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2025 Fall Technical Workshop
October 27 - October 30
Presentations from our 2025 Fall Technical Workshop held in Philadelphia can be downloaded below.
Recordings of workshop sessions will soon be available on the ESIG YouTube Channel.
Tutorial: Power System Needs and Services Operating with High Shares of Inverter-Based Resources
The tutorial covers the importance of grid reliability services – in particular, how system needs for services are changing with increasing shares of inverter-based resources (wind, solar PV and battery storage), how their location of delivery can impact system behavior, and how these needs can be met by a mix of resource technologies, including emerging grid-forming inverter technology. Topics covered include a framework and demonstration of a method to quantify the need for services while simultaneously accredit resources for their ability to provide services. Such a framework can help system operators and planners to determine if they have enough services to cover the needs at all times. This tutorial also discusses the approaches for procuring services in place today, and the risks and lost opportunity with insufficient interconnection requirements for new generation resources.
Speakers include:
Julia Matevosyan, Associate Director, Chief Engineer, ESIG
Matthew Richwine, Founding Partner, Telos Energy
Deepak Ramasubramanian, Principal Technical Leader, EPRI
DOWNLOAD TUTORIAL PRESENTATIONS
Introduction/Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
Mark Ahlstrom, NextEra Energy & ESIG Board of Directors’ President
Keynote
Jason Connell, VP of Planning, PJM Interconnection
Industry Overview
Debra Lew, Executive Director, ESIG
Opening Plenary Session: Grid Events
Session Chair: Julia Matevosyan, Associate Director, Chief Engineer, ESIG
What happened during recent grid events, what triggered them, and what are we learning about system vulnerabilities and response?
Iberian Blackout of April 2025
Bruno Gouverneur, Head of Market & Operations, ENTSO-E (Belgium)
Chilean Grid Blackout of February 2025: Causes and Lessons
Victor Velar Guerrero, Manager, Studies and Real-Time Simulation, Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional (CEN) (Chile)
Grid Transition and Performance: What Do We See and What Do We Do?
Fred Huang, Director of Operations Support, ERCOT
Blackout Prevention – Layers of Defense
Duncan Burt, Chief Strategic Growth Officer, Reactive Technologies (UK)
Session 1A: Resources for Firm Capacity Services
Session Chair: Steve Capanna, Policy Director, Crux Alliance
As systems plan for increasing clean energy, what role remains for gas or is clean firm capacity ready to fill the gap?
The role of thermal generation in decarbonized electricity systems: learnings from the ESIG Task Force on Planning for 100% Clean Electricity
Elaine Hart, Principal, Sylvan Energy Analytics
Meeting the Modern Resource Adequacy Challenges: A Case for Flexible Technology
Jenny Zhao, Senior Manager, Market Development, Wärtsilä North America
Meeting Growing and Dynamic Energy Demand with an All-of-the-Above Strategy
Matt Kalemba, Vice President, Integrated Resource Planning, Duke Energy
Power System Trends in New York: Clean Firm Resources
Jason Frasier, Senior Manager, Transmission Planning, NYISO
The Evolving Role of Thermal and Clean Firm Technologies in Low-emissions Power Systems
Max Schoenfisch, International Energy Agency (IEA) (virtual presentation)
Session 1B: Managing Increasing Complexity in the Control Room
Session Chair: John Simonelli, CEO and Managing Director, Flashover LLC
What tools and strategies are operators using to manage growing complexity—and where are the biggest gaps?
Utilizing Operational Experience of HVDC and STATCOM for Future Functional Requirements
Rajiv Porwal, Director, System Operation, Grid-India (India) (virtual presentation)
New Adaptive Zonal Controllers (NAZA) and Innovative Solutions for System Operations at RTE
Alexandre Parisot, RTE (France)
Gridgeo – a situational awareness tool at ERCOT
Xiangjun Xu, Manager, Grid and Market Solution (GMS) Technology Development – Markets & UI, ERCOT
Tejaswi Potluri, Manager, Grid and Market Solution (GMS) Technology Development – Grid, ERCOT
Control Center of the Future: Challenges and Opportunities
Vikas Singhvi, Program Manager, EPRI
Operational Complexities and Strategic Solutions
Jonathan Gravelin, Senior Manager, Control Room Operations, ISO New England
Session 2A: Expediting Transmission Development
Session Chair: Rob Gramlich, Founder and President, Grid Strategies
How can we accelerate transmission planning and construction to keep pace with rapid changes in the resource mix and load growth—and what are we learning from current major initiatives and early efforts to comply with FERC Order 1920?
