Speakers Bureau

PLMA is eager to help recruit presenters and authors for industry events and publications. PLMA can help your organization identify thought leaders from electric utilities, consultants and trade allies from among those individuals listed on our Leadership page and other staff from member organizations. Forward your speaker request to Rich Philip, Executive Director, PLMA at [email protected]

Presentation topics that PLMA may be most eager to discuss are:

The Future of Distributed Energy Resources 

Where do today's load management activities (including demand response, energy efficiency, and renewable energy programs) fit in a distributed energy resource (DER) future of non-wires alternatives, storage and more? This roundtable discussion will seek to detail industry initiatives where leading utilities are partnering with allies to demonstrate the path to a more integrated approach to distributed energy resources (DERs). A primary focus will be to explore the key takeaways for senior utility executives with DER responsibilities. Co-moderators and panelists are participants in the upcoming PLMA Future of DER Compendium to be published in Spring 2019.

Award-Winning Demand Response and Peak Load Management Initiatives

As detailed at www.peakload.org/2018-winners

Gain insight from 15th Annual PLMA Award winners who were recognized as the best demand response programs, initiatives and achievements from calendar year 2017. Winners included: Program Pacesetters ComEd's Peak Time Savings Program, and Gulf Power's Energy Select Program. Thought Leaders: Austin Energy's Green Building Initiative, and Jennifer Potter, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. Also, Technology Pioneers: Hawaiian Electric Company's Regulation Reserves Program, and Nest's Solar Eclipse Rush Hour Rewards Program.

To select the winners, PLMA sought nominations industry-wide for the following award categories: Program Pacesetter: Recognizes outstanding programs that effectively support and deliver peak load management; Technology Pioneer: Recognizes innovative applications of technology with demonstrated potential to scale; and Thought Leader: Recognizes the impact projects, outreach campaigns and individual contributions that have the potential to shape the industry’s future.

The topic can be presented as a 30-min session with 1-2 presenters or a 90-min. panel discussion with 3-5 winning organization represesentatives moderated by one of the Award Program Cochairs: Nicholas Corsetti, National Grid; Laurie Duhan, Baltimore Gas and Electric; or Dain Nestel, ecobee.


Defining a Moving Target: Evolution of Demand Response

PLMA and its members have been actively tracking the evolution of demand-side resources for nearly two decades. Now—more than ever before—it is critical that we understand this history so we can better predict how we will ultimately interact with an anticipated deluge of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). This session will establish a common, descriptive language for describing the evolution of demand response as seen through the eyes of industry leaders. New and transitioning utility professionals, energy regulators, and solution providers who attend will also receive a PLMA member toolkit (glossary, infographics, white papers, etc.) to help implement the seminar concepts of better addressing the challenges of a fading boundary between bulk power exchange and retail electricity usage.

Demand response is evolving from an emergency resource to an operational resource that sits alongside other distributed energy resources including distributed photovoltaic, electric vehicle charging, and various forms of energy/thermal storage. As a component of distributed energy resources, demand response can now provide a wide variety of service benefits both to the grid operator and to the customer (who may be a Prosumer who provides as well as consumes grid power) including Volt/VAR control, renewable energy integration, and localized distribution system congestion management. This session will chart the evolution of demand response to give attendees sense of where we’ve been but more importantly, where we are headed.


Demand Response and Resource Planning


Integration of Demand Response and Renewables


Integrated Demand-Side Management


Customer Engagement

As detailed at www.peakload.org/customer-engagement

Address key areas of customer engagement for demand response programs with focus primarily on the best practices to connect with customers (residential, commercial/industrial, and irrigation) and educate on offerings, whether technology-based, behavior change, dynamic rates, etc. This includes verbiage, techniques, communication vehicles, and other elements as appropriate, to take communication to a higher level where it becomes a two-way interaction. Key areas of interest are: Customer experience; Customer journey; Mass personalization; Personas; Holistic approaches; Targeted messaging; and Customer satisfaction


Connected Devices

As detailed at www.peakload.org/thermostat

Examination of the costs and benefits of all types of utility-sponsored programs that leverage thermostat technology to deliver the demand response, energy efficiency, or other system benefits. Help articulate a comprehensive value assessment of the Demand Response and Energy Efficiency benefits associated with Smart Thermostats. Remarks may include summaries, excerpts, and/or full text from published as well as not-so-public documentation such as utility thermostat pilot/program evaluations, along with reports and white papers authored by manufacturers, consultants and other third-party sources that cover technology evaluations, program design concepts, market assessments, savings potential, and more.


Women in Demand Management

As detailed at www.peakload.org/women-in-dm

Focus on how women play an important role in demand management leadership and delivery. Demand management is a growing area that encompasses traditional demand response, distributed energy resources, and storage.


Distributed Energy Resources Integration

As detailed at www.peakload.org/der-integration

Key economic, engineering, and customer program design aspects of Distributed Energy Resource Integration, including: valuation of load management resources in “firming” non-dispatchable renewable resources; program design and re-design issues for adapting DR programs from peak-shaving to DER integration programs; and technology needs assessments for DER applications.


 

Demand Response Markets

As detailed at www.peakload.org/demand-response-training

Explore how to leverage wholesale energy market models to design demand response programs for traditionally regulated, restructured, and emerging electricity markets; review of the similarities and differences among markets in which demand resources can participate; and, the current and future roles for electricity consumers, aggregators, energy retailers, utilities, and market operators.


Program Design and Implementation

As detailed at www.peakload.org/demand-response-training

Key elements of demand response activities. Topics related to program implementation will include the tactics and methodologies used to improve program success, including a discussion of: organizational and resourcing strategies; contracting; business processes; technology integration; and measurement & verification.