Blockchain Technology for the Energy Sector

April 17, 2019 | Nashville, TN ::

0419-blockchain

2019 is the year for blockchain technology projects and opportunities to grow and innovate the US utility industry space.  This year will see an increasing number of projects scale up, and real projects develop in meaningful ways — improving a variety of business functions and creating new platform for the power industry. 

EUCI’s 3^rd Blockchain Technology for the Energy Sector Conference will continue to build upon our previous productive discussions, designed specifically for power industry professionals to explore the different opportunities, challenges and current/future applications of blockchain technology.  This event will dive into the business use cases of blockchain technology within the energy industry, cutting through the hype to focus on realistic applications of blockchain that many companies are already integrating.  Diverse content experts will present actual data, case studies and pilot projects involving blockchain to showcase what this technology can actually do for energy companies, while evaluating the longer-term implications for business and blockchain’s relationship to the evolving electric grid and other emerging technologies.  This program will maintain an objective perspective of blockchain, addressing concerns about the technology, and evaluating if it is actually appropriate for every application it is being looked at for.

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Learning Outcomes

• Assess the different ways and opportunities for blockchain technology to be applied in the energy industry
• Describe the regulatory and legal considerations, as well as potential barriers, challenging the adoption of blockchain technology
• Evaluate the pros and cons of blockchain technology applications for tracking systems and the environmental commodity marketplace
• Review a regulator’s perspective on blockchain technology and its potential solutions
• Examine utility and industry use cases and pilot projects involving blockchain technology:
• Review opportunities that blockchain technology creates for automation, cost reduction, new business models, security and data optimization
• Discuss the role of blockchain technology in conjunction with:
  • Energy storage
  • Electric vehicles (EV) charging applications
  • Distributed energy resource (DER) optimization & management
  • Transactive energy applications
  • Improving existing systems
• Analyze business considerations for implementing blockchain and if the technology is appropriate

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer CEUs for this event.

 

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations and case studies will be used in program.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. :: Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. :: Opening Panel: Understanding Blockchain Technology and Its Emerging Role in the Energy Industry

• Fundamental components and operational processes of blockchain technology
• State of the blockchain market and technology growth
• Overview of blockchain technology functions and processes
• Key qualities of blockchain technology, industry applications & understanding the business value
• Determining if blockchain is right for the business
• How has blockchain evolved as an application in the energy industry over the past year, and even the past six months?
• Challenges to widespread adoption
• What are the applications of blockchain technology in the energy industry?
• Industry use cases of blockchain technology
• Blockchain technology and its role in the future distributed, renewable energy grid

Moderator:

Chris Peoples, Managing Partner, Peoples Partners and Associates, LLC

Panelists:

Stina Brock, Senior Vice President – North America, Electron

Kendrick Carroll, Sr. IT Manager, Emerging Digital – Digital Transformation, Duke Energy

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. :: Early Stage Design for Successful Blockchain Networks

This session will address some of the important – and often overlooked – elements of designing a successful blockchain project in the early stages, focusing on the business and collaborative elements rather than the technical.  Discussion points include:

• Evaluating the entire business value of blockchain – does it make sense for your business?
• What do you need to have in place to make it a successful blockchain project in the long-term?
• Successful collaboration: determining the type of participants and partners you need
• Knowing your participants and partners, and the business value for each of them
• Early stage warning signs and how to avoid them
• Methodology for designing a minimal viable ecosystem for your blockchain network
• How blockchain can be a method for utilities to rethink their business model

Neil Gerber, Director – New Energy & Blockchain, IBM Global Energy

11:00 – 11:45 a.m. :: Regulatory Considerations and