DISTRIBUTECH International’s all-star program features SDG&E as host utility
DISTRIBUTECH International is the largest annual gathering of electric utility professionals and the companies they partner with to deliver electricity. Next year’s event, which takes place February 7-9, 2023 with pre-conference activities beginning on Feb 6, is setting up to be spectacular.
San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), a utility at the forefront of the energy transition with expertise in energy storage, virtual power plants, microgrids, resiliency, wildfire mitigation, vegetation management, workforce development, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, and so much more will act as host utility and CEO Caroline Winn will kick off the event as part of the keynote program.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the San Diego region and California is how to decarbonise key economic sectors over the next two decades, while also ensuring electric reliability, affordability and equity,” said Nick Moran, SDG&E Director of Electrical Engineering. “We look forward to collaborating with industry leaders at DISTRIBUTECH International to discuss these challenges and work together to create solutions.”
The highly popular conference program and educational offerings, including a new track centered around Communication Networks and another new track focused on Interconnecting DER, can be reviewed here. In all there are 13 educational tracks for conference attendees plus 6 knowledge hubs on the exhibit hall floor offering company-led educational sessions for everyone who attends the event. Mega sessions, listed below, are set for February 9.
These high-level executive sessions are open to all. Topics up for discussion include:
- Transforming the Regulatory Environment for the Utility of the Future
- Vegetation Management and Other Wildfire Risk Mitigation Strategies
- Using EVs to Accelerate the Distribution Network Journey
- FERC Order 2222: Implementation and Impacts for Distribution Utilities
- City View: Insights into the City/Utility Smart Cities Interface
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Keynote
In addition to Caroline Winn, CEO of San Diego Gas and Electric, Tom Deitrich, CEO of Itron, Linda Stevens, Chief Strategy Office of OATI, and a special announcement from the US Department of Energy, the annual event will host Duncan Wardle, DISTRIBUTECH’s 2023 headline keynote, which takes place on February 7 at 8:30 AM.
Duncan Wardle is the Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, working with Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and Disney Parks to innovate and create magical new storylines and experiences for consumers around the globe. In his keynote, he’ll talk about how companies can embed “a culture of innovation into everyone’s DNA.”
DISTRIBUTECH will showcase new areas on the exhibit floor including a Smart City Zone in partnership with OATI and an Electric Vehicle Zone in partnership with ABB E-mobility. These spaces will be fully immersive experiences where attendees can connect, learn, and be inspired.
“Cities and utilities share more goals in common than in the past, creating both enormous opportunity as well as the need for dialogue.
Cities are indispensable partners in the push to decarbonise and provide beneficial electrification. DISTRIBUTECH allows key stakeholders the chance to come together to engage, gain insight into technological advancements, and move resilient, efficient, smart cities forward.” Sasan Mokhtari, Ph.D., OATI President & CEO.
OATI envisions a generation of Smart Cities with transformational, extensible, and purposeful technology to support urban decision makers to take data-driven action to improve operations, manage assets and improve the quality of city life, added Mokhtari.
“The Smart City Zone and EV Zone at DISTRIBUTECH 2023 will bring attendees a brand-new way to connect and learn, right on the exhibit hall floor,” says Desiree Hanson, Executive Vice President, Energy North America. “We want to bring more exposure to critical areas of innovation affecting the grid, and creating these dedicated spaces is a fresh way to deliver that experience and provide a platform for conversation to help navigate the energy transition.”
