DISTRIBUTECH International

West Monroe is a proud exhibitor and sponsor of the upcoming DISTRIBUTECH International conference, scheduled for February 7th - February 9th, at the San Diego Convention Center. DISTRIBUTECH International is the leading annual transmission and distribution event for utilities, technology providers, and industry leaders. 

This conference brings industry thought-leaders to network, share knowledge and problem solve with utilities and product and service providers. The topics covered are relevant and timely, answering the current call of the market each year. 

Join West Monroe throughout the conference to hear from our leaders on a variety of industry topics. Detailed speaking session descriptions can be found below. 

Be sure to visit West Monroe at booth #5615 in the exhibitor hall! 

The Importance of Spectrum Selection for Field Area Network Deployments

Tuesday, February 7th l 2:45-3:50PM l Room 29C, Third Level

Selecting the appropriate spectrum for Field Area Network deployments is one of the most important decisions a utility can make. As utilities move from narrowband communications networks to wideband or broadband networks that can support larger amounts of data and device quantities, spectrum plays a key role in that process. Most utilities will need to acquire spectrum on the secondary market at fair market value from a spectrum owner/broker at prices higher than utilities are used to paying. This is a paradigm shift for most utilities that have leased narrowband channels from the FCC for almost free in the past.  

Understanding the costs and benefits that licensed broadband spectrum provides is foundational to grid modernization strategies where private wireless is a key component.  

This presentation will cover what considerations utilities should make when evaluating spectrum alternatives and what spectrum options are available to support Field Area Network deployments and the technologies those spectrum bands can support.

Featured Speakers:

• Kathy Nelson, Senior Principal, Energy & Utilities, West Monroe
  
• Kathy Shaft, Manager, IT Telecommunications Engineering, Great River Energy
  
• Alice Moy-Gonzalez, SVP of Strategic Development, Anterix

Critical Components of a Data-Driven Utility

Tuesday, February 7th l 2:45-3:15PM l Room 30A, Third Level

Today, the proliferation of operational technology, like AMI and advanced sensors, and advancements in customer engagement and cloud technologies are feeding engineers, operators, and agents with exponential volumes of data. This is driving a need for investments in new technology and ways of working.  

This session will present Con Edison’s data and analytics journey, which is used to enable data-driven decisions, from the perspective of two business organizations: 1) distribution engineering and customer experience and 2) the enterprise data and analytics team. Their experiences will underpin the four required components to enable analytic maturity for sustained value creation: operating model, data governance, analytics and insights, and a modern data platform.

Featured Speakers:

• Jeff Leonard, Systems Manager, Data Architecture and Analytics, Con Edison
• Stephen Pupek, Department Manager, Distribution Engineering, ConEdison
• Calvin Tong, Manager, Energy & Utilities, West Monroe

Understanding the Impacts of Real-time Isolation and Empowering its Execution

Wednesday, February 8th l 10:05-10:35AM l Room 29D, Third Level

Recent international conflicts and cybersecurity events have pushed utilities to bolster their response plans including procedures for isolating critical real-time systems. Confidence is critical during a cyber event. Teams must be confident in their actions, in their support, and in their responsibilities for continued operations. Newly mandated cybersecurity requirements for real-time systems, including recent TSA directives, have included language around developing isolation procedures and governance.  

This session will showcase how Exelon is going a step beyond defining the architecture, impacted systems, and needed steps for isolating real-time systems. IT, Cybersecurity, and Business leads across Exelon’s utilities are working together to map out the downstream processes, and day-to-day operations that will be impacted during an isolation event in order to better plan and raise confidence in their team’s response.

Featured Speakers: 

• Michael Feula, Senior Consultant, Energy & Utilities, West Monroe
• Ted Johnson, IT Director, Real-Time Systems, Exelon

How To Prepare People and Organizations for Grid Mod System Implementations

Wednesday, February 8th l 2:05-2:35PM l Room 30E, Third Level

At times, enterprises with a great new tool end up failing to realize its intended business benefits because they have not given the same care and attention they gave in selecting and implementing a new tool to prepare the people and organization to function effectively when they must now use it. This session will cover organizational transformation best practices from an ADMS implementation at Portland General Electric (PGE). By effectively preparing about 50 core system users including operators, engineers, and support personnel, and more than 800 non-users (field and corporate) who would be affected by the new process changes, the go-live was so smooth that there with fewer than a dozen support tickets submitted in the first week across all stakeholders.

Featured Speakers:

• Allison Abell, Senior Manager, Operations Excellence, West Monroe
• Tess Meinert, Senior Consultant, Operations Excellence, West Monroe
• Tara Beckman, Integrated Grid Program Manager, Portland General Electric