Pre-Autovation^SM Courses

Sunday, Sept. 7
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Course 1: Pre-Assessing Communication Technologies for AMR and Smart Grid Applications
Instructor: Sioe T. Mak, PhD, EE
Utility Type: Electric
Course Level: Intermediate to advanced
Deployment Phase: All

Learn about the fundamental requirements of a large-scale communications system for AMR and the major building blocks of the system architecture.

Topics will include:

• Available communication technologies
• Advanced metering strategies
• Added-value applications
• System integration

Who should attend:
Electric utility engineers, project managers, business development mangers

Sioe Mak, PhD, EE, is a researcher in high-voltage phenomena and dielectrics. He is involved with the design and testing of distribution equipment and research and development of a bi-directional communications system for utility applications. He is an IEEE Life Fellow. Mak has served as senior lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, an instructor at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Course 2: AMI Planning & Strategy Essentials for Energy & Water Utilities
Instructors: Steve Hadden, Walter Levesque and Andy Owens
Utility Type: All
Course Level: Beginner to intermediate
Deployment Phase: Pre- to mid-deployment

Attendees will gain complete familiarity with completion of AMI planning, from early strategy through business case and corporate approval of the AMI project. The course provides examples and methods attendees can use
to guide the process at their own utility.

Topics will include:

• Critical issues and overall strategy
  
• Procurement strategy
  
• Preparing the AMI business case
  
• Available AMI systems
  
• Meter data management
  
• Reaching consensus with senior management and regulators
  

Who should attend:
Utility AMI planners, IT professionals, financial analysts, utility executives, AMI developer staff, sales staff, installers and integrators, regulators

Steve Hadden is vice president of Plexus Research, where he concentrates on advanced technologies in metering, customer service and demand management. Hadden received a BS in engineering physics from Cornell University. He worked for 15 years at GE, responsible for new systems development from initial R&D to mass-produced product. Walter Levesque has more than 20 years experience in AMI from several perspectives: a utility purchaser, an AMI company executive and an international industry consultant. As a utility director of CIS he was responsible for IT integration of a 500,000-point AMR system. Andy Owens is a seasoned professional with extensive engineering, IT, and management background in multiple industries. Over a span of 30 years, he has managed enterprise technical services and led major business-critical technology initiatives in the defense, logistics and utility domains.

Course 3: AMI and MDMS – Technology That Can Change Your Future
Instructors: John Wambaugh and Chris Ash
Utility Type: All
Course Level: Intermediate to advanced. The person who will receive the
most benefit has some knowledge of AMI/AMR and related
information systems.
Deployment Phase: All

This course is taught by veterans of multiple AMI and MDMS implementations from start to finish. They focus on the processes and requirements for the specification and implementation of AMI and Meter Data Management Systems including lessons learned from multiple AMI and MDMS projects with an unbiased assessment of the many implementation alternatives. This course is for utilities planning to implement or are in the process of implementing
any AMI/AMR program, including an MDMS.

Topics will include:

• Introduction of AMI and MDMS terms and capabilities
  
• MDMS — what it is and why it must be implemented before AMI
  
• Build it yourself or buy it
  
• Architectural considerations
  
• Data synchronization
  
• AMI/MDMS – a stepping stone to Smart Grid
  

Who should attend:
Project managers, IT managers and personnel

John O. Wambaugh has been involved in the planning, deployment, operation and maintenance of advanced metering systems for more than 16 years. Wambaugh is currently the chief solution architecture for eMeter Corporation, responsible for the implementation of advanced metering information systems for large utilities. Wambaugh has been responsible for the implementation of the largest MDMS systems in production today and has integrated AMI and MDMS systems with more than 10 utility CIS systems. Chris Ash is a solutions architect with Enspiria Solutions. He has more than 13 years of experience providing consulting and integration/implementation services for transmission and distribution information systems for electric, gas and water utilities. His expertise in Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Meter Data Management Systems reflects his extensive experience working with utilities across North America that represents in excess of 20 million meters. Ash holds a bachelor of information technology from the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia).

Course 4: Improve Outage & Distribution Network Management with AMI
Instructor: Hahn Tram
Utility Type: Electric
Course Level: Beginner to advanced
Deployment Phase: All

The course focuses on leveraging the power of the AMI, Meter Data Management (MDM), and modern DMS/OMS systems to take the performance of both utility operations and T&D system assets to the next plateau of excellence.

