Reimagining Our Energy Future: Building Upon 10 Years of Public/Private Collaborations
November 16-17, 2015
University Club, Pitt-Oakland Campus
(Parking located in Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall Garage)
Bookmark this page for conference schedule updates.
PRESENTATIONS FROM THE EVENT ARE NOW UPLOADED.
Selected live conference recordings are found here:
Monday Morning: EPIC 2015 Welcome, Opening Remarks, Keynote Bill Peduto, Graduate Student Research Symposium
Monday Evening: EPIC 2015 Keynote Speaker - Jill Jonnes
Tuesday Morning: EPIC 2015 District Energy Panel Session
Tuesday Afternoon: EPIC 2015 Breakout Session Reporting and Closing Remarks
Conference Chair: Gregory Reed, PhD
Director, Electric Power Initiative and Director, Center for Energy
Professor of Electric Power Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept.
Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
Monday November 16
9:00 AM - Registration and Networking (Main Lobby)
10:00 AM - Welcome and Opening Remarks: Gregory Reed, Ph.D.
10:10 AM - Opening Remarks: Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, University of Pittsburgh
10:20 AM - Conference Keynote Address
William Peduto - Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
11:00 AM - Special Announcement
Duquesne Light / University of Pittsburgh Partnership in Electric Power Engineering Research and Education
11:15 AM - Graduate Student Research Symposium
Session Moderator: Brandon Grainger, Ph.D.
Presentations from Pitt Electric Power Engineering PhD and M.S. students providing overview of the group's research activities, and introducing elements of the GSR poster session.
12:30 PM - Lunch
1:30 PM - Technical Program Sessions (concurrent tracks)
Session 1 (Gold Room - 2nd Floor): The Next Generation of Electric Power Engineers
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Session Moderator:
William Stanchina, Ph.D. - Professor, Pitt ECE Department
Speakers:
Robert Kerestes, Ph.D. - Emerson
R&D Engineer
Raghav Khanna, Ph.D. - University of Toledo
Assistant Professor
Matthew Korytowski, Ph.D. - Siemens
HVDC Business Development
Rusty Scioscia - Eaton
R&D Engineer
Adam Sparacino - Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
System Studies Engineer
Emmanuel Taylor, Ph.D. - Energetics
Senior Electricity Consultant
Session 2 (Ballroom B - 2nd Floor): DC System Design and Microgrid Architectures
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Session Moderator: Brandon Grainger, Ph.D. - Research Assist. Professor, Pitt ECE Department
Speakers:
John Stevens, Ph.D. - United States Naval Academy
Assistant Professor, Commander: United States Navy
(For presentation, contact Dr. Stevens directly: stevens@usna.edu)
Steven Ross and Christopher Myer - Universal Electric Corporation
Chief Technology Officer / Project Manager
Igor Cvetkovic - Virginia Tech
Research Engineer, Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES)
Sharmila Ravula - Robert Bosch North America
Director of Business Development
Drew Chidester and John Vernacchia - UPMC / Eaton
Senior Director, Energy & Environmental Engineering / Segment Manager, Electrical Sector
Bill Bryans - Electro-Federation Canada
Vice President - Technical Services, Electrical
Session 3 (Conference Room A - 3rd Floor): Evolution of Power System Designs
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Session Moderator:
Thomas McDermott, Ph.D., P.E. - Assistant Professor, Pitt ECE Department
Speakers:
Jeffrey Taft, Ph.D. - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Chief Architect, Electric Grid Transformation
Michael Pesin - U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
Deputy Assistant Secretary
James Fields and James Maug - Pitt Ohio Trucking
Chief Operating Officer / Director Building Maintenance and Property Management
Francisco Velez, Ph.D. - Dominion Virginia Power
Fellow Engineer
Daniel Sullivan, P.E. - Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
Manager, Power Electronics Product Line (HVDC and FACTS)
John Swanson, Ph.D. - Founder, ANSYS Inc.
