Rod Walton chats with Bernerd Da Santos, EVP and COO of AES Corporation, about the future of the electric power sector, the role of technology on electricity economics and the balance of clean power. Mr Da Santos also provides insight into his father’s top life tips and his passion for AES’s contribution to the industry.

The 2020 Hurricane season is predicted to be one of the worst in recent history, and it has certainly offered a flurry of furious challenges to utilities and power producers already. Mission-critical facilities like hospitals, rehab center and police stations don’t have the option for prolonged outages, so local or on-site power must be in place to bridge the gap in the event of a major electric transmission outage due to a hurricane or other natural event. Utilities, mission-critical end-use customers and the equipment providers can talk about overcoming the loss of grid power, as well as how on-site power offers them versatility in the future. These facilities are not only important for Resiliency and Reliability but also provide Flexibility to enable the growth of renewable generation in a future power system. This webinar will explore how two utilities are using gas fired reciprocating engine technology to achieve these goals.

Rod Walton speaks with Mario Azar, President - Power Business of Black & Veatch, a long-time supporter of POWERGEN International, about the road to decarbonisation. Mr Azar discusses today’s integration focus being driven by advanced technologies, what about microgrids excites him, the next generation of T&D talent, and the limitless opportunities that continue to energize the electric power sector whilst posing new challenges.

Medical centers, universities and manufacturing facilities are among those energy users that are utilizing combined heat and power systems to ensure their supply, cut costs and maintain reliability. How is this resource best implemented to meet mutiple needs?

Teresa Hansen spent some time with Lisa Johnson, CEO and General Manager of Seminole Electric Cooperative, to discuss the complex nature of future power generation, the advanced technologies that are providing exciting sector opportunities and the synergies between preparedness for hurricanes and pandemics. Ms Johnson also provides insight into Seminole’s portfolio of balanced resources and risk management posture.

Power plants must incorporate the next era of digitalized tools including artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive maintenance. This session will look at what the future holds and how it makes plants more efficient and secure.

Georgia and its largest electricity provider, Georgia Power, are bullish on the future of nuclear power and its contribution to net zero carbon and system reliability. Tim Echols, Vice Chairman of Georgia’s Public Service Commission will discuss from a regulator’s point of view if, when and how the industry will get to zero carbon, as well as how he expects Vogtle Units 3 and 4 and future nuclear technology to contribute. Jeremiah Haswell, Georgia Power’s project oversight director for the Vogtle expansion, will talk about the mammoth project and how he believes nuclear power will play into parent company, Southern Company’s, future generation plans. In addition, Noah Meeks, senior research engineer at Southern Company will discuss the utility’s exploration into hydrogen and how it might play into future generation plans, including it’s possible relationship with nuclear power.

Many utilities are announcing goals to reach net zero carbon emissions within decades. In the meantime, they will need to work with regulators and policy makers to ensure a cleaner energy mix and reliable delivery of electricity. This session will provide perspectives from two geographically diverse states and a national overview of how policymakers and industry officials can work together to achieve common goals.

The electric sector supply chain is vulnerable to foreign cyber threats via equipment imported from those countries. In an effort to protect the industry from attacks, an executive order was signed in May 2020 - Securing the United States Bulk Power System. It bans the purchase and installation of some equipment for power plants and transmission systems. The speakers in this session will discuss the implications of that order on the supply chain for power plants.

Utility IRP and Hydrogen Focus: As utilities create their integrated resource plans, they must work toward achieving zero carbon while maintaining a reliable power supply. Their plans must include more than just renewables and storage. What does the future hold for hydrogen?