Thought Leaders from BRIDGE Energy Group, Subject Matter Experts Speaking Engagements

Contact Us | Careers

News

News & Events

Speaking Engagements

BRIDGE Energy Group's subject matter experts speak at a variety of industry events throughout the year. Included below are a few of the most recent and noteable speaking engagements.

CSWeek
April 29-May3
Tampa, FL
Jassi Arora, Director of Solutions Strategy, to join Arizona Public Service to discuss Living with Both New Smart Grid and a Legacy Infrastructure on May 2nd from 10:30-11:30

Often the hype of something new overshadows the realities and challenges of getting there, as well as the challenges of operating in that new end-state. New systems and processes intermixed with legacy processes and systems, interim configurations and procedures not only create complexity but make the capture of promised efficiency even more difficult. This session explores lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid, while planning, implementing and maintaining your new Smart Grid technologies.

Smart Grid Roadshow
April 1-3
Scottsdale, AZ
Ethan Cohen, Practice Leader, to join Arizona Public Service to discuss "The New Prosumers in a Smart Customer Environment" on April 3rd from 9:30-10:15. Forrest Small, VP of Grid Operations, to join panel moderated by Dave O'Brien on "Hurricanes, Nor'easters, Tornadoes, Super Bowls" on April 2nd from 2:30-4pm.

As technology and business process changes, so do customer expectations and their trust in their utility. If technology is to make utilities smarter – what are the outcomes that can help to prove that to rate payers? Specifically, when the primary relationship with a utility is limited to monthly bills or when outage restoration times are quoted as 24 hours for 7 days straight –how can utilities meet consumer expectations for lower cost of energy, more intelligence and better response times without simply resorting to the old “trust me, we did it right” mentality.

This presentation will highlight a case study in which a large utility with newly installed advanced metering, pre-pay and CIS has enabled the organizational change to talk about consumer inquiries in a new smart environment. It will address which changes in technology and people will enable utilities to exceed customer expectations before the next transformation so that perhaps consumers can progress to “prosumers” who will make value based judgments that empower both rate payers and utilities alike going forward.

Distributech
January 29-31
San Diego, CA
Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant, to join panel on Integrating Synchrophasor Technology

In this session, presenters will discuss how phasor measurement units (PMUs) are addressing the need for improved situation awareness across the electric grid using time-synchronized phasor measurements. The first trials of these installations were monitored by the technical sponsors. The challenge is to bring this information into the control centers in a usable format and applications.

Grid Interop
Dec 1-3
Irving, TX
Ethan Cohen, Smart Grid Practice Leader, to speak on Price Responsive Demand

Demand response is not new, and some retail energy suppliers offer their customers some form of time varying energy prices, such as time of use energy pricing (TOU). Under the label of TOU, varying energy pricing retail rate structures can include: critical peak pricing (CPP) and dynamic pricing to name a few. Price responsive demand, as the name implies, can encompass all of these retail pricing schemes and other similar retail rates. However, it can also encompass demand response participating in the wholesale energy market, and these demand response assets being dispatched on price similar to a supply side resource. The session will present various views on implementing retail power markets, dynamic pricing, models for price responsive devices, and mobile loads.

SI World
Nov 5-7
San Diego, CA
Ethan Cohen, Smart Grid Practice Leader, to speak on Big Data

Big data poses enormous challenges to the utility industry as it can overwhelm existing information management practices and technology – including current Business Intelligence investments.

Utilities with the ability to manage large volumes of data while empowering employees throughout the organization to use data dynamically to identify issues and make more informed business decisions, will lead the industry. Utilities who are willing to rethink their approach to data by planning for all the dimensions of information management will achieve their goal more quickly and more efficiently. For others, Big Data will just equate to the big headaches that accompany one-off and failed solutions. This panel will discuss both scenarios and best practices in how to be successful in the new world of analytics.

GE Executive Summit
October 3rd
Toronto
David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy at BRIDGE to moderate the panel, Regulation: New Approaches for a Modern Grid

This panel session will explore the innovation dilemma facing regulated utilities, identify alternative regulatory strategies such as performance-based ratemaking, and consider recent case studies. The goal will be to develop a common set of principles that GE and our customers/partners can promote to regulators as we prepare to build out a modern grid for the 21st century.

