Event Description

Every day, new stories of challenges confronted by energy users and producers in our current rapidly changing landscape emerge. The current increased efficiency of energy in combination with expanded energy resources significantly impacts the power generation and distribution system. Operations as well as the fundamental business model of distribution companies are taking considerable turns from their original presence at the heart of this industry in the previous century.

Traditional grids consist of power and information flowing in a single direction; from utility to customers directly. Information was therefore limited in this traditional grid model to periodic communication through usage statements. The modern distribution grid model however maintains a continuous flow of communication between both utility and customers.

The program will examine the role Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) play in this ever-evolving energy grid. More specifically the focus will be concentrated on microgrids, and how more interactive grids will incorporate various types of distributed power generation. Current microgrids are used to achieve additional levels of resiliency for critical operations and to manage influxes of variable generation on the grid.

This educational program will explorehow scheduling and controlling the different renewable energy technologies through the use of microgrids will decarbonize our energy supply and increase the reliability of our energy systems. Open Access Technology International, Inc. (OATI) has provided software solutions to manage grid operations within the energy system for more than 20 years. Past software solutions have included tools for managing DERs and microgrids, and this informed perspective will be featured throughout this program.

This will be an in-person lecture in Minneapolis with a webinar broadcast to others in our West North Central Region.