Optimizing Energy and Land with TerraGrid and Routify
Aaron Bloom, Executive Director, Transmission Fundamentals, NextEra Energy Resources
Advancing Transmission in the MISO Region
Jennifer Curran, Senior Vice President, Planning and Operations, MISO
Expediting Transmission Development
Sunny Raheem, Director, System Planning, Southwest Power Pool
Allison Clements, Principal, 804 Advisory
Session 2B: Grid Operator use of AI and Advanced Methods within Power System Applications
Session Chair: Laura Walter, Senior Lead Data Scientist, PJM
Where is AI already delivering value in power system planning and operations—and what’s next?
Building Trust in Large Language Models: A Journey, Not a Destination: Update from MISO
Michael Parran, Manager Grid R&D, MISO
AI in Grid Operations and Planning at ISO-NE
Tongxin Zheng, Technical Director, ISO-NE
Advanced AI Solution for Critical Power Transmission Reliability and Flexibility in SPP
Shawn Monroe, Principal Strategist for AI, Hitachi Vantara
AI for Ops and Planning: Early Learnings and R&D Activities
Aidan Tuohy, Director, EPRI
Session 3A: Resource Adequacy Assessments for Large Geographic Regions
Wide-Area Resource Adequacy Assessments – Probabilistic Planning for Interconnected Grids – Derek Stenclik
Session Chair: Derek Stenclik, Founding Partner, Telos Energy
What are the best practices for assessing RA over large regions, and how are they evolving with changing risk and resource profiles?
Western Resource Adequacy Program
Sarah Edmonds, President & CEO, Western Power Pool
RA Assessments for Large Geographic Regions
Andrew French, Commissioner, Kansas Corporation Commission
NYISO Resource Adequacy & Capacity Market – External Areas
Dylan Zhang, Manager, Resource Adequacy, NYISO
Session 3B: Modernizing the Interconnection Queue: AI, Automation, and Process Reform
Session Chair: Lauren Campbell, Director of Policy and Economic Analysis, Grid Strategies LLC
How are interconnection processes being reformed, and what role can AI play in improving efficiency?
SPP: GI Backlog, AI, Automation and Process Reform
Jennifer Swierczek, Manager, Generator Interconnection, Southwest Power Pool
MISO: Accelerating the Interconnection Process with Advanced Software and Automation
Ryan Westphal, Manger, Generation Interconnection, MISO
PJM: Interconnection Queue Progress
Donnie Bielak, Director, Interconnection Planning, PJM Interconnection
Energy Resource Interconnection Service (ERIS): A Review of Current Practice and Considerations for its Future
Will Gorman, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
NEER Automating Interconnection Studies
Cody Doll, Director – Transmission Studies, NextEra Energy Resources
Session 4A: Capacity Accreditation
Session Chair: Emma Nicholson, Principal, Charles River Associates
How are capacity accreditation methods evolving to reflect the changing resource mix?
Capacity Accreditation Overview: A “Critical Periods” Reliability Framework
Arne Olson, Senior Partner, Energy and Environmental Economics (E3)
Marginal ELCC Implementation and Lessons Learned in PJM
Walter Graf, Chief Economist, PJM Interconnection
MISO’s Upcoming Direct Loss of Load Accreditation Approach
Michael Robinson, Principal Market Design Advisor, MISO
Stakeholder Perspectives on Evolving Accreditation Methods used by ISOs for Capacity Auctions
Dan Pierpont, Vice President, Wholesale Market Policy, LS Power
Grant Glazer, Senior Manager of Regulatory and Market Affairs, MN8
Hwikwon Ham, Commissioner, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Session 4B: Integrated Planning with DERs
Session Chair: Cristin Lyons, ScottMadden
How can customers, DERs, and demand flexibility provide transmission and/or distribution system services?
DER Value for Integrated Planning
Julieta Giraldez, Director of Integrated Planning, Electric Power Engineers
Integrated Planning at HECO
Ken Aramaki, Director of T&D, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)
Planning for DERs and the Benefits of an Integrated Approach
Carlo Brancucci, CEO, encoord
Integrating DERs into Distribution and Resource Planning
Obadiah Bartholomy, Manager, Distributed Energy Strategy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Session 5A: Flexibility Solutions in Distribution Systems
Session Chair: Julieta Giraldez, Director of Integrated Planning, Electric Power Engineers
What are the new needs in distribution planning and operations to enable flexibility and grid services from DERs on both transmission and distribution services?
