EDIST - Electricity Distribution Information Systems & Technology Conference & Exhibition

Sessions Day 1 Descriptions Sessions Day 2 Descriptions Sessions Day 3 Descriptions	SESSIONS - Thursday, January 21^st 8:30 - 9:30 am Plenary #3 - Markham Ballroom Toronto Hydro Smart Community Joshua Wong - Smart Grid Engineering Lead, Toronto Hydro Electric Systems Ltd. This presentation will outline Toronto Hydro’s response to the Green Energy and Green Economy Act and their short and long term plans for implementing a smart grid. Focus will be on the activities in Smart Community demonstration area, with best practices and lessons learned. 10:30 - 11:15 am Track A #3 - Markham Ballroom A How U.S. Government Smart Grid Funding Will Affect Ontario’s LDCs Richard Ganton - Director, Systems Automation, AESI Inc. In 2009 the U.S. government allocated significant funding for Smart Grid development. Part of this was provided to NIST to promote interoperability and standards development. Additional funding was also allocated for pilot projects and large scale implementation. This presentation will summarize the status of these initiatives and present their influence on Ontario’s LDCs. Track B #3 - Markham Ballroom B Safety Pays Profits Jim Kellett - Senior Vice President, Operations, K-Line Group of Companies Participants will receive a renewed perspective on the importance of managed safety and how it will positively or negatively impact a company’s bottom line. In addition, those that take this part of their business seriously will minimize their liability and move toward an advanced safety culture that operates with optimum performance. Track C #3 - Markham Ballroom C Understanding ODS - Benefits and Challenges Marianne Blasman - VP, Information Technology, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. Herb Haller - VP, Engineering & Sations, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. With the emergence of smart meters and the rules governing the smart metering systems, many utilities are moving to implement an Operational Data Store (ODS) as Waterloo North Hydro has done with JOMAR Softcorp International’s ODS Software solution. This presentation will describe what an ODS is as well as the benefits and the challenges of the ODS to the LDC. WNH will present their ODS implementation and the positive impact on management of the distribution system including: a) Realtime integration with the operational stream of events from the meters b) Seamless online integration with GIS, CIS, SCADA providing for valuable Outage Management Inquiries c) Implementation of configurable business rules to monitor specific meter behaviour and the health of the network 11:20 - 12:05 pm Track A #4 - Markham Ballroom C Leveraging GIS to streamline Joint Use Administration and Improve Asset Management Kris Philpott – Manager, GIS Development, PowerStream Inc. The leasing of assets to 3rd party service providers brings with it the administrative burden of joint use audits and the promise of an additional revenue stream for LDCs. By leveraging its GIS, PowerStream has dramatically streamlined the business process for joint use administration. Traditionally this audit has been performed by deploying vehicles with auditors and paper records to physically inspect poles. By combining imagery with GIS, three (3) auditors were able to audit more than 500 poles per day from the desktop with almost 100% accuracy. PowerStream completed the audit for 5 municipalities and over 34,000 poles while reducing field visits by over 90%. The project was completed in 10% of the time normally allocated, at a cost savings of 80% of the traditional budget. In addition, the imagery allowed PowerStream to correct existing information on pole type, condition, ID numbers as well as capture missing poles data and greatly improve spatial accuracy of poles and other assets. Track B #4 - Markham Ballroom A The Inherent Value of Total Integration Between IVR & Outage Management Systems John R. Abrams - Director of International Accounts, Milsoft Utility Solutions, Inc. David Lankutis - Manager of Planning/Reliability, Electric Utilities Group, Black Hills Corp. Studies have shown that higher customer satisfaction translates into better financial performance for utilities. Making sure the customer can report their outage quickly will improve customer satisfaction and allow the utility restoration team to get the information they need sooner. 99% of the time customers take their electric utility for granted. 