43rd PLMA Conference Online

43rd PLMA Conference Agenda

Conference Attendees:
To view session recordings, please login to the conference platform using
the login credentials you were assigned for the 43rd PLMA Conference.

If you did not attend the 43rd PLMA Conference,
you can register here to view the recordings
Click here to view Speaker Bios

keynote


Bruce Brazis, Arizona Public Service Conference Co-Chair
Bruce Brazis

Arizona Public Service
Meridith Uniacke, West Monroe Partners Conference Co-Chair
Meridith Uniacke

West Monroe Partners

Optional Concurrent Pre-Conference Events

Tuesday, April 21 & Wednesday, April 22

12:30 - 5:00 pm
Evolution of Demand Response to Distributed Energy Resources:
Fundamentals and Path Forward

(registration required)
This two-day, on-line course explains how today’s demand response initiatives are evolving to interact with an emerging future together with distributed energy resources for peak load management and much more. The course content expands on an Evolution of Demand Response whitepaper and discussion.

Mark Martinez, Southern California Edison Co-Chair Mark Martinez
Southern California Edison
Christine Riker, Energy Solutions Co-Chair Christine Riker
Energy Solutions

Monday, May 3

12:30 - 2:30 pm
Board of Directors Meeting
This is a business meeting for PLMA Board Members and At-Large Representatives only. Please check the applicable list of Board Members at www.peakload.org/Leadership.


Thursday, May 6

12:30 - 1:30 pm
Member Orientation: Ask the PLMA Experts
Wondering how to make the most of your PLMA membership? Curious how to engage with PLMA members to get answers to your specific questions? Want to get on stage (or at very least on camera) and help set the agenda for an Interest Group, Executive Committee, or even an Officer role? Attend our second "Ask the PLMA Experts" session with the Member Engagement group, and learn how to get involved with PLMA to maximize your investment and your opportunities.

3:00 - 4:00 pm
Member Meet-up
Network with friends, colleagues, and fellow conference attendees across several meeting rooms in 15-minutes blocks, and catch up with the PLMA family.

4:00 - 5:00 pm
What's New or in Development?
Learn what's currently on the "drawing board" from the manufacturers and service providers creating the next generation of energy products and services.

7:00 - 8:00 pm
PLMA Team Trivia Night
Join PLMA and a team of randomly assigned colleagues and let’s geek out on energy trivia together while earning funds to donate to your team’s choice of charities. Let’s share some knowledge and make the world a more energy-savvy place!

12:00 - 8:00 pm EDT | Live Online Meeting

General Session 1

Andrea Simmonsen, Idaho Power Co-Chair Andrea Simmonsen
Idaho Power
Meridith Uniacke, West Monroe Partners Co-Chair Meridith Uniacke
West Monroe Partners

12:00 - 12:30 pm
KeyNote Address
Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

PLMA is honored to welcome A/AS Speakes-Backman to the PLMA stage to open the 43rd PLMA Conference with a preview of the new administration's plans for creating and sustaining American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.

Andrea Simmonsen, Idaho Power Kelly Speakes-Backman
Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy

1:00 - 1:45 pm
CA IOU Demand Response Emerging Technologies
California's Demand Response Emerging Technologies (DRET) programs fund research on technologies, software, processes, and products that enhance DR participation and grid reliability. Learn about DRET's current priorities and DER success stories.

Mark Martinez, Southern California EdisonMark Martinez
Senior Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets and Technology
Southern California Edison
Albert Chiu Albert Chiu
Product Manager, Integrated Grid Planning and Innovation
Pacific Gas & Electric
Jeff Barnes Jeff Barnes
Project Manager, Emerging Technologies – Demand Response
San Diego Gas & Electric

1:45 - 2:00 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

2:00 - 2:45 pm
The Power of Highly Personalized Experiences for TOU Customers
In 2019, Maryland's utilities launched new opt-in TOU pilots to help advance grid modernization. In combination with behavioral communications, Brattle Group research shows these pilots achieved significant peak reductions for all classes of customers, including LMI customers. Join us to hear their results and lessons learned.

Lynn Fiery Lynn Fiery
Manager, Rate Administration
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Moiz Kapadia Moiz Kapadia
Principal Product Manager Oracle Utilities
Opower
Ahmad Faruqui Ahmad Faruqui
Ph.D. Principal
The Brattle Group

2:45 - 3:00 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

General Session 2

Ruth Kiselewich, ICF Co-Chair Ruth Kiselewich
ICF
Bruce Brazis, Arizona Public Service Co-Chair Bruce Brazis
Arizona Public Service

3:00 - 3:45 pm
Scaling National Grid’s BYOD Program with Behavioral Communications
In 2020, National Grid combined two DSM programs: behavioral efficiency, and residential DERs with BYO thermostats and storage devices. Its solar customers then received solar insights and battery program recommendations while other customers received HVAC insights and thermostat program recommendations. Learn about their results, research findings, and planned next steps for residential DR programs.

