renewable Generation with Microgrids

The team at Mainspring Energy invites community, commercial and utility decision makers who are focused on resiliency, cost and sustainability to this dynamic use case centered discussion. Using examples from several customers with varied load profiles and operational requirements, the team will educate participants on the firming generation opportunities available in renewable microgrids and will discuss the value of net-zero carbon power generation with clean fuels such as biogas, green hydrogen and others in displacing diesel backup generation.

Salon CD

This session is brought to you by Mainspring Energy

Moderator: Kevin Normandeau, Publisher, Microgrid Knowledge

Featured Speakers:

• Wayne Johnson, Manager of Key Segment Management for Education, Duke Energy
• Adam Simpson, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Mainspring Energy
• John Igo, Vice President, Business Development, Mainspring Energy

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Break

Breakout Presentations: Graduating Beyond the Basics: The Latest Microgrid Innovations for Campuses

Salon EF

Moderator: Adib Naslé, Founder and CEO, Xendee

Featured Speakers:

Justin Nieves, Project Manager, Scale Microgrid Solutions

• A preview of a Washington, D.C., microgrid that will accomplish the unusual feat of serving its host — a university for deaf and hard of hearing students — and powering a community solar program.

James DiLiberto, CEO, Principal Engineer, AZZO and Adam Fletcher, Program Manager for the Hycel Technology Hub, Deakin University

• A case study on the Deakin University Renewable Energy Microgrid, which reduces 12,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year while acting as a learning center for microgrids.

John Igo, Vice President, Business Development, Mainspring Energy and Wayne Johnson, Manager of Key Segment Management for Education, Duke Energy

• An inside look at a microgrid being developed for a new campus research center in Florida that will incorporate a linear generator running a hydrogen-blend fuel to firm a solar array at the facility.

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Breakout Discussion: What Remote Microgrids Can Teach Us All about the Future of Energy

A look at the many purposes of remote microgrids — from serving far-flung communities to energizing forward operating military bases — and the lessons they provide for energy planners.

Salon AB

Moderator: Mike Murray, Co-Founder and COO, Ageto Energy

Featured Speakers:

• Peter Asmus, Adjunct Research Professor, University of Alaska
• Manoj Sinha, CEO, Husk Power Systems
• Bill Becker, Renewable/Hybrid Sales Manager, ComAp
• Ed Knaggs, Vice President, Charge Solar
• Wissam Balshe, Business Director, Energy Management Solutions, Cummins Power Generation

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Workshop: Destination Hybrid Success: Optimizing Microgrids to Deliver Resilience and EV Charging While Cutting Costs and Emissions

Learn how modeling and side-by-side comparison of technical and economic performance of various system configurations helped minimize risks and enable the successful development of two grid-connected, hybrid microgrids. Learn how project developer Rivermoor Energy worked with town leaders in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, to develop a microgrid plan for energy resiliency that also cut energy costs and emissions. Next, see the modeling that helped a California hospital optimize charging for its electric ambulance fleet while decreasing costs and carbon emissions.

Salon CD

This session is brought to you by UL Renewables

Featured Speakers:

• John Tourtelotte, Founder and Managing Director, Rivermoor Energy
• Peter Lilienthal, Global Microgrid Lead, UL Renewables
• Eduardo Guerra, Sr. Project Engineer and HOMER Grid Lead, UL Renewables

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Main Stage Discussion: What the Last Two Days Taught Us about the Future of Microgrids: Insights from the Leaders

Main Stage/Salon EF

Moderator: Ken Horne, Director, Portfolio Operations, Spring Lane Capital

Featured Speakers:

• Michael Fischette, CEO, Concord Engineering
• Jim Fonger, Canadian Vice President, Ameresco
• Tom Poteet, Vice President, Corporate Development, Mesa Solutions
• Elisa Wood, Editor-in-Chief, Microgrid Knowledge

Watch the video here. View the slides here.