1% of the time, during outages, the utility is center stage. Integrating IVR with OMS will significantly improve the critical reviews of overall performance. Track C #4 - Markham Ballroom B Putting the SMART in Smart Grid Matt Rothera - Event Processing Evangelist, Progress Software An important first step in the move to the “Smart Grid” includes the deployment of AMI/Smart Meters, interoperability protocols, and better instrumentation. However, the full vision of the Smart Grid cannot be realized without “Smarter Applications” which can take advantage of these new capabilities. The future of the Smart Grid requires that applications act “in the moment”, be more flexible and adapt to change to provide operators, management, and consumers both visibility and automated intelligence. This presentation will explore key smart grid use cases where an Event Processing platform can help enable the future of the Smart Grid. 1:35 - 2:20 pm Track A #5 - Markham Ballroom A Distribution System Design in 3D Dan Charron - Director of Engineering, Chatham-Kent Hydro Inc. Peter Krotky - President, Automated Solutions Int’l Inc. With maturing 3D technologies, we will share with you our experiences, benefits and opportunities, both from a utility and consulting perspective, that 3D design tools offer. We will discuss and demonstrate possible integration to other enterprise systems and processes and explore future direction for system design in a constantly changing and increasingly challenging environment. Track B #5 - Markham Ballroom B Improving Reliability in South Ajax with IntelliTEAM Axel Starck - Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Veridian Connections Inc. Veridian, faced with end of life feeder cables and an aging system, selected the IntelliTEAM II system to improve reliability. The unique system is based on submersible switchgear, PulseClosing and includes the substation breakers as IntelliTEAM devices. The self healing system restores customers in less than a minute and provides visibility to SCADA operators through a high speed SpeedNet radio system. Track C #5 - Markham Ballroom C Data Infrastructure for the Smart Grid Debra Henderson - T&D Business Development Executive, OSIsoft Inc. Smart Grid initiatives require managing large volumes of data from multiple sources. These sources vary in volume, latency and frequency. Housing all data in one, central, repository provides users with a complete view of the data, eliminates effort spent moving data between systems and prevents data fragmentation. This new infrastructure will need to withstand challenges exceeding capabilities of Data Historians and the MDMs of old. Hear how Smart Grid City and Consumers Energy are following this approach. 2:25 - 3:10 pm Track A #6 - Markham Ballroom A Accepting the Green Energy Challenge Gerry Smallegange - President & CEO, Burlington Hydro Inc. The speaker will provide an overview of Burlington Hydro's dynamic GridSmartCity vision, and its diverse deliverables and roadmap for grid modernization. This presentation will examine key internal and external components of the Smart Grid from a utility's perspective. The technical discussion will focus on the challenges and applications associated with software, technology and intergration. It will also outline specific technical deliverables for smart grid data and communications, renewable energy, plug-in electric vehicles, electricity/water meter convergence and electrical energy storage. The presentation will reinforce switching automation as a foundation for smart grid modernization. Track B #6 - Markham Ballroom B Network Connectivity Model - Importance and Benefits Tom Wilga - Engineering Technician-GIS/Inspector, Welland Hydro Electric System Corp. Peter Krotky - President, Automated Solutions Int’l Inc. Many utilities have implemented some form of a GIS or asset management system - but do they have a reliable system connectivity model? With Smart Grid initiatives also around the corner, you will learn how the connectivity model helped Welland Hydro to increase accessibility to and confidence of their system data and improve the accuracy of their system and asset information and operation. Track C #6 - Markham Ballroom C AE-Mail Management from a Records Management Perspective: A Case Study Sheila Taylor - Principal, CONDAR Consulting Inc. Drina Kurschinski - Executive Assistant, Engineering/Stations, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. Darcy Ford - Network Analyst, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. Which e-mail messages are records? How long should e-mail records be kept? What risks does your utility face if employees don’t effectively manage e-mail records? Attend this session to learn best practices for managing e-mail records and the lessons learned at Waterloo North Hydro during its development and implementation of e-mail management policy and procedures. 4:10 - 4:55 pm Plenary #4 - Markham Ballroom Getting to Zero - Working Together David Collie - President, ESA 1. Power Line Contacts: There have been a number of fatal power line contacts amongst non-utility personnel recently and this category remains a high focus area. How can LDCs and the ESA work together to create “electrically safe communities?” 2. Utility Regulation: ESA’s utility safety oversight has been in place for 5 years now. What have been some of the successes and lessons learned and where do we go from here? How can we all ensure that safety is a priority in upgrading assets to “smart grid” ready?
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SESSIONS - Thursday, January 21^st

8:30 - 9:30 am
Plenary #3 - Markham Ballroom
Toronto Hydro Smart Community
Joshua Wong - Smart Grid Engineering Lead, Toronto Hydro Electric Systems Ltd.