Stephan Wollenburg Stephan Wollenburg
Lead Product Owner
National Grid
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald
Senior Director, Industry Strategy
Oracle Utilities
Michael Haber Michael Haber
Senior Program Marketing Manager
EnergyHub

3:45 - 4:00 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

4:00 - 4:45 pm
When Less Really is More – Curtailing Solar for Bigger Results
Curtailing solar generation seems counter-intuitive to encouraging more solar adoption on the grid, but that's exactly what one large Australian distribution utility is doing with great success. Learn about their unique pilot which encourages grid stability and continues to encourage solar penetration.

Kathryn Granheim Kathryn Granheim
DSO Product Owner, Innovation
Western Power
Jenny Roehm Jenny Roehm
Sr. Manager
Schneider Electric

7:00 - 8:00 pm
PLMA Game Night
Grab your beverage of choice and join us for some fun!

11:30 am - 4:45 pm EDT | Live Online Meeting

11:30 am - 12:15 pm
Sponsor ShowCase Lightning Round
Network with sponsors and fellow conference attendees by participating in speed-dating type virtual presentations in small, interactive groups. Listen closely and identify key words and phrases (write them down!) to submit an entry for a random drawing to win some very cool prizes.

Track A
Joyce Bodoh, Rappahannock Electric Co-Chair Joyce Bodoh
Rappahannock Electric
Troy Eichenberger, Tennessee Valley Authority Co-Chair Troy Eichenberger
Tennessee Valley Authority

12:30 - 1:00 pm
Characterizing Preferences of U.S. Homeowners Favorable to Demand Response Programs
Join us to learn about “socio-energy systems” which encompass the norms, values, and entrenched investments in our customers’ communities. We’ll explore the 43 percent of customers who express interest in DR programs, and using a socio-energy frame, we’ll examine the strategies that might best engage them in DR programs and home energy management.

Abe Tidwell Abe Tidwell
Senior Associate Social Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Track B
Justin Chamberlain, CPS Energy Co-Chair Justin Chamberlain
CPS Energy
Jonathan Hoechst, Tetra Tech Co-Chair Jonathan Hoechst
Tetra Tech

12:30 - 1:00 pm
Bridging the Gap between DSM, the Markets, and Trading Desks
Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project have built large behind-the-meter DR portfolios that enhance the results of DSM, grid operations, and now, markets and trading teams. Learn how their collaborating teams prevent summer blackouts, optimize resource planning, and harness DER benefits.

Panelists

Eamonn Urey Eamonn Urey
Program Manager
Salt River Project
Tayla Simmons Tayla Simmons
Resource Operations
Arizona Public Service
Tom Hines Tom Hines
Tierra Resource Consultants
Tyler Rogers Moderator
Tyler Rogers
EnergyHub

1:00 - 1:15 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

Track A

1:15 - 1:45 pm
Serving the Underserved: Lessons learned from Behavioral Demand Response Implementation
Learn about the Olivine Community’s Fresno Energy Program, a behavioral DR program implemented in select low-income communities of Fresno, California. Over 500 customers participated during the peak months of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting program innovations, lessons learned, and results worthy of scaling.

Sebastien Csapo Sebastien Csapo
Program Manager
Pacific Gas & Electric
Vasudha Lathey Vasudha Lathey
Director
Olivine

Track B

1:15 - 1:45 pm
Evergy Missouri TOU Rate Study – Interim Results
Review Evergy’s two-year behavioral and bill impact study of TOU pricing in Missouri, which shows the effectiveness of TOU rates in each season and how they incentivize customers to shift consumption from on-peak to off-peak. The analysis also examines the bill impacts of behavioral change vs. TOU rates without behavioral changes, in several customer sectors.

Farhad Daruwala Farhad Daruwala
Managing Consultant
Guidehouse
Elena Johnston Elena Johnston
Senior Product Manager, Digital Products
Evergy
Randy Spale Randy Spale
Sr. DSM Evaluation Manager
Evergy

1:45 - 2:00 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

Track C
Laurie Duhan, BG&E Co-Chair Laurie Duhan
Baltimore Gas and Electric
Kitty Wang, Energy Solutions Co-Chair Kitty Wang
Energy Solutions

2:00 - 2:30 pm
EVs are Coming; Is Your Grid Ready?
Join us to explore early findings from a Massachusetts baseline study that monitored residential electric vehicles in early 2021 to gain insights into EV energy demand spikes, including the amount of energy EVs use, when and where customers charge, and some initial recommendations for how best to manage EV charging.