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4:00 PM - Graduate Student Researcher Poster Session (Library and Throughout Venue)
Posters will be available for viewing at distinct locations of the University Club throughout the entire conference. The 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm time frame is set aside specifically for when the students will be at their posters to present, discuss, and and answer questions.
5:30 PM - AFTERNOON-to-EVENING BREAK
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6:00 PM - Student-Industry Networking Event and Evening Keynote Address
All our students, both undergraduate and graduate who are studying in the electric power and energy fields, join with our industry partners, government sponsors, and other constituents who will have representation in an exhibit area for a networking reception.
Evening Keynote Address (Ballroom B - 2nd Floor):
Jill Jonnes, Ph.D. - Author and Historian, "Empires of Light"
Reception and Exhibits (Ballroom A - 1st Floor - Following Keynote)
List of Exhibitors : Pitt Entities (Online Learning, Center for Energy, Office of Technology Management), ANSYS, Case Western Reserve University, Concurrent Technologies, Curtiss Wright, DiGioia Gray & Associates, Dominion Virginia Power, Duquesne Light, Eaton, Emerson, First Energy, FTI Consulting, Institute for Green Sciences, IMG Midstream, LLC, Measurement Instruments, Mitsubishi Electric, Nayak Corp, NETL, NRG Energy, OSIsoft, Pitt Bookstore, Robert Bosch, LLC, Tollgrade, Universal Electric Corporation, University of Tennessee - CURENT
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Tuesday November 17
8:00 AM - Registration and Networking (Main Lobby)
9:00 AM to 12:15 PM (Ballroom B - 2nd Floor)
District Energy Workshop
The University of Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh, the U.S. Department of Energy, regional foundations and key industry organizations are beginning to develop concepts, pilot projects, and implementation of an exciting District Energy Initiative. Considering an over-arching "Grid of Micro-Grids" concept within and around the City of Pittsburgh, the goals of the District Energy Initiative are to create a more resilient, efficient, economic, and sustainable energy eco-system for our region. The District Energy Initiative will help position Pittsburgh as a leading city in the 21 st Century for creating one of the largest and most advanced energy eco-systems in the county. The Workshop will feature a panel session with speakers from leading organizations engaged in the planning and start-up activities to-date, followed by breakout sessions on key topics to foster more community and industry input and engagement. The goals for the workshop are to provide a venue for expanded dialogue, participation, and collaboration across various energy sectors and among community, industry, and government organizations.
9:00 AM - Introduction: Gregory Reed, Ph.D.
9:05 AM - Special Announcement
Henry L. Hillman Foundation - University of Pittsburgh Research Grant, Phase 2 of the DC-AMPS Program (Direct Current Architecture for Modern Power Systems)
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM - District Energy Panel Session
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Session Moderator:
Gregory Reed, Ph.D. - University of Pittsburgh
Director, Center for Energy
Professor and Director, Electric Power Systems Laboratory
Panelists:
Grant Ervin - City of Pittsburgh
Chief Resiliency Officer
Kate Marks - U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis
Senior Policy Advisor
Tyler Gourley - Henry L. Hillman Foundation
Program Officer
Ben Morris - Duquesne Light Company
Senior Manager, Strategic Planning & Operational Analytics
James Lodge - NRG Energy
Vice President, District Energy Operations and Asset Management
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10:30 AM - 11:45 AM - Workshop Breakout Sessions
Topic #1 - Energy Resources
Session Moderator:
Alan Traugott - CJL Engineering, Inc.
Managing Principal
Topic #2 - Delivery Infrastructure
Session Moderator:
Steven Bossart - Senior Energy Analyst
U.S. Department of Energy - National Energy Technology Laboratory
Topic #3 - Policy, Regulation, and Markets
Session Moderator:
David Fisfis - Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Duquesne Light Company
11:45 AM to 12:15 PM - Breakout Session Reporting
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12:15 PM to 12:30 PM - Conference Chair Closing Remarks
Conference Adjourns with Lunch at 12:30 PM