Schedule at a glance
Tuesday January 23
| 8 to 9 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING BREAKFAST |
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| 9 to 9:20 a.m. |
ALBERTA ROOM Welcome and Opening Remarks |
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| 9:20 to 10:15 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Assessing your place in the energy transition |
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| 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING BREAK |
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| 10:45 to 12:15 p.m. |
MORNING BREAKOUT SESSIONS The Hub Summit’s breakout sessions are an extended opportunity for information-sharing and conversation in small groups. The sessions are facilitated by experts in the field, allowing participants to ask detailed questions and problem-solve with their peers. Key learnings from each breakout session will be summarized and shared with all Summit participants. Attendees can join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on the following themes: |
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| 12:15 to 1 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING LUNCH |
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| 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Changing approaches to planning and modeling Francis Bradley, President & CEO, Electricity Canada Speakers: Dr. Jacob Monroe, Research Analyst, Energy Modelling Hub |
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| 1:30 to 3 p.m. | AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS 1 Attendees can join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on the following themes: |
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| 3 to 3:30 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING BREAK |
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| 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. |
AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS 2 Attendees can join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on the following themes: |
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| 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Summary of Day 1 discussions | |||
| 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | HAWTHORNE BISTRO Networking Reception |
Wednesday, January 24
| 8 to 9 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING BREAKFAST |
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| 9 to 9:20 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Welcome back |
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| 9:20 to 10:25 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Electricity Transition Evaluations |
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| 10:25 to 10:45 a.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING BREAK |
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| 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. |
BREAKOUT SESSION – TRANSITION ECOSYSTEMS Speaker: Facilitator: |
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| 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. | BREAKOUT DISCUSSION Attendees can join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions with a focus on energy transition ecosystems. Each group will have the chance to assess everything discussed throughout the event so far and evaluate the completeness of essential components of energy transition ecosystems in local regions. Attendees can choose any room and are encouraged to separate from colleagues to get the most out of the sessions and inspire internal discussions in the future. |
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| 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM NETWORKING LUNCH |
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| 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Energy transition case studies and scaling from pilots to full-scale. Seth Leon, Manager of Programs and Projects, QUEST Canada
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| 1:30 to 2 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Summary of Day 1 and Day 2 discussions |
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| 2 to 2:15 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM What’s next for the Hub |
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| 2:15 to 2:30 p.m. | ALBERTA ROOM Closing remarks |
Session Descriptions
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Welcome, Opening Remarks and Morning Session
Welcome and Opening Remarks by Vittoria Bellissimo, President and CEO, Canadian Renewable Energy Association, and Phil McKay, Senior Director, Technical & Utility Affairs, Canadian Renewable Energy Association.
Morning session: Assessing your place in the energy transition
The energy transition is rapidly advancing. Some systems around the world are making big strides with implementing new processes and technologies. Others are progressing more slowly, due to a range of regional and international factors, but these systems have the unique opportunity to learn key transitional lessons from first movers. In the Summit’s opening session, the Smart Grid Innovation Network will present their Smart Energy Utility Benchmarking initiative results and provide some insights into how we are implementing smart grid technologies as a country. The Global Power System Transformation Consortium will then present a global perspective, providing some insights into what leading-edge energy-transition activities are taking place on the international stage. As a starting point for discussions at the Summit, attendees will be invited to consider where their organization fits within regional and global power system changes.
Morning Breakout Sessions
The Hub Summit’s breakout sessions allow for an extended time of information-sharing and conversation in small groups. The goal of each session is to present a specific set of inverter-based resource integration work taking place around the world, for attendees to engage with. The sessions are facilitated by experts in the field, allowing participants to ask detailed questions and problem-solve with their peers. Key learnings from each breakout session will be summarized and shared for all Summit participants to gain insights and extend the discussion into the wider event.
Join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on specific themes related to: a) markets and regulations; b) implementation and operations; or c) planning. These sessions include introductory presentations from industry leaders and are designed to facilitate discussions to explore pathways that are relevant for all session participants.
Markets and regulations theme:
Meeting energy and capacity needs in a changing grid while maintaining compliance with regulatory expectations.
Electricity system operators and utilities are grappling with how to manage high levels of inverter-based resources (IBRs) on their systems. These resources can be variable and more dynamic, contributing to larger and more unexpected peaks in net electricity demand.
Regulation plays an important role in the electricity sector for many reasons, with the ultimate aim of providing reliable, affordable service to end-use consumers. Regulatory approaches vary across Canada, from centralized approaches to market-based approaches. Regardless of the approach, these often lag the rapid changes occurring on the grid and are not necessarily fit-for-purpose for a future with high penetrations of variable renewables. Accordingly, regulation needs to be flexible to accommodate rapid changes and new innovations, but also maintain boundaries within which key electricity system players operate.