Panelists will include:

• Ashley Brown, Director, Harvard Electricity Policy Group, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

• Paul Centolella, Vice President, Analysis Group, Inc.

• Terry Donnelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ComEd

• Dave Malkin, Deputy Director, Government Affairs and Policy, Digital Energy, GE Energy Management

Smart Grid Roadshow
August 13-14
Vancouver, BC
David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy at BRIDGE to join the Super Session on Consumer Engagement

Dave O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy will join the super session, "Smart Grid Consumer Engagement: To Engage, to Simplify or Both?" on August 14th from 2:30-4pm. Also joining the session will be representatives from Opower, Smart Grid Library and JD Power and Associates.

Smart Energy Technology Day
June 20
Cambridge, MA
David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy at BRIDGE to give the Keynote Presentation on "Change, and Progress, Is Inevitable," on the topic of identifying the institutional and cultural barriers to Smart Grid being a part of everyday life .

The digital grid represents a watershed of opportunity that is long overdue. Customers are seeing daily and even real-time usage data alongside the ability to manage their consumption and save money. Utility operators being able to identify exactly which homes and businesses are without power and direct repair crews accordingly. Those same operators being able to remotely identify and repair a fault in the system, often automatically in seconds or less. One would think this transformation of the electric grid would be a natural step for the electric industry and society, but it’s not. In his talk Mr. O’Brien will describe the Smart Grid and its benefits in laymen’s terms while identifying the institutional and cultural barriers to it being a part of everyday life, just as Facebook and Amazon.com have become.

IBM Edge2012
June 5
Orlando, FL
Rod Boswell of BRIDGE to join the roundtable, "Introduction to Big Data and Business Analytics: What is it and How Can it be Used to Improve Business Competitiveness"

This session will introduce one of the emerging hot topics in business today: using massive amounts to data from multiple sources to provide improved insights,in some cases in real‐ or near real‐time, for making decisions that can affect business competitiveness. The intent of this presentation is to illustrate that one does not need advanced mathematical training to gain useful and actionable business‐related insights from the data that is available. This session will introduce some of the foundational concepts for big data analytics, and discuss examples of how forward‐looking customers are using IBM solutions to analyze their data. The presentation also includes pointers to educational material that will help you get started learning about the big data ecosystem.

CEO Symposium
May 30
Grenada
Dave O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy & Compliance at BRIDGE Energy Group to address buiness transformation in the Caribbean

Mr. O'Brien will address the energy policy evolution and the evolving smart grid on Wednesday, May 30th from 8:30-9:00am. In his presentation, he will discuss how the traditional utility is becoming outdated in technology and must now embark on a business transformation that enables "smarter" technolgoies such as remote connect/disconnect, dynamic pricing, self-healing and more. Dave will also take a closer look at the regulatory environment and how to navigate the potentially conflicting goals of innovation versus regulation.

Smart Grid Virtual Summit
May 17
Online
Jassi Arora, Director of Solutions Strategy to present Future Proofing Systems at the Convergence of IT and OT at 1pm EST

Next to energy, information is the most important commodity that a utility needs to manage. What does this mean in the context of the smarter grid? How does the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) impact the organizational structure of the utility in the future? Additionally, what are the tangible benefits that can be derived from this shift? The IT departments of utilities have traditionally played a tactical, and often reactive, role in the administrative support of the business. The next generation of IT departments will play more of a proactive role that is closely aligned to the goals and strategies that will ultimately drive the business. To make this transformation requires re-evaluating processes, redefining roles and investing more strategically in IT systems.

Mr. Arora will address best practices in embarking on the journey to develop an effective IT strategy that is mapped to business and technological goals. It will also speak to lessons learned in implementing scalable solutions that will future proof your utility’s IT ecosystem.

Smart Grid Roadshow
April 25-28
St. Petersburg, FL
BRIDGE Thought Leaders to Join Regulatory and Systems Integration Panels at the Smart Grid Roadshow in St. Petersburg, Florida

David O’Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy & Compliance, will moderate the panel “Paving the Smart Grid Path with Plans & Purpose” from 2:30-4pm on Tuesday, April 24th. This panel provides for the direct exchange of ideas by professions from all facets of regulatory affairs, offering insights and ideas about how the challenges faced by utilities can be met and overcome.

