Webinars are a great medium to get high-quality information through qualified speakers’ presentations and slides. On specific dates for live webinars, or on-demand as recorded presentations, there is the choice. The number of webinars designed for utilities has increased over the last few years. Most of them are free or at a reasonable cost.
For each webinar, click on the picture or the weblink below it. Here is the menu:
The Future of Mobile Workforce Management for Utilities
January 22, 2015, 11 am EST http://ow.ly/Hne9Q
“Mobile Workforce Management is amongst the top 5 applications utilities intend to invest in over the next 12-24 months, according to data from IDC Energy Insights. Why the urgency? Join Roberta Bigliani, VP and Analyst at IDC Energy Insights and Mike Karlskind, VP of Product Marketing at ClickSoftware as they discuss several challenges faced by utilities and how the most successful organizations are managing them with a combination of the right resources and technology.
Topics covered include:
- Successful smart meter deployments
- Streamlining and enhancing customer experience
- Integrated storm management
- Agility for shift priorities”
Speakers: Roberta Bigliani, VP and Analyst at IDC Energy Insights, Mike Karlskind, VP of Product Marketing at ClickSoftware.
Defining the Value of the Grid
January 22, 2015, 2 pm EST http://ow.ly/HniHJ
“Our legacy grid has value and deserves continued investment. As we transition toward a more integrated grid that can accommodate new distributed energy sources, utility-scale renewables and energy storage, we need to keep the best of the old while embracing the new.
Today’s electric utility industry leadership faces many challenges. As we rebuild and harden an aging T&D infrastructure, we must embrace new technologies that often are introduced by fast-moving customers or competitors. We also face a new competitive landscape where utilities compete for transmission projects. These challenges and more are occurring in an era of low (or no) load growth.
Speakers: In this webinar, Ken Bowes, Vice President-Engineering for Connecticut Light & Power, and Mike Beehler, Vice President of Burns & McDonnell’s Transmission & Distribution Division, will explore a number of issues facing utilities, regulators and public policy makers as they redefine the value of the grid and position the industry for the abundant opportunities of the future”
DEED Webinar: The Solar Roadmap – A Tool to Help Utilities Become Solar-ReadyYou will need your APPA login information to have access to the webinar.
January 27, 2015, 2 pm – 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/HmZe0
“As the owners and operators of the electric grid, utilities control the playing field on which solar installations happen. Innovative utilities recognize the tremendous opportunity this presents and are taking advantage of solar to diversify their resource base, connect with customers and create new business opportunities. To help utilities navigate this new space, Western Area Power Administration, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and Optony Inc. have teamed up to provide free technical assistance directly to utilities using the Solar Roadmap platform.
The Solar Roadmap team works with participating utilities to benchmark their existing programs and policies, and highlight opportunities to become more involved in local solar deployment. These opportunities are presented in the form of a ‘roadmap,’ an interactive online platform that is updated as the utility makes progress. Each roadmap is customized and features a set of actions the utility can pursue to prepare itself for increasing levels of distributed generation. Topics include new developments; such as community solar program design, online solar mapping tools, updated billing systems, and alternatives to net metering; along with traditional areas such as interconnection standards and processes.
Each action is accompanied by templates and case studies from other utilities that have achieved it. This gives participating utilities more insight into what their peers are doing and provides practical steps for taking action. Participants also receive the benefit of direct technical assistance for utility staff to help implement these recommendations.”
Speakers: Becky Campbell, Senior Manager, Research and Advisory Services, SEPA; Thomas Yurysta, Senior Project Manager, Optony Inc.
Energy Market Trends and Impact of the Clean Power Plan: Black & Veatch 2015 Energy Market Perspective
Janurary 28, 2015, 1 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn7C4
“Black & Veatch invites you to join our free webinar highlighting key findings from our 2015 outlook on the integrated North American energy markets. This one-hour webinar will cover: * How oil prices and the oil industry will ultimately impact the natural gas and power industries * The potential impacts the Clean Power Plan and other environmental regulations will have on the U.S. power market * 25-year energy price forecasts that include projected natural gas, coal and oil prices, average electricity and capacity prices, and carbon emissions price
Black & Veatch’s proprietary Energy Market Perspective is an information and planning resource for the energy industry that assesses how current energy industry trends will affect future fuel prices, power prices and asset performance. Infrastructure investors, utility leaders and asset owners use the Energy Market Perspective to support transactional due diligence, project financing, strategy development, portfolio optimization, and feasibility studies that include operating and revenue forecasts of prospective and existing assets.”
