IEEE PES and the GridWise Architecture Council

Architectures to Decarbonize, Decentralize, and Democratize the Grid

The IEEE PES, in partnership with the GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC), will convene the IEEE PES International Transactive Energy Systems Conference and Workshop (#TESC2022) on May 3-5, 2022, as a virtual conference.

Decarbonization, decentralization, and democratization of electricity resources are driving the most dramatic changes to the grid since Tesla and Edison. Many state and local policymakers have pledged to meet their energy needs with 100% carbon-neutral energy, including new efforts to electrify heating, transportation, and industrial sectors.

With this transformation come new challenges and complexity in managing the grid that must be addressed concurrently. Grid Architecture facilitates this transformation by providing tools to manage complexity, new structures for accommodating change, and techniques for comparing and evaluating proposed architectures.

TESC 2022 Full Program

Pre-Conference Tutorials – Monday May 2, 2020

Session 1

8am-10am Pacific Time / 11am-1pm Eastern: Session 1

Tutorial Part 1: Grid Architecture Fundamentals

Instructors:  David Forfia and Ron Melton

Description: Grid Architecture is the application of system architecture, network theory, and control theory to the electric power grid. A grid architecture is the highest-level description of the complete grid and is a key tool to help understand and define the many complex interactions that exist in present and future grids.  Grid architecture can be used to: help manage complexity (and therefore risk); assist communication among stakeholders around a shared vision of the future grid; identify and remove barriers and define essential limits; define interfaces and platforms, identify gaps in theory, technology, organization, regulation; and provide a framework for complex grid-related development activities.

The discipline of grid architecture provides a modern set of methods to assist in thinking about grid complexities, to aid in understanding interactions and technical gaps, to enable new capabilities and remove old unnecessary limits, and to support communication among stakeholders.  This is increasingly important as we modernize the electric power system moving to an increasingly distributed system most usefully viewed as a network of structures.  This tutorial will introduce the basic tools of grid architecture with examples of how to apply them, and a discussion of advanced grid architecture concepts.

Session 2

12-2pm Pacific / 3-5pm Eastern: Session 2

Tutorial Part 2: Transactive Energy Fundamentals

Instructors: Ron Bernstein, Farrokh Rahimi, Ron Ambrosio

Description: If you’ve heard of transactive energy systems but aren’t sure how they work or where they’re headed, this is the tutorial for you. The Transactive Energy Fundamentals tutorial is designed for technical and non-technical backgrounds and will give an overview of transactive energy systems and discuss the opportunities and challenges that they present. The tutorial is applicable for a broad range of backgrounds including those with experience in regulatory, utility, solution design, or building management areas.

Note that except for the virtual reception, each session consists of a pre-recorded video presentation by the speaker or panelists followed by a live Q&A session of approximately 30 minutes.

Conference Day 1 – Tuesday May 3, 2022

Session 1

8am-10am Pacific / 11am – 1pm Eastern

Conference Opening Session, David Forfia, Session Chair

The conference opening session includes welcoming remarks, a keynote about the DOE Transactive Systems Program and a presentation about key results from the DOE program.

Session 2

10:30am-12:00pm Pacific / 1:30pm – 3:00pm Eastern

Grid: Visions of the Future, Ron Cunningham, Session Chair

The December 8-10^th, 2020 TESC GWAC Foundational Session introduced the participants to aspects of grid modernization and high DER penetration on grid architectures. This session builds and expands on that prior work by:

• presenting more initial results of characterizing stakeholder organizations’ visions/future states,
• updating electric grid/industry drivers and systemic issues, including grid system and supply-chain resiliency and interdependencies between the two,
• overviewing architectural challenges and gaps identified concerning the future states and the importance of addressing them to enable the 3Ds (decentralize, decarbonize, democratize) for the future grids,
• describing the continued relevance of GWAC Interoperability Framework (GWAC IOP Stack) to the 3Ds of the future grid,
• summarizing how the six TESC conference topics sessions coverage of the 3Ds.

The panel session includes:

• Why Addressing Architecture Gaps Enables the 3-Ds of Future Grid – David Forfia, GWAC
• Stakeholders Vision/Future States Assessment Project and Characteristics – Ron Cunningham, GWAC
• Electric Grid – Drivers and Systemic Issues – Andrew Bordine, GWAC
• Architectural Challenges / Gaps – Ron Melton, GWAC Administrator
• GWAC Interoperability Stack – Relevance to 3Ds of Future Grid, R. Ambrosio, GWAC

Q&A Panel will also include – Leonard Tillman, GWAC

Session 3

12:30pm – 2:00pm Pacific / 3:30pm – 5:00pm Eastern

Smart Grid & Smart Cities, Ron Ambrosio, Session Chair

Smart grid and smart city initiatives are complementary allies in the effort to create a decarbonized future.  This topic will discuss how the two depend on each other in areas such as the electrification of transportation, the deployment of distributed energy resources, and how information can be used to support a more democratized system. Understanding how the requirements of one influences the architecture and design of the other is critical to the success of both.