Richard Adams, Principal Consultant at BRIDGE, will join the panel on “System Integration: The Ties That Bind” during a concurrent session from 2:30-4pm on Tuesday, April 24th. This panel, composed of utility, supplier and consulting professionals that have ‘been there and done it’ will explore best practices and tips for success in System Integration.

BRIDGE Energy Group has participated in the Smart Grid RoadShow since 2010. The Roadshow brings together highly motivated people, fresh ideas and progressive organizations, such as BRIDGE, in an intimate environment that is conducive to meaningful, relevant discourse and learning.

APPA Engineering & Operations
April 15-18
Cleveland, OH
Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant of BRIDGE Energy Group, to speak on Distribution Automation

Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant of BRIDGE Energy Group, will be speaking at the APPA Engineering & Operations Technical Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. The event is the conference of choice for public power professionals charged with designing, developing and maintaining the nation's electric system.

Dan will speak on April 17th from 10:30-11:45 on DA Integration and Communications System Planning.

Dan will leverage his experience from BRIDGE and WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council) where he works on one of the largest synchrophasor projects in the country.

iPCGRID
March 28-30
San Francisco, CA
Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant of BRIDGE Energy Group, to speak on the PMU Panel at i-PCGRID Workshop 2012

Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant of BRIDGE Energy Group, will be speaking at the i-PCGRID Workshop 2012: Innovations in Protection and Control for Greater Reliability Infrastructure Development. The event, hosted by PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Co) will be held from March 28th-30th in San Francisco, California and focus on the “Journey in Modernizing the Grid for the 21st Century.”

Dan will join the panel on PMU (Phasor Measurement Unit) projects to discuss partnerships, deployments and lessons learned. The panel will be moderated by PG&E.

Dan will leverage his experience from BRIDGE and WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council) where he works on one of the largest synchrophasor projects in the country.

The vision of the event is to illuminate and charter the roadmaps for the 21st century power grid by exchanging knowledge and lessons learned, exploring core standards and cultivating strategies for efficient asset management.

DistribuTECH
January 24-26
San Antonio, TX
Dan Brancaccio, Principal Consultant at BRIDGE to speak during the Smart Grid Architecture Session at DistribuTECH

Join BRIDGE Energy Group during the Smart Grid Architecture session at DistribuTECH and walk through a case study based on an SGIG recipient who is currently in the process of implementing projects across AMI, Distribution Automation and customer domains.

The presentation, occurring during the session on January 26th from 9:30-11am, will walk through defining cross cutting business processes – including the requirements for business and technical integration. Lastly, it will speak to the work required to create Smart Grid services and processes that ultimately transform the delivery and operation of utility services for energy consumers.

BRIDGE will be located at Booth #4746. Stop by during exhibit hours to hear more on lessons learned - including integration pitfalls and the dangers in not addressing interoperability challenges as a prerequisite to Smart Grid implementation.

Grid Interop
December 5-8
Phoenix, AZ
Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE, to Participate on You’ve Got the Data, Now What, ROI and Risk Mitigation and Discuss Interoperable Maturity During the Foundational Session

Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE, will lead the Architecture Track consisting of five sessions spanning topics from IT integration to uncovering ROI. Mr. Giroti will moderate the panel You’ve Got Data, Now What!, on December 8th from 10:30-12:00, which will provide ideas around operationalizing data and how some utilities are using the data. He will also speak on the panel, ROI & Risk Mitigation, also on December 8th from 1:00-2:30pm. The session, moderated by Kerri Martinek, Director of Marketing at BRIDGE, will address developing a cost benefit analysis to understand the value of Smart Grid investments. The topic is for decision makers, executives and IT managers considering launching integration initiatives using SOA and ESB technologies.

Finally, Mr. Giroti will speak to the GridWise Architecture Council’s (GWAC) Smart Grid Interoperability Maturity Model (SG IMM) during the Foundational Session on Wednesday, December 7th from 10:30-12:00pm. The GWAC initiative proposes to develop methods and tools that encourage well-specified agreements between smart grid components.

Smart Grid Roadshow
November 1-2
Corpus Christi, TX
Mike Bianco, VP of Solution Delivery to present on the panel to address IT Integration as a vital element of Smart Grid Implementation

Mike Bianco, VP of Solution Delivery, will present on the panel “IT Integration – the Vital Element of Smart Grid Implementation” from 11:15-12:00pm on Wednesday, November 2nd. The panel will address the role of IT in various Smart Grid implementation projects including the lessons learned and best practices for the future.

