If you’re planning or building a new operations center (or hoping to in the near future), then it is important to be familiar with a new slate of construction, technology, and operational improvements. Review the  considerations necessary for designing a new system operations center, from integrating the latest operational technology, security features, and strategies for construction and commissioning. Discuss how to design a facility that will meet your operational needs for today and allow for adaptability for what the future might bring.

The value behind a grid modernization project goes well beyond the price tag, to how these investments support reliability, operational efficiency, customer engagement, and more. Learn practical strategies for building business cases for your projects that showcase the full potential value of the project alongside the cost. Review how to translate technical risk into business terms and learn best practices for structuring costs, capturing savings, and securing funding for grid modernization efforts.

Utilities are under increasing pressure to expand and adjust their power supply while ensuring long-term reliability. As dispatchable fossil fuel plants are retired, many are exploring alternative fuel options. As the economic challenges of hydrogen and other clean fuels have increased, other non-fossil alternatives, including biomass and waste-derived fuels, are getting increased attention. Explore how to find out which options might be available in your region and discuss the costs, implications, and trade-offs to be aware of with these viable fuel sources.

As discussions of utility resource mixes become more charged, public power leaders must learn how to convey technical concepts into relatable terms. Learn how other public power communities have made talking about power supply and resource adequacy digestible to the policy makers, customers, and other decision makers in their communities. Get strategies for how to frame utility messages alongside community goals and explain technical challenges in an accessible way.

Learn how utilities are getting the most from their AMI deployments, especially in providing efficiencies in operations. Walk through how several utilities have integrated AMI with other operations technology and software to optimize distribution planning, gain insight into usage patterns and other business intelligence, and structure rates and programs accordingly. Review common concerns and considerations in integrations to help smooth your utility’s efforts.

With new behind-the-meter solar and storage across the grid come new challenges in hosting capacity, maintaining power quality, and managing reverse power flows. Review the latest technical strategies and practices for modeling and monitoring these assets, and what it takes to successfully integrate solar + storage into a local system. Also discuss which incentives and engagement tactics are effective in bringing customers on board.

The headlines keep coming about data centers driving massive, sudden load growth and upward rate pressure, along with statements about the predictions being overblown. Hear directly from utility executives about what it takes to deliver reliable electricity to these facilities — including infrastructure requirements and grid planning complexities — and what data center customers are looking for in a utility partner. Gain lessons from recent developments about the on-the-ground realities of infrastructure, load flexibility, contracts, and forecasts.

Take a break and enjoy lunch in the Public Power NextTech Expo with our sponsors.

When disaster strikes, you need to be ready with the knowledge and tools to respond and get your community back on its feet. Preparedness all starts with a robust emergency management plan. Review what elements should be in your plan, how often you should review it, and who needs to be familiar with the plan and how to familiarize the team to it. Also learn about how to engage with the Public Power Mutual Aid Network to effectively request and offer help when a storm hits.