This presentation will outline Toronto Hydro’s response to the Green Energy and Green Economy Act and their short and long term plans for implementing a smart grid. Focus will be on the activities in Smart Community demonstration area, with best practices and lessons learned.

10:30 - 11:15 am
Track A #3 - Markham Ballroom A
How U.S. Government Smart Grid Funding Will Affect Ontario’s LDCs
Richard Ganton - Director, Systems Automation, AESI Inc.

In 2009 the U.S. government allocated significant funding for Smart Grid development. Part of this was provided to NIST to promote interoperability and standards development. Additional funding was also allocated for pilot projects and large scale implementation. This presentation will summarize the status of these initiatives and present their influence on Ontario’s LDCs.

Track B #3 - Markham Ballroom B
Safety Pays Profits
Jim Kellett - Senior Vice President, Operations, K-Line Group of Companies

Participants will receive a renewed perspective on the importance of managed safety and how it will positively or negatively impact a company’s bottom line. In addition, those that take this part of their business seriously will minimize their liability and move toward an advanced safety culture that operates with optimum performance.

Track C #3 - Markham Ballroom C
Understanding ODS - Benefits and Challenges
Marianne Blasman - VP, Information Technology, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. Herb Haller - VP, Engineering & Sations, Waterloo North Hydro Inc.

With the emergence of smart meters and the rules governing the smart metering systems, many utilities are moving to implement an Operational Data Store (ODS) as Waterloo North Hydro has done with JOMAR Softcorp International’s ODS Software solution. This presentation will describe what an ODS is as well as the benefits and the challenges of the ODS to the LDC. WNH will present their ODS implementation and the positive impact on management of the distribution system including:
a) Realtime integration with the operational stream of events from the meters
b) Seamless online integration with GIS, CIS, SCADA providing for valuable Outage Management Inquiries
c) Implementation of configurable business rules to monitor specific meter behaviour and the health of the network

11:20 - 12:05 pm
Track A #4 - Markham Ballroom C
Leveraging GIS to streamline Joint Use Administration and Improve Asset Management
Kris Philpott – Manager, GIS Development, PowerStream Inc.

The leasing of assets to 3rd party service providers brings with it the administrative burden of joint use audits and the promise of an additional revenue stream for LDCs. By leveraging its GIS, PowerStream has dramatically streamlined the business process for joint use administration. Traditionally this audit has been performed by deploying vehicles with auditors and paper records to physically inspect poles. By combining imagery with GIS, three (3) auditors were able to audit more than 500 poles per day from the desktop with almost 100% accuracy. PowerStream completed the audit for 5 municipalities and over 34,000 poles while reducing field visits by over 90%. The project was completed in 10% of the time normally allocated, at a cost savings of 80% of the traditional budget. In addition, the imagery allowed PowerStream to correct existing information on pole type, condition, ID numbers as well as capture missing poles data and greatly improve spatial accuracy of poles and other assets.

Track B #4 - Markham Ballroom A
The Inherent Value of Total Integration Between IVR & Outage Management Systems
John R. Abrams - Director of International Accounts, Milsoft Utility Solutions, Inc.
David Lankutis - Manager of Planning/Reliability, Electric Utilities Group, Black Hills Corp.

Studies have shown that higher customer satisfaction translates into better financial performance for utilities. Making sure the customer can report their outage quickly will improve customer satisfaction and allow the utility restoration team to get the information they need sooner. 99% of the time customers take their electric utility for granted. 1% of the time, during outages, the utility is center stage. Integrating IVR with OMS will significantly improve the critical reviews of overall performance.

Track C #4 - Markham Ballroom B
Putting the SMART in Smart Grid
Matt Rothera - Event Processing Evangelist, Progress Software

An important first step in the move to the “Smart Grid” includes the deployment of AMI/Smart Meters, interoperability protocols, and better instrumentation. However, the full vision of the Smart Grid cannot be realized without “Smarter Applications” which can take advantage of these new capabilities. The future of the Smart Grid requires that applications act “in the moment”, be more flexible and adapt to change to provide operators, management, and consumers both visibility and automated intelligence. This presentation will explore key smart grid use cases where an Event Processing platform can help enable the future of the Smart Grid.