Speakers: Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2013 were US$3.6 billion.
Energy Market Trends and Impact of the Clean Power Plan
January 28, 2015, 1 pm – 2 pm EST http://ow.ly/HzcRa
“Black & Veatch invites you to join our free webinar highlighting key findings from our 2015 outlook on the integrated North American energy markets. This one-hour webinar will cover:
– How oil prices and the oil industry will ultimately impact the natural gas and power industries
– The potential impacts the Clean Power Plan and other environmental regulations will have on the U.S. power market
– 25-year energy price forecasts that include projected natural gas, coal and oil prices, average electricity and capacity prices, and carbon emissions prices
Black & Veatch’s proprietary Energy Market Perspective is an information and planning resource for the energy industry that assesses how current energy industry trends will affect future fuel prices, power prices and asset performance. Infrastructure investors, utility leaders and asset owners use the Energy Market Perspective to support transactional due diligence, project financing, strategy development, portfolio optimization, and feasibility studies that include operating and revenue forecasts of prospective and existing assets.
Black & Veatch is a world leader in the energy infrastructure markets, with expertise in renewables, nuclear, natural gas, fossil fuels, hydroelectric and transmission. This experience is combined with our leading management consulting capabilities in economics, regulatory compliance and integrated resource planning, among other areas, to deliver a complete and integrated viewpoint of current and future energy market trends.”
Best Practices for Integrating Your Residential Demand Response and Energy Efficiency Programs
January 29, 2015, 12 pm EST http://ow.ly/HnasJ
“In this webinar, you will learn how to address these challenges and more through integrating your residential demand response and energy efficiency programs. Discover best practices for:
- Building a reliable source of new capacity that also helps customers achieve significant energy savings
- Improving the cost-effectiveness of demand management programs
- Increasing customer participation and engagement in energy management and conservation programs, resulting in high customer satisfaction”
Speakers: Steve Hambric, Vice President, Strategic Sales and Operations, Comverge; Pravin Bhagat, Vice President of Marketing, Comverge.
Energy Efficiency Webinar Series: Implementing an Energy Efficiency Portfolio
February 10, 2015, 2 pm – 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn0Ao
“To promote energy efficiency to customers, utilities need a portfolio of programs targeted at various segments of customers. This webinar will provide a high-level overview on how to develop and implement an energy efficiency portfolio suited to your unique customer base.
One of the most important aspects of a successful energy efficiency program is building participation from the targeted customers. Too often, customers indicate their willingness to participate early on, then don’t support the program once it’s launched. Learn strategies for building customer buy-in early and keeping them involved through market outreach, a high level of customer service, and branding initiatives.
- Developing programs & portfolios
- Market research for program design
- Program planning, design and implementation
- Marketing demand side management programs and the customer value proposition”
Speaker: Wallace Barron, President, Barron & Associates Corporate Solutions, Atlanta, Ga.
Public Power’s Unique Business Model and Governance Structure
February 12, 2015, 2 pm – 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn1Hl
“Two basic factors for new and experienced public power governing board members to understand are the unique elements of public power’s traditional business model, and the different structures of public power governance. This webinar addresses the components of the public power business model and the challenges it faces as the industry transitions. The instructor will also cover the various structures of public power governance (utility board, city council, etc.) and how to assure the maximum effectiveness of whichever governance model your community employs.”
Speaker: Dr. Jeff Tarbert, President & CEO, The Tarbert Group, LLC, Falls Church, Va. Jeff retired after 37 years as senior vice president with the American Public Power Association, where he oversaw member services programs, and worked in the areas of governance, strategy, utility management and energy efficiency.
Electric Utility 101: Generation
February 17, 2015, 2 pm – 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn2ka
“Power supply and delivery are highly technical, complex and interrelated issues. Historically the generation sector was made up of traditional production facilities such as coal, nuclear, hydro, gas and oil. Today, generation is more diverse and includes not only traditional fuel sources but also a wide range of renewable generation, such as wind and solar. In addition, integrated resource planning and demand-side programs also impact supply-side options.