• Architectural Considerations to Manage Future Distribution Grids, Farrokh Albuyeh, OATI
• Application of DLT Cybersecurity Stack to TES Applications for a Scalable, Cybersecure and Interoperable Future, David (J.) Sebastian Cardenas, PNNL
• Update: Application of TENT to Transactive Energy Campuses, Don Hammerstrom, PNNL

Conference Day 2 – Wednesday May 4, 2022

Session 1

8-9:30am Pacific / 11-12:30pm Eastern

Day 2 Welcome and Keynote, David Forfia, Session Chair

Keynote, Rachelle Chong, National Advisor in Communications, Energy & Transportation

Session 2

10am-11:30 Pacific / 1pm – 2:30pm Eastern

Regulatory Perspectives, Lorenzo Kristov, Session Chair

The decarbonization of the electricity grid is rapidly progressing. The grid is also becoming more decentralized with the growing adoption of scalable distributed generation, storage, and microgrids, accompanied by new business models and markets. State and federal regulators and policymakers are tasked with integrating these distributed resources in a manner that maximizes their benefits to ratepayers, create a more democratized grid, and enables customers and other distributed resource owners to become transactive participants in the distribution network. We seek papers and panelists that explore regulatory actions and policies to transition the electricity system from where we are today to where we want to go.

• How Blockchain Transactive Energy can Facilitate Implementing Regulatory Proceedings for DERS and DR, James Kempf, UC Santa Cruz, Extension
• Evolve Transactive Energy to Evolve a Modern Grid, Larisa Dobriansky, General Microgrids
• Regulatory Barriers to Transactive Energy in California, Mark Costa, the Energy Coalition

Session 3

12pm-1:30pm Pacific / 3pm-4:30pm Eastern

Customer Perspectives, Kay Aikin, Session Chair

The grid of the future is expected to be highly participatory. Customers will see a growing array of cost-effective choices for how to obtain and use electricity so that energy decision-making and the supply of grid services become more democratized. This topic will discuss visions for a future-state grid with active participation of customers and customer-side systems that include residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers among others.  The topic will also discuss measures to protect passive customers against potential unintended consequences of transactive exchanges among active customers, aggregators, and markets.

• Equity in Transactive Energy Systems, Brittany Tarufelli, PNNL
• Comparison of Transactive Approaches for DER Integration and Customer Benefit, David Holmberg, NIST
• From Pilots to Broad Adoption, Ian Burnes, Efficiency Maine Trust

Session 4

1:30pm-3pm Pacific / 4:30pm-6pm Eastern

Virtual Networking and Poster Session with Live Chat, Farrokh Rahimi Session Chair

Conference Day 3 – Thursday, May 5, 2022

Session 1

8-9:30am Pacific / 11-12:30pm Eastern

Smart Buildings in a Secure Grid, Ron Bernstein, Session Chair

Today’s smart buildings market is faced with a myriad of issues: reducing CO2 emissions through enhanced energy management; load management through building/grid integration; the demand for more open, interoperable systems; and managing the associated cyber security risks. Owners and end users are requiring designers and suppliers ensure their facilities are secure while also ensuring reliable access both internally and over the internet, exposing building systems and grid systems to significant risks. This topic will delve into these issues and present lessons learned from building/grid integrations, system architecture and design best practices, and deploying cyber secure systems and processes.

• Data Security in Networked Microgrids for Transacting Energy, Mohammad Shahidehpour, IIT
• Emerging Markets & Tech Program, Mark Martinez, SCE
• CTA standards Development Programs for Grid Connected Homes and Buildings, Kerry Haresign, CTA

Session 2

10am-11:30 Pacific / 1pm – 2:30pm Eastern

International Perspectives, Mark Paterson, Session Chair

The North American power grid is faced with many issues on the road to decarbonize, decentralize and democratize. Many other countries are faced with the same and, in some cases, more severe issues. Regulatory and policy issues are being addressed in unique and successful ways. Deploying large DER projects while maintaining grid stability in Australia, overcoming regulatory restrictions in Europe, or even changing them, rapidly – to meet growing demand, and addressing a more distributed, decentralized grid architecture are but a few areas we’ll look at in this globally-focused topic.

• AU: Incentivizing Asset Owner Participation in High DER Grids, Andrew Mears, SwitchDin
• US: Building Transformations Using Smart and Secure Microgrids, Ebrahim Vaahedi, OATI
• UK: Incentivizing Flexibility in a Decarbonizing Grid, Doug Cook, Ofgem
• UK: Delivering Flexibility and System Services in a Decarbonizing Grid, Alex Schock, Octopus Energy (Too Be Confirmed)
• NZ: Incentivizing & Enabling Smart Transport Electrification, Steve Heinen, Vector Ltd
• AU: Project Symphony: Fast-tracking Western Australia’s Grid Future, Andrew Blaver, Western Power

Session 3

12pm-2pm Pacific / 3pm-5pm Eastern (Includes 30 minute closing session)

Changing Energy Landscape, Ahlmahz Negash

The grid of the future is shaping up to be very different than the one we rely on today. New technologies, expanding energy markets, evolving regulatory frameworks, advanced analytics/modeling tools, increased customer choices, broader policies and a growing focus on energy equity and environmental justice are influencing the pace and pathways of decarbonization. This topic explores the changing energy landscape and how the energy industry is (or is not) responding to both the uncertainties and the opportunities arising from these changes.

• Architectural Solution for FERC Order 2222 Implementation, Farrokh Rahimi, OATI
• Allocating the value of capacity – a proposed alternative to demand charges, Don Hammerstrom, PNNL
• Modifying Integrated Resource Planning Using Transactive Systems Valuation Methodology for Resilience Improvement, Sarmad Hanif, PNNL

Conference Closing Remarks, Best Paper Award, David Forfia, Session Chair