Join representatives from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) and Maritime Electric/Fortis Inc. to discuss the successes and challenges of complying with regulatory expectations while maintaining service reliability. You will be invited to consider how organizations can work with regulators to develop policies that are fit for a changing grid.
Implementation and operations theme:
Transmission and distribution control for advanced operations of high-penetration variable renewable energy sources, inverter-based resources and changing demand.
Transmission and distribution operators are facing new challenges as they manage high penetrations of variable renewables and IBRs, and changes in the demand placed on their systems. Traditionally, changes in the balance between supply and demand were less dynamic, the result of intra-day/seasonal changes. However, there is now a combination of complex factors influencing the delivery of electricity to the end-user.
This is driving requirements for new network capability. Grid operators are exploring a combination of options to deliver this – whether that be through new infrastructure-build or new tools and controls.
We invite attendees to participate in this discussion as they consider how learnings from Canada and the U.S. apply to their organizations. Experts from Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY in Varenne’s research center and the Energy Futures Lab will discuss new models for transmission/distribution coordination and the tools being added to the operational toolbox to manage emerging risks.
Planning theme:
Electrification of residential loads, transport, industry, and building heat.
Fuel-switching is regarded as a significant opportunity for Canada’s highest-emitting sectors to decarbonize. Alongside other measures, including energy efficiency, demand-side management and building retrofits, experts are pushing for mass electrification to deliver emissions reduction and economic benefits. This places pressure on operators and utilities to evolve and adapt to changes in how, when and where electricity is being used by consumers.
Highlights:
- The Electro-Federation will introduce learnings from its work with its members - companies that manufacture, distribute, market, and sell a wide range of electrical and automation products. Its latest report, Decarbonizing Canada via ‘Electrification’, outlines opportunities and policy recommendations for Canada’s electricity, building and transportation sectors – highlighting the importance of provincial and federal policy levers and the harmonization of standards between sectors for achieving Canada’s net-zero goals.
- SOFIAC will then present its innovative approach to financing decarbonization and energy retrofit projects, and how it is implementing this across Canada.
This session will invite attendees to consider the role that utilities can play in delivering the benefits of electrification and discuss planning for mass electrification.
Lunch Session: Changing approaches to planning and modelling
As the network diversifies, so must the ways that utilities and system operators plan the future of the network. This will come with a range of data, operational and political challenges, each of which will impact the way that we develop and use models.
The Energy Modelling Hub is an independent reference center whose mission is “to support timely & evidence-based policymaking toward a net zero economy by bringing together public policy and energy modelling communities as maintaining and providing access to a comprehensive suite of robust and open-source resources and modelling tools.”
Join the Energy Modelling Hub to hear about the transitioning modelling landscape, and to learn how your organization can adapt to changes and improve your medium- and long-term plans using the latest modelling approaches.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions 1
The Hub Summit’s breakout sessions allow for an extended time of information-sharing and conversation in small groups. The goal of each session is to present a specific set of inverter-based resource integration work taking place around the world, for attendees to engage with. The sessions are facilitated by experts in the field, allowing participants to ask detailed questions and problem-solve with their peers. Key learnings from each breakout session will be summarized and shared for all Summit participants to gain insights and extend the discussion into the wider event.
Join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on specific themes related to: a) markets and regulations; b) implementation and operations; or c) planning. These sessions include introductory presentations from industry leaders and are designed to facilitate discussions to explore pathways that are relevant for all session participants.
Markets and regulations theme:
Identifying transition-ready regulatory processes and market design.
Some regulatory processes have been criticized for not being transition-ready: not keeping pace with rapid technological changes and without the flexibility to accommodate new standards or ways of operating the system. This impacts how well utilities and system operators can plan for a decarbonized future.
More and more around the world, electricity policymakers are exploring new approaches to regulation that foster innovation and account for the changing needs of the system.
In this session, we will discuss how we can move faster towards the goals of a 2035 non-emitting grid and 2050 net-zero economy. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and CAMPUT will introduce the session by drawing from their experiences applying standards to regulatory processes. Electricity Canada will share their perspectives on diverse Canadian regulatory environments and the current pace of change while considering the need for market certainty. Join this discussion to better understand the challenges and opportunities for developing transition-ready regulatory processes and market design.
Implementation and operations theme:
Standards and codes as a bridge to scaling the energy transition and streamlining system changes.