Topics will include:

• Overall business objectives
  
• AMI technology and MDM considerations
  
• DMS/OMS system considerations
  
• System integration architecture and implementation
  
• Case studies
  

Who should attend:
Business case developers, regulatory staff, project managers, project engineers and end-users

Hahn Tram is an accomplished thought-leader in the energy utility industry with 30 years experience. He is currently a senior executive consultant with Enspiria Solutions. Tram holds a BS and MS in electrical engineering. He was the recipient of the Westinghouse Engineering Achievement award and is a registered professional engineer.

Course 5: Water Utility AMR/AMI – Finding & Implementing the Right Solution
Instructor: Don Schlenger
Utility Type: Water
Course Level: Beginner to intermediate
Deployment Phase: All

Virtually every water utility has metering needs that can be effectively addressed by AMR/AMI. However, meter locations, infrastructure, procurement policies, operational constraints, politics and asset management, and customer service issues present some unique challenges for water utility AMR projects. This course provides a detailed roadmap for water utility managers to assess the feasibility and economics of AMR/AMI for their utilities, and identify appropriate technologies. It will provide practical guidelines for procuring and implementing systems. It will present real-world examples, including successes and pitfalls.

Topics will include:

• Emerging technologies and applications
• Using AMR/AMI to support asset management
• Alternatives to AMR/AMI
• Market trends
• Extended benefit areas
• Managing water AMR/AMI implementation
  

Who should attend:
Water utility managers, project managers

Don Schlenger, PhD, is an internationally recognized consultant and former utility executive with more than 30 years experience in AMR project justification, design and implementation, utility operations and management, and strategic planning. Schlenger has helped numerous utilities successfully evaluate, justify and implement water AMR projects. He founded and served as first president and executive director of AMRA, now Utilimetrics.

Course 6: Communications and Their Applications Behind the Meter and Alongside the Meter
Instructor: Ron Chebra and Dick Preston
Utility Type: All
Course Level: Intermediate
Deployment Phase: Pre- to mid-deployment

Attendees will gain greater understanding of extending the functionality of AMI networks and will gain the ability to query vendors with deeper insights. Attendees will also explore various options including implications on technology and business.

Topics will include:

• Review of communication fundamentals
  
• Behind the meter applications
  
• Alongside the meter applications
  
• Technology & business considerations
  
• Overview of vendor offerings
  

Who should attend:
Project managers, implementation managers, regulators, technology assessors

Ron Chebra has an extensive background in communication systems and telemetry services, with a specialty in utility advanced metering infrastructures (AMI). His career has been focused on both the technology applications and the business implication of assessing, designing, developing, deploying and operating advanced systems of these types for a variety of clients. Chebra was awarded the 2006 AMRA Robert J. Green Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the industry and the association. Dick Preston is recognized as a leader in the demand-side management, telecommunications and AMR industry with more than 30 years of experience. He has published papers and presented at national meetings including AutovationSM, DistribuTech, Public Utilities Forum, UTC, IEEE and APPA-E&O.

Course 7: Designing a Demand Response System
Instructors: Craig Boice, John Skog and Conrad Eustis
Utility Type: Electric primarily; gas and water will be addressed
Course Level: Beginner to advanced
Deployment Phase: All

Gain an understanding and discuss the industry opportunity to deploy demand response programs. Utility demand response involves keeping a number of things in mind including systems and technologies, customer behavior, business case standards and deployment management.

Topics will include:

• The utility business case for demand response
  
• Demand response systems and technologies
  
• Lessons learned from recent trials
  
• Time-of-use rates and other rate schedules
  
• Customer behavior: motivating and measuring response
  
• Regulatory view of demand response
  

Who should attend:
Utility professionals, vendor staff, utility regulatory staff members

Craig Boice is president of the Boice Dunham Group, a leading business development consultancy. He has completed more than 20 assignments related to demand response during the last five years. He has served as adjunct assistant professor of management in the Stern School at New York University, teaching new venture management. Boice earned his master’s degree in management at the Yale University School of Management. John Skog is president of MTEC, a utility engineering consultancy. He is a licensed professional engineer and advisor to EPRI. Skog has 32 years of experience in electric utility distribution systems. He earned his BS and MS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Conrad Eustis is the director of retail technology development at Portland General Electric and brings 32 years of experience in energy operations, research, and analysis to this course. Eustis was recently the primary technical author for PGE’s 2006 AMI RFP and the 2000 and 2007 AMI business cases. He was the project manager for nine operational trials of two-way AMI systems between 1993 and 2003. He created PGE’s first demandside resource plan and served as the project manager for three operational demand response projects.