“Today, many processes and systems operate in silos – or separated by divisions” said Mike Bianco, VP of Solution Delivery of BRIDGE Energy Group. “We’re now seeing that in order to optimize the value of Smart Grid, the business processes that require a cross-divisional approach to leveraging systems, data and technology functionality must be defined as part of the enterprise-wide integration strategy.”

To that point, Bridge will provide a case study based on an SGIG recipient who is in the process of implementing projects across AMI, Distribution Automation and customer domains. A Distribution Utility will outline their implementation project, their IT integration strategy and how that strategy is affecting the overall project success.

Joining Mr. Bianco on the panel will be Gerald Gray, Enterprise Architect & Sr. Project Manager of EPRI and Mark Carpenter, VP & CTO, of Oncor. Mr. Gray will paint a broad picture of the SG implementation projects to date and how IT integration has been an area requiring greater emphasis while Mr. Carpenter will describe their approach to IT integration as they deploy a 3 million meter platform in Texas.

Restructuring Roundtable
October 28
Boston, MA
David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy at BRIDGE to present on panel to address Smart Grid and Dynamic Pricing

"Smart Grid" and "Dynamic Pricing" are emerging nationally and locally in New England as "hot" topics. Smart grid at the distribution-to-customer interface promises a range of benefits, from better outage management, to energy savings from improved voltage modulation, to a variety of opportunities created by advanced metering. Dynamic pricing, which entails a closer matching of rates to actual time-differentiated costs, runs the gamut from time-of-use rates to real-time pricing.

David O'Brien, former Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Public Service and current Director of Regulatory Strategy at BRIDGE Energy Group, willjoin the first panel and help to set the stage by defining smart grid and its various value propositions, and describing the mass deployment of advanced metering by utilities in Vermont.

Also presenting, a representative of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, recipient of one of the largest U.S. DOE Smart Grid Grants, will then describe its recent full-court press on installing a wide range of smart grid-related technologies and its pilot on dynamic pricing. Next, Doug Horton, Smart Grid Project Manager at NSTAR, and Cheri Warren, VP of Asset Management at National Grid, will describe their respective smart grid pilots. NSTAR's includes a program to integrate distributed resources into downtown networks, and another to test dynamic pricing using its existing AMR meters coupled with wireless communication. National Grid will share what it learned at its smart grid summit in Worcester in September, and provide a preview of its upcoming smart grid pilot.

Autovation
September 25-28
Washington, DC
David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy to moderate the panel, Bridging the Smart Grid Divide to Meet Today's Energy Challenges while Dan Brancaccio, also of BRIDGE, to speak at the session SynchroPhasor Systems--Cutting Edge Technologies Supporting the Vision of Smart Grid

All smart meter projects require regulatory approval. In the regulatory realm smart grid is a collision between technology and tradition. This panel is an open conversation to test long-held assumptions about the regulatory process in terms of ratemaking, asset recovery, and rate design given the nature of smart grid investments. Panelists include Tom Graham of Pepco Holdings, Maureen Harris of the NY State Public Service Commission and Don Randall of Green Mountain Power.

Later during the event Dan Brancaccio will speak to Synchrophasor technology. SGIG is pushing data communications technologies further into the substation. This, combined with new-edge devices like phasor measurement units, delivers the technical foundation for substation automation and further accentuates the need for interoperability through the standardization of data communication protocols and data adapter technologies. Mr. Brancaccio will share how improved data communications, standardization and interoperability, alongside a push on SynchroPhasor technology, will help to put communication infrastructure in place and make collecting nonoperational data easier.

GridWeek
September 12-15
Washington, DC
Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE Energy Group, to partipate on the Systems Integration Panel on Wednesday, September 14th from 1:30-3:00pm

No matter how well planned (the architecture) an information system is, all of the individual components still have to be integrated to create the overall system of systems that support the specific desired application set. In a well architected system, that integration is simplified through standards based interfaces at well defined points of interoperability. Even in the best of cases however, several challenges to integration remain. This session focuses on those challenges from several points of view and in various domains of the smart grid conceptual model. For example, the integration challenges in the back office at the enterprise level differ significantly from those in the field such as on distribution feeders and in substations.