Beyond Planning: How to Orchestrate the Full Value of DERs
Paul George, DSO Commercial Lead, Electricity North West (UK)
Chris Broadhurst, Chief Commercial Officer, Electron
Decentralized Energy Markets and a Path to DSOs: An EU Perspective
Alex Papalexopoulos, President and CEO, ECCO International
Lessons from the World´s Most Electrified Country: Next Generation Active Distribution Grid Operations in Norway
Augusto Andrade, Product Management, Kongsberg Digital (Norway)
GridShare and the Evolution of Flexibility Markets
Umar Waqas, Vice President, Grid Modernization, GrandBridge Energy (Canada) (virtual presentation)
Session 5B: GFM Project Examples
Session Chair: Alyssa Jenkins, Principal Consultant, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
What is the industry learning from real-world deployments of grid-forming inverters?
Great Britain Grid-Forming Deployments Experience
Xiayao Zhou, Engineering Compliance Manager, National Energy System Operator (NESO)(UK)
Grid-Forming Requirements and Deployment Plans in the Chilean Power System
Victor Velar Guerrero, Manager, Studies and Real-Time Simulation, Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional (CEN) (Chile)
Study the Control and Protection Improvements for a Weak Grid Area with High IBRs
Jing Wang, Researcher III, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (virtual presentation)
GFM Resources Performances During HECO Grid Events
Li Yu, Manager, Transmission Planning, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)
Dynamic Properties and Frequency Response of IBR-dominating Power Systems
Slava Maslennikov, Technical Manager, ISO New England
Session 6A: Finance & Investment
Session Chair: Abe Silverman, Assistant Research Scholar, Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, Johns Hopkins University
What investment structures and risk-sharing models are needed to accelerate transmission and clean energy infrastructure?
Lou Schick, Director of Investments, Clean Energy Ventures
Finance and Investment – The Basics of the Capital Stack for Existing and Emerging Tech
Kelli Joseph, VP, Electricity Markets and Policy Credit Risk, Fifth Third Bank
Bryan Long, Executive Director, US Power Origination, JP Morgan
Jacob Mays, Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Session 6B: Importance of In-The-Loop Testing for Model Validation
Session Chair: Reza Pourramezan, Manager, Advanced Grid Innovation Laboratory for Energy (AGILe), New York Power Authority
Why is in-the-loop testing and real time simulations critical for accurate model validation of inverter-based devices?
Real-Time Simulation and HIL Testing: Advancing Power System Innovation and Reliability
Reza Pourramezan, Manager, Advanced Grid Innovation Laboratory for Energy (AGILe), New York Power Authority
Leveraging Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Testing to Improve Model Fidelity and Accuracy
Aditya Ashok, Director, Energy Systems Research, Opal-RT Technologies
Software-in-the-Loop simulation – a must for today’s MMC grid forming converters
Bryan Buterbaugh, Application Engineer, Hitachi Energy
Addressing Challenging System Stability and Model Validation while Retaining OEM Confidentiality
Lukas Unruh, Power System Studies Engineer, Electranix
Session 7A: Fireside Chat: Collaborative Approaches to Planning
Session Chair: Lisa Schwartz, Senior Policy Researcher and Strategic Advisor, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
How can we build more effective, collaborative planning processes between system operators, regulators and stakeholders?
Mike Bull, Deputy Executive Secretary, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and Jody Londo, Director of Regulatory & Strategic Analysis, Xcel Energy
Schuyler Matteson, Clean Energy Planning Lead, New York State Department of Public Service and Jason Frasier, Senior Manager, Transmission Planning, New York ISO
Ken Aramaki, Director of T&D, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)
Session 7B: Technical Challenges and Solutions with Integration of Large Loads
Session Chair: Julia Matevosyan, Associate Director, ESIG
What technical challenges do large, fast-growing loads present—and how are planners and operators adapting?
Considerations for Load Power Variability Requirements
Andrew Isaacs, Vice President, Electranix
Impact of AI Workload and E-Statcom as a Mitigation Measure
Sergey Kynev, Business Development Manager, Siemens Energy
Understanding LLM-Induced Load Profiles and Grid Complications
Amin Zamani, Senior Director, Advanced Technology Integration, Quanta Technology, LLC
Data Center Power System: Architecture and Modeling Considerations
Shahil Shah, Principal Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (virtual presentation)
Stability and Operation Considerations for an Off-Grid Data Center
Naresh Acharya, Technical Director, GE Vernova Consulting Services
Closing Plenary: Fireside Chat Session on the Future of Demand Flexibility
Session Chair: Pearl Donohoo-Vallett, Technical Advisor, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Should demand flexibility be treated as supply or demand, and what mechanisms are needed to scale it responsibly?
Demand Response Participation in MISO
Michael Robinson, Principal Market Design Advisor, MISO
Amber Motley, Director, Short Term Forecasting, CAISO
Travis Kavulla, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy
Karen Onaran, CEO and President, Electricity Consumers Resource Council
Sanem Sergici, Principal, The Brattle Group