Experts consider standardization to be a key enabler for the energy transition. Codes and standards bring clarity and provide frameworks for maintaining system reliability and for meeting customer expectations at scale.
In this session, speakers will share their perspectives from firsthand experience working with standards. Smart Wires is a solution provider that continues to deliver innovative approaches to deploy gird optimization equipment, all while working within current standards. They will present alongside Nova Scotia Power, who is adopting IEEE standards as it drives forward the rapid integration of inverter-based resources on its system.
Additional perspectives will be provided by Decentralized Energy Canada from their work with sustainability standards - particularly trying to move decentralized energy standards forward in Canada.
Learn from those on the frontlines about how standardization is driving the energy transition forward.
Planning theme:
Interconnections between distribution and transmission system-operator service territories and regional boundaries.
Sharing electricity between regions offers opportunities for greater system resilience and increased supply efficiencies, especially as we move towards a future with higher levels of variable renewable energy generation. Where one region may be experiencing supply shortfalls at one point in time, another region may be producing excess energy, and vice versa. Processes that allow electricity to be exchanged between these regions reduce the need for costly infrastructure build-out, while also reducing the risk of blackouts.
In addition, while traditional generation sources are transmission-connected, new assets are often distribution-connected. This increases the imperative for coordination between distribution and transmission providers, both within and between regions.
This session will feature presentations on action items from the Nordic Regional Coordination Centre (NRCC), an independent entity owned by the four transmission system operators in the Nordic region which aims to facilitate coordination between them. This will be coupled with insights from the Energy Modelling Hub, who will present the latest in interconnection modelling trends to highlight the benefits of greater coordination between regions.
Contribute to the discussion on the potential of interconnections in Canada, positioning your organization for greater supply efficiencies to benefit the customers in your service areas.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions 2
The Hub Summit’s breakout sessions allow for an extended time of information-sharing and conversation in small groups. The goal of each session is to present a specific set of inverter-based resource integration work taking place around the world, for attendees to engage with. The sessions are facilitated by experts in the field, allowing participants to ask detailed questions and problem-solve with their peers. Key learnings from each breakout session will be summarized and shared for all Summit participants to gain insights and extend the discussion into the wider event.
Join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions on specific themes related to: a) markets and regulations; b) implementation and operations; or c) planning. These sessions include introductory presentations from industry leaders and are designed to facilitate discussions to explore pathways that are relevant for all session participants.
Markets and regulations theme:
Grid services and how to approach procurement to meet reliability needs from non-synchronous generation.
Reliability is all about ensuring that electricity is supplied to the places it is needed at the times it is needed. As we move to more variable, non-synchronous generation, we need to understand how to continue to deliver reliability, well, reliably.
Researchers, system operators and policymakers worldwide are exploring how to define and procure reliability services traditionally provided as a by-product of synchronous generators operating on the system. There is a spectrum of options when it comes to procuring services, from market-based approaches to bi-lateral contracts.
This session will benefit system operators and utilities alike. EPRI will first present its research insights into electricity system reliability and understanding of reliability services. This will be overlaid with the system operator perspective, providing practical insights that draw on experience procuring reliability services.
Canada has a variety of approaches for procuring services. It is possible to find some ancillary service markets, such as an operating reserve market, procurement of services through contracts, such as black-start and reliability-must-run capabilities, and also set requirements for connecting generators to provide services such as voltage control and reactive power.
In this discussion we will exchange ideas on procurement methods and discuss what is and isn’t working for the variety of electricity markets found across Canada.
Implementation and operations theme:
Grid-forming inverters, their potential for the network and considerations for integration.
Grid-forming (GFM) capabilities have emerged as a promising technology frontier for high inverter-based resource (IBR) penetration systems in the last few years. The ability of grid-forming inverters to provide important grid services, such as synthetic inertia and black-start capabilities, is being studied by many researchers, and practical system applications are being tested in new projects around the world.
System operators, including in Australia, Finland, and the UK, are beginning to develop preliminary specification documents to encourage GFM technologies, and NERC has recently released new guidance for bulk-power system connected grid-forming battery systems.
The session will being with insights from industry pioneers at the forefront of this field, featuring presentations by experts from the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). This will include learnings from collaborative efforts through the Global Power System Transformation Consortium’s Grid Forming Implementation Council. Discover the latest advancements in standards development, ongoing pilot projects, and the expanding scope of integration considerations in specific regions.
Join us for the discussion to consider the role of GFM technologies in future utility operations and understand more about planning for GFM integration.
Planning theme:
Planning for resilience in the face of climate change and electrifying society.