Mr. Giroti will participate on the panel, to help address issues such as commissioning of new systems, the role of standards, business issues, and and managing technology change.

Smart Grid Roadshow in Montreal, Quebec
August 30-31
Montreal, Quebec
David O’Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy and Compliance, to Moderate the Panel, “Bridging the Gap – How Regulation Doesn’t Have to Prevent Innovation” and Lead the Session “Utility Regulation – Smart Grid Changes Everything”

David O’Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy and Compliance at BRIDGE Energy Group, will moderate the panel, “Utility Regulation, Smart Grid Changes Everything” as part of the luncheon on Tuesday, August 30th. This panel will explore the ways in which Smart Grid investments by electric utilities stresses the traditional regulatory process and discuss the degree to which these processes may need to change.

Mr. O’Brien will also lead the session, "Bridging the Gap - How Regulation Doesn't Have to Prevent Innovation" on Wednesday, August 31st from 9:30-10:15. The session will review how the risk that comes with innovation is largely inconsistent with longstanding regulatory doctrines that greatly value stability and proven solutions. Mr. O’Brien, together with Mr. Sudhir Tiwari, also of Bridge Energy Group, will discuss current and new regulatory frameworks that can facilitate innovation as a vehicle to drive operational efficiency, and a new utility business model that encourages and rewards utility investment in smart grid enabling technologies.

Mr. O’Brien will be joined by experts including Mark Carpenter, VP & CTO, Oncor; Jon Norman, Director, T&D Policy, Ontario Ministry of Energy; and Don Rendell, VP & General Counsel, Green Mountain Corp.

Smart Grid Virtual Summit
June 29
Online Summit

Dan Brancaccio to present Synchrophasor Systems--Cutting Edge Technologies Supporting the Vision of Smart Grid at the SG Virtual Summit.

The Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) is pushing data communications technologies further into the substation that only sparsely previously existed, if at all. This, combined with new edge devices like phasor measurement units, deliver the technical foundation for substation automation (the improved collection and distribution of non-operational data from edge devices monitoring the power system up to control centers). This further accentuates the need for interoperability through the standardization of data communication protocols and data adapter technologies.

Future opportunities include leveraging real-time monitoring, control, and health management systems to improve grid reliability and efficiency; using digital data from sensors and substation Intelligent electronic devices to continuously monitor system performance; using real-time information so that utility control center operators will be able to address outages, power quality issues and other anomalies to reduce the frequency and duration of outages; and installing GPS clocks in substations for synchrophasor data to accurately time align all collected data.

As the Technical Architect at WECC WISP, Dan will share best practices in moving beyond the challenges and limitations of the pre-SGIG world and share how improved data communications, standardization and interoperability- alongside a new push on synchrophasor technology- will help to put communication infrastructure in place and make collecting non-operational data from substations easier.

Connectivity Week
May 23-26
Santa Clara, CA

Tony Giroti, CEO, to lead the panel on The Power Grid Meets IT on May 25th and particpate on the Smart Grid Architecture panel on May 26th while David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy to particpate in the panel, Economic Benefits of Smart Grid on May 24th

Just as the Internet enabled consumers of media to become their own authors of content, Smart Grid technologies and applications will empower consumers to take control of their energy usage, make efficient choices, and perhaps even generate their own power. But to do so, they need apps. Not just any applications, but truly innovative, bleeding edge apps for the myriad of energy-consuming devices beyond the grid. Today, many equate Smart Grids with the building management systems that control HVAC, lighting, and other energy-hungry systems. By 2015, Silicon Valley will give birth to a whole new generation of startups that know how to extract data from smart meters and help consumers save energy and reduce costs. Mr. Giroti will moderate the panel of leading software developers to help participants to plot their development.

During the Smart Grid Architecture panel, the session will explain what is being done in the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) SG Architecture Committee including a review the SGAC Conceptual Architecture work, the status of the semantic working group in the SGAC and the overall status of standards from an architectural standpoint. Mr. Giroti will present as a current member of the SGAC.