Katie Parkinson Katie Parkinson
Senior Associate
Rolling Energy Resources
Adam Wirtshafter Adam Wirtshafter
Senior Analyst
National Grid
Track D
Joseph Childs, Eaton Co-Chair Joseph Childs
Eaton
Michael Ohlsen, City of Tallahassee Utilities Co-Chair Michael Ohlsen
City of Tallahassee Utilities

2:00 - 2:30 pm
Innovative Thermostat Demand Response Pilot for Seminole (Florida) Electric Cooperative Members
Learn from Seminole Elecric Cooperative and DNV as they discuss pilot project findings involving over 1,000 participants from nine of Seminole's members who used wifi-enabled thermostats and a variety of control strategies to address summer and winter impacts.

Panelists

Cindy A. Walker Cindy A. Walker
Energy Services Specialist — EEWG
Seminole Electric Cooperative
Joseph S. Lopes Joseph S. Lopes
Senior Principal Consultant
DNV

2:30 - 2:45 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

Track C

2:45 - 3:15 pm
Phased Program Design For Electric Vehicle Managed Charging
Learn how Tuscon Electic Power’s (TEP) phased approach to programming and TOU rate design, plus customer engagement, promoted electric-vehicle-to-grid-integration (VGI) while benefiting customers, system efficiency, and environmental outcomes. Understand the load profiles and rate impacts versus the managed charging scenarios that resulted from this pilot project.

Varun Thakkar Varun Thakkar
Senior Analyst Electric Vehicles
CLEAResult
Jessica Berry Jessica Berry
Senior Program Manager
Tucson Electric Power
Ray Martinez Ray Martinez
Principal Merging Technologies
Tucson Electric Power

Track D

2:45 - 3:15 pm
Natural Gas Generators: Relevant and Critical to Utility Load Management Programs
Learn from Generac, Entergy and AEP Onsite Partners how gas generators can be used as DERs, bringing resilience, emissions reductions, ancillary revenues, and transient response. Natural generators are ideal for integration into VPPs and DERMs providing DSM, grid support, and CHP. Join us for a series of case studies.

Jamie Smith Jamie Smith
VP Global Business Development
Generac Power Systems
Lyndon DuPont Lyndon DuPont
Director, Business Operations – Power Through
Entergy
Dan Smies Dan Smies
Managing Director Business Development and Strategy
AEP OnSite Partners

3:15 - 3:30 pm | Stretch, Refreshment and eMail Break!

Track C

3:30 - 4:00 pm
Winter Load Shifting Field Study of Residential Multi-Split Heat Pumps
Explore Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) electric load shifting field study of residential sites with CTA-2045 compatible Mitsubishi heat pumps. Study data includes whole-home and HVAC electrical power consumption, indoor air temperatures, occupant surveys, and CTA-2045 curtailment data. We’ll review the setup, the load shifting strategy, and results from winter 2021.

Samuel Rosenberg Samuel Rosenberg
Data Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Walter Hunt Walter Hunt
Senior Engineer
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Track D

3:30 - 4:00 pm
How Storage Fits in an Integrated, High-Renewables Local Grid
Grid modernization hardware and software have provided real-time visibility and operational support to New Mexico’s Kit Carson Electric Co-op, which is on track to 100% daytime solar in 2021. Their challenges have included balancing high levels of solar, managing power flows, and shaping load curves in a renewable energy transition that has been aided by battery storage.

Luis Reyes Luis Reyes
CEO
Kit Carson Rural Electric Cooperative
Jill Cliburn Jill Cliburn
Solar-Plus for Electric Co-ops (SPECs) Project
Cliburn and Associates, LLC

4:15 - 4:45 pm
Closing Session: PLMA 18th Awards, Prize Drawings, and Ice Cream Social!

Richard Barone Richard Barone
TRC
Michael Smith Michael Smith
National Grid
Rich Philip Rich Philip
PLMA
Judy Knight Judy Knight
PLMA

Utility Load Management Exchange Spring 2021 Meeting

2:30 - 4:30 pm
The Utility Load Management Exchange (formerly the Advanced Load Control Alliance) mission is to promote load control as a viable option for utility deployments in demand reduction, economic dispatch, and/or T&D reliability through a forum for utility staff members to share information on program design, marketing, vendor management, benefit-costs and technology deployments. Learn more at www.ulme.org.