CIGRE defines power system resilience as “the ability to limit the extent, severity, and duration of system degradation following an extreme event.” The confluence of climate breakdown, while electrifying society with high levels of new, variable renewable resources, is bringing to light new resilience challenges. These are also likely to increase in future, requiring careful planning at all levels of the electricity supply and operations chain.
Join us as we hear from organizations at the forefront of work on electrification and system resilience. The Utility 2030 Collaborative will present on its work with utilities in the U.S. on sustainability and resilience, including its strategies to prepare utilities for the future. They will be joined by representatives from ENMAX, who will provide insights from first-hand experiences delivering energy in changing environments.
CIGRE’s Resilience Working Group will also add a global perspective to the conversation, looking at industry trends and best practice in planning for climate adaptation and resilience.
Hear about international and domestic challenges and share ideas on how to adapt within your region to keep power supplies safe, reliable and resilient in the face of a changing climate and changing demand.
Dinner and networking reception
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Welcome Back
Relationship-mapping of global renewable energy grid-integration efforts
Inspired by his European electricity-transition tour and Canadian energy events last fall, the Electricity Transition Hub’s own Phil McKay will present some key points from the Hub’s paper, Relationship Mapping of Global Renewable Energy Grid Integration Efforts.
The paper was presented at the 22nd Wind and Solar Integration Workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark. It outlines the Hub’s value proposition and how it has evolved over the last year, including:
- The Electricity Transition Hub Electronic Resource (ETHER) Library, a virtual resource that catalogues the reports and external websites discussed with Hub participants and offers a sophisticated tagging system to easily search by refined topic areas.
- A comprehensive grid-integration visualization mapping tool, to track and link the key organizations involved in advancing inverter-based resource (IBR) grid-integration work.
- Expansion plans: Integrating a relationship-management system, a conference tracker and a webinar tracking system, which are currently used by Hub staff to collect relevant information for participant responses.
Phil will also share some learnings from his time in Europe, where he visited Great Britain’s National Grid Electricity System Operator, the Energy Networks Association for the UK and Ireland, the Energinet Transmission System Operator and the Nordic Regional Coordination Centre. In addition, insights will be shared from CanREA’s annual industry event, “Electricity Transformation Canada,” and several other domestic events.
Morning Session
Electricity Transitions Evaluations
Transitions take planning, and global efforts are providing new frameworks for how to plan for a rapidly advancing transition. We invite attendees to join us as we consider the context provided by international energy transition playbooks, alongside key learnings from the past two days.
This engaging panel will feature international experts from EPRI in North America, the U.K.’s Green Grids Initiative and the Nordic Regional Coordination Centre. Panelists will share insights into the work they are involved in, including looking at how system operators around the world are planning to deliver reliable service on a changing grid and how multiple nations and system operators are coming together to develop consistent transition pathways. Panel members will engage in an informal discussion on what is and is not working and how this fits with their interpretation of what was shared on Day 1 of the Summit.
Breakout Session— Transition Ecosystems
This final series of break out discussions will be introduced by Nova Scotia Power Inc. through this fire side chat. Joy Brake will introduce the energy transition ecosystem in Nova Scotia, the challenges, opportunities, and any significant gaps in what has been identified so far in the decarbonization of the regional network.
Breakout Discussion
Attendees can join one of three simultaneous breakout sessions with a focus on energy transition ecosystems. Each group will have the chance to assess everything discussed throughout the event so far and evaluate the completeness of essential components of energy transition ecosystems in local regions. Attendees can choose any room and are encouraged to separate from colleagues to get the most out of the sessions and inspire internal discussions in the future.
Lunch Session
Energy transition case studies and scaling from pilots to full-scale.
With increased understanding of emerging risks on future power systems, there is no shortage of innovative pilots exploring new technologies, processes and structures. The challenge now is turning these into full-scale solutions.
Join representatives from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and SOFIAC as they provide an action-oriented perspective for progressing the electricity transition. Find out who is doing what in this practical approach to energy transition knowledge-transfer and consider the context of your utility to see how these success stories and lessons learned can apply to your system. Case studies will focus on the full-scale 747, not just the pilots!
Final Session and Closing Remarks
The final sessions of the Summit will bring everyone together to wrap up the event and lay tracks for future work. First, we will provide a summary of the sessions that took place over the course of the two days, and our three theme facilitators will present the main takeaways and solidify the emerging actions. Second, we will present what’s next for the Electricity Transition Hub. Finally, we will deliver the Summit’s closing remarks.
Registration Fees
| Registration | $250.00 |
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Location
Fairmont Palliser,
133 9 Ave SW,
Calgary, AB
T2P 2M3