Mr. O'Brien's session will discuss the economic benefits of the various investments in smart grid related assets, systems, standards, programs and rate design initiatives. Speakers will explore the different methodologies used to measure the costs and benefits associated with each smart grid initiative, and discuss the regulatory changes that may be necessary to maximize the expected economic impact. Speakers will also discuss the impediments facing the various initiatives (e.g., different rate designs, implementing interoperable systems, customer choice, and privacy concerns) for enhancing the economic benefits from smart grid investments as observed in the different markets and regulatory compacts around the country. They will also address how these impediments may be addressed to ensure the support of the various stakeholders, including customers, utilities, technology providers and environmentalists.

The Smart Grid Symposium
May 18-20
Dearborn, MI

Effective Regulatory Policies for Smart Grid - David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy and Compliance to participate on the panel

What are the implied regulatory issues related to the advancement of smart grid deployment? Who are the regulatory agencies primarily responsible for smart grid issues? Although individual state policies dominate the electrical industry, federal authority overlaps in areas of electric industry structure, generation adequacy, energy resource mix, transmission siting and cost recovery, and retail electricity prices. This session will explore state and national regulatory issues and concerns that surround smart grid implementation.

Smart Grid Roadshow
May 4-5
Chattanooga, TN

Regulatory Roundup: Now Hear This! - David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy and Compliance to participate on the panel alongside Duke Energy, National Grid and GE Energy.

In November of last year at the 5th Smart Grid RoadShow in Portland (Oregon), the SG Roadshow Team launched an exciting new dimension to the program in the form of a 90-minute “Regulatory Roundup” Panel, which will be included again in the Spring 2011 Conference program in Chattanooga, Tennessee on the first day of the event. This session is focused on exploring the regulatory perspective on Smart Grid development and evolution. The topics addressed in this interactive panel discussion will be timely and pertinent, and allow for a majority of the session to be dedicated to an open discussion among panelists and the conference attendees.

The Networked Grid 2011
May 3-4
San Francisco, CA

The Smart Utility Enterprise: Software and Systems Integration Enabling a Seamless Utility Back-end - Presented by Dan Brancaccio, Senior Technical Analyst, BRIDGE Energy Group

Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) are colliding as smart devices begin to permeate the transmission and distribution infrastructure. The smart grid is variously described as a network overlay, a system of systems, or a set of technology-enabled business services. Regardless of which definition is used, one maxim applies: the system must continue to operate smoothly with the goal of 100 percent reliability. This session looks beyond pretty brochures and marketing slide ware by delving into the gritty reality that implementing smart grid technology requires and on-the-fly retrofit of new technology into legacy systems. Key topics include the importance of setting clear business objectives, future-proofing and avoiding technology “dead-ends,” discerning between foundational and “nice to have” technology, options for different architecture patterns and strategies, and guidance for choosing between enhancing or surrounding existing systems versus when to bite the bullet with a comprehensive rip and replace project.

3rd Annual Asset Management for Energy & Utilities
April 5-6
Toronto, ON

Determine how to maximize Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions to identify and manage critical assets - Presented by Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE Energy Group

EAM allows companies to take a fuller view of their asset management plan. This is important because it allows utilities to incorporate all levels of management into that plan. Learn how you can:

• Leverage the role of technology in EAM
• Refine opportunities to improve and manage asset health
• Determine how to incorporate multiple layers of management into your asset management plan
Create an action plan to establish or improve an Enterprise Asset Management plan at your utility

Canada NE and Smart Grid Exchange
March 2
Boston, MA

David O'Brien, Director of Regulatory Strategy & Compliance to give Keynote for Smart Grid Roundtable Discussion

Panelists for the roundtable discussion will include local representatives from Northeast Utilities, National Grid and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Topics will include Smart Grid projects and approaches in New England and what they imply about the future.

North American SynchroPhasor Initiative Work Group
February 23-24
Toronto, ON

Dan Brancaccio, Sr. Technical Architect, to Particpate on Panel on Phasor Data Quality

The North American SynchroPhasor Initiative (NASPI) will meet on February 23-24th in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Brancaccio will participate on a panel discussing phasor data quality and availability – including system data quality issues and performance.

Grid Interop
December 1-3
Chicago, IL

Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE, to Present the Analysis as Part of the Introduction to Information Interoperability Panel. Dan Brancaccio, Senior Technical Architect, to Address Synchrophasor Technology

Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE, will present on the panel covering, “An Introduction to Information Interoperability.” The session, moderated by Kerri Martinek, Director of Marketing at BRIDGE, will provide an overview and introduction to information integration that includes a definition of information interoperability; the reasons interoperability is critical to the success of the Smart Grid; and challenges to achieving true interoperability. As part of the session, Mr. Giroti will present the industry’s first analysis on the cost benefit of interoperability.