1:35 - 2:20 pm
Track A #5 - Markham Ballroom A
Distribution System Design in 3D
Dan Charron - Director of Engineering, Chatham-Kent Hydro Inc. Peter Krotky - President, Automated Solutions Int’l Inc.

With maturing 3D technologies, we will share with you our experiences, benefits and opportunities, both from a utility and consulting perspective, that 3D design tools offer. We will discuss and demonstrate possible integration to other enterprise systems and processes and explore future direction for system design in a constantly changing and increasingly challenging environment.

Track B #5 - Markham Ballroom B
Improving Reliability in South Ajax with IntelliTEAM
Axel Starck - Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Veridian Connections Inc.

Veridian, faced with end of life feeder cables and an aging system, selected the IntelliTEAM II system to improve reliability. The unique system is based on submersible switchgear, PulseClosing and includes the substation breakers as IntelliTEAM devices. The self healing system restores customers in less than a minute and provides visibility to SCADA operators through a high speed SpeedNet radio system.

Track C #5 - Markham Ballroom C
Data Infrastructure for the Smart Grid
Debra Henderson - T&D Business Development Executive, OSIsoft Inc.

Smart Grid initiatives require managing large volumes of data from multiple sources. These sources vary in volume, latency and frequency. Housing all data in one, central, repository provides users with a complete view of the data, eliminates effort spent moving data between systems and prevents data fragmentation. This new infrastructure will need to withstand challenges exceeding capabilities of Data Historians and the MDMs of old. Hear how Smart Grid City and Consumers Energy are following this approach.

2:25 - 3:10 pm
Track A #6 - Markham Ballroom A
Accepting the Green Energy Challenge
Gerry Smallegange - President & CEO, Burlington Hydro Inc.

The speaker will provide an overview of Burlington Hydro's dynamic GridSmartCity vision, and its diverse deliverables and roadmap for grid modernization. This presentation will examine key internal and external components of the Smart Grid from a utility's perspective. The technical discussion will focus on the challenges and applications associated with software, technology and intergration. It will also outline specific technical deliverables for smart grid data and communications, renewable energy, plug-in electric vehicles, electricity/water meter convergence and electrical energy storage. The presentation will reinforce switching automation as a foundation for smart grid modernization.

Track B #6 - Markham Ballroom B
Network Connectivity Model - Importance and Benefits
Tom Wilga - Engineering Technician-GIS/Inspector, Welland Hydro Electric System Corp.
Peter Krotky - President, Automated Solutions Int’l Inc.

Many utilities have implemented some form of a GIS or asset management system - but do they have a reliable system connectivity model? With Smart Grid initiatives also around the corner, you will learn how the connectivity model helped Welland Hydro to increase accessibility to and confidence of their system data and improve the accuracy of their system and asset information and operation.

Track C #6 - Markham Ballroom C
AE-Mail Management from a Records Management Perspective: A Case Study
Sheila Taylor - Principal, CONDAR Consulting Inc. Drina Kurschinski - Executive Assistant, Engineering/Stations, Waterloo North Hydro Inc. Darcy Ford - Network Analyst, Waterloo North Hydro Inc.

Which e-mail messages are records? How long should e-mail records be kept? What risks does your utility face if employees don’t effectively manage e-mail records? Attend this session to learn best practices for managing e-mail records and the lessons learned at Waterloo North Hydro during its development and implementation of e-mail management policy and procedures.

4:10 - 4:55 pm
Plenary #4 - Markham Ballroom
Getting to Zero - Working Together
David Collie - President, ESA

1. Power Line Contacts: There have been a number of fatal power line contacts amongst non-utility personnel recently and this category remains a high focus area. How can LDCs and the ESA work together to create “electrically safe communities?”
2. Utility Regulation: ESA’s utility safety oversight has been in place for 5 years now. What have been some of the successes and lessons learned and where do we go from here? How can we all ensure that safety is a priority in upgrading assets to “smart grid” ready?