This webinar, aimed at policymakers and non-technical employees, focuses on the first step in the complex power supply chain, the production of electric energy. The instructor will also present an overview of the major types of generation characteristics when supplying the daily load curves.”
Speaker: Wallace Barron, President, Barron & Associates, Corporate Solutions, LLC, Atlanta, Ga. Wallace has over 40 years of experience in the electric energy industry, 15 of which have been with public power and cooperative systems. He previously worked as a vice president of marketing, customer service, and distribution technology at the Florida Power Corporation. Wallace has a broad range of experience in the utility industry. His responsibilities have included key accounts, customer service, rates and pricing, economic development, demand-side management, strategic planning and distribution engineering. He has also served as an expert witness on many of these topics.
Electric Utility 101: Substations
March 19, 2015, 2 pm – 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn34n
“Substations are the transition points in the electric grid. They connect the generation, transmission and distribution systems. Substations come in all sizes and shapes and are the point where most retail utilities buy their wholesale power. They can be complex control nodes in the system and will be a significant focus for the smart grid at the generation and transmission levels.
This webinar provides a non-technical overview into the applications and functions of substations. The instructor will cover why substations are needed and the role they play in a reliable electric supply chain.”
Speaker: Wallace Barron, President, Barron & Associates, Corporate Solutions, LLC, Atlanta, Ga. Wallace has over 40 years of experience in the electric energy industry, 15 of which have been with public power and cooperative systems. He previously worked as a vice president of marketing, customer service, and distribution technology at the Florida Power Corporation. Wallace has a broad range of experience in the utility industry. His responsibilities have included key accounts, customer service, rates and pricing, economic development, demand-side management, strategic planning and distribution engineering. He has also served as an expert witness on many of these topics.
RP3 Series: Reliability
March 20, 2015, 1 pm – 2 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn3Or
“In the reliability section you will be asked to (a) track your reliability indices and power quality, (b) plan for the future through mutual aid and emergency plans, and (c) maintain physical and cyber security. The goal of this section is to ensure that you have the core tenets in place to deliver reliable electricity to your community.”
Speakers: Neil James, Manager Distribution Operations, Santee Cooper, APPA RP3 Staff
RP3 Series: Safety
March 27, 2015, 1 pm – 2 pm EST http://ow.ly/Hn4u0
“The core purpose of the safety section is to encourage a culture of safety throughout your utility. Essential items like having an updated safety manual, holding regular safety meetings, and conducting disaster drills make up the majority of this section. Each year, APPA’s Safety Committee reviews this section to ensure that you are meeting current safety standards and regulations.”
Speaker: Jon Beasley, Superintendent, Electric Cities of Georgia, APPA RP3 Staff
PV Power and Power Quality: Understanding Your Options for Utility-Scale Grid Compliance
On-demand http://ow.ly/Hn5GS
Learn about:
- “Upfront planning: Understanding up front what issues could occur downstream will be better for the lifecycle of your project than unexpectedly down the road.
- Inverter selection: Key considerations in inverter selection to make the most economically productive use of your solar inverters and comply with interconnection agreements.
- Power quality: Taking a look at proven technologies like BESS and STATCOM within the substation that PV plants can use to address congestion issues and other grid code requirements. When should you consider each of these technologies and how do they benefit the developer?”
Speakers: Ulf Andersson, Director of Engineering, ABB Power Systems, US – Substations; Jaspreet Singh, Product Manager, Utility Inverters, North America, ABB; Martin Shalhoub, Manager, Power Systems Consulting, North America; Pat Hayes, Account Manager for Energy Storage Power Conversion Systems, ABB.
On demand – 60 minutes http://ow.ly/HmXE6
Learn:
- “How to test scalability without the significant capital investment
- Ways to prepare the back office for mobility and the data explosion while keeping customers satisfied
- How to apply more rigorous testing to the applications earlier in the lifecycle and enable organizations to reduce defects getting into production.”
Speaker: Jeff Cunliffe — CEO, Automation Consultants, Jeff Cunliffe has a background in technology management spanning 20 years starting back in 1994 for US Defense firm, Rockwell. Jeff founded Automation Consultants in 2000, a company that provides IT solutions for the Utilities sector and has driven it to be the success it is today. He has an engineering degree from London University and a Masters degree in economics from Oxford University.”
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