Also presenting from BRIDGE Energy Group, Dan Brancaccio, Senior Technical Architect, will speak to the topic, “Smart Grid Investment Grant Opens the Door to Improved Sub-station Automation.” As part of his presentation, Mr. Brancaccio will share best practices in moving beyond the challenges and limitations of the pre-SGIG world and share how improved data communications, standardization and interoperability- alongside a new push on synchrophasor technology- will help to put communication infrastructure in place and make collecting non-operational data from substations easier.

GridWeek
October 18-21
Washington, DC

Tony Giroti to participate as panelist and facilitor in GridWise Architecture Council Interop Workshop

Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE Energy Group, will serve as a panelist on System Operations and Smart Grid Deployments - A Problem Defined from 8:30-10:00am and a facilitator in Beyond theHype-Interoperability in Practice from 1:30 - 3:00pm.

This series of workshops employs innovative approaches to explore new ways of defining and solving some of the biggest Smart Grid implementation challenges – making new and legacy assets and solutions work together. Attendees will learn the real issues of melding Smart Grid systems and components to communicate, share, and use information through facilitated discussion and practice with the GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC) Interop Toolkit – a collection of valuable methodologies and tools for utilities and regulators evaluating the pros and cons of Smart Grid investments. Interactive group discussions will give workshop participants practice in applying their new knowledge to typical Smart Grid investment scenarios.

Mr. Giroti will kick off the discussion in the first session, Systems Operations & Smart Grid Deployments and then help to facilitate using case studies to compare business-as-usual scenarios versus scenarios using the Toolkit and discuss the perspectives of regulators, utilities, vendors, markets and consumers.

Green IT for Green Policy
October 13-14
Brussels, Belgium

Tony Giroti, CEO of BRIDGE, and OASIS Board Member to participatin in panel for SOA & Web Services for a More Sustainable IT Infrastructure

Mr. Giroti will participate in a debate on how service oriented I.T. architecture provides a platform for energy savings, emissions trading, and the challenges of identity management. Green I.T. for Green Policy provides a unique opportunity for the public and the private sectors to debate ways ICT can enhance environmental and energy sustainability and competitiveness in line with the goals of the Belgian EU Presidency. Expert speakers will demonstrate how technology and policy interact within a progressive and dynamic partnership to achieve sustainability goals within tight financial constraints. Open standards and interoperability will be considered as important contributions to promoting green I.T. for green policies.

North American SynchroPhasor Initiative Work Group
October 5-6
Arlington, CA

BRIDGE Energy Group to present an update on the Western Interconnection SynchroPhasor Project

Mike Bianco, VP of Services Delivery and Management and Dan Brancaccio, the Technical Architect for WISP and co-chair to the Data and Network Management Team, to present an update on WISP at the NASPI work group meeting. The technical drill down of the presentation will focus on:

Phasor data quality, availability and validation • Within the PMU

• Within the substation

• Across substations

• Across a wide-area

The NASPI work group meeting will feature reports and updates on technical interoperability standards development and the synchrophasor-related Smart Grid Investment Grant and Demonstration Grant projects.

Connectivity Week 2010
May 24-27
Santa Clara, CA

BRIDGE to showcase expertise in Interoperability and Cloud Computing

BRIDGE Energy Group's CEO, Tony Giroti to speak at Connectivity Week in Santa Clara on May 24th-27th. Mr. Giroti will moderate a panel on Cloud Computing: Information Technology for Smart Grid on May 26 at 10:30am to 12:00pm. Cloud computing transforms the Internet into a mission-critical platform for delivering data, storage, communications, applications and services, at scale, through an as-needed, pay-as-you-go business model. The session will cover the primary features and benefits of cloud computing, identify the role cloud computing plays in supporting information technology and Smart Grid solutions and address its impact on IT operations.

Mr. Giroti will also speak on Using Smart Grid Standards: Early Successes on May 27 at 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Mr. Giroti will address the demand for interoperability between multiple customers, suppliers and marketplaces, and the reliance on open standards to make that happen.