Smart Grids: The Template of Renewable Energy (Room A)

It is not enough to increase the types and amounts and amounts of renewable energy: smart grids form the linchpin of the transition from carbon to renewable energy. The bi-directionality of smart grids enables a more efficient, economic, and secure energy supply that responds to the needs of producers and users. Digitalizing these electricity grids makes them “smart” and increases their reliability by incorporating automated information and control systems that allow them to be managed remotely. Smart grids are central to the electrification of new sectors, such as heating and transport, and along with energy storage, are fundamental to decarbonizing the economy. Innovations that make smart grids possible include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. The Global Smart Grid Innovation Hub in Bilbao, Spain, is the clearinghouse for information on smart grids.

MODERATOR:

Chuck Schilke, AM, JD, CRE, FRICS
CEO, Intergreen Consulting
Chuck Schilke will moderate all 3 Panels on the Sustainability and Energy Track. Chuck has a background in energy and environmental matters, principally from having been an environmental lawyer at Exxon Mobil Corporation, as well as in real estate issues related to energy and environmentalism from his work performing all the real estate legal due diligence for the Exxon-Mobil merger. He is a member of the Energy Bar Association, the Environmental Law Institute, and the Urban Land Institute. Chuck was also a Harvard doctoral student in international relations, with an East Asia and Russia emphasis. Read full profile…

PANEL:

Karen G. Wayland, PhD
CEO, The Gridwise Alliance, Inc.
Dr. Karen Wayland is CEO of GridWise Alliance and Principal at kW Energy Strategies, where she provides strategic consulting on grid modernization and clean energy policy. She is a recognized expert in national energy and environmental policy and served in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and nonprofits, including as policy advisor at the U.S. Read full profile…

Sandeep Dudhwewala
Vice President, Utility of the Future, National Grid New York
Sandeep Dudhwewala is Vice President of “Utility of the Future” for National Grid New York. In this role, Sandeep is responsible for activating National Grid’s clean energy vision and strategy in New York and defining the roadmap for the clean energy transformation of power, heat, and transportation sectors. Read full profile…

Katie Jereza
CVP, Corporate Affairs
Katie Jereza is Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Corporate Affairs at EPRI, an independent, nonprofit energy research institute. Through global research collaborations, EPRI is shaping an energy future that is reliable, resilient, and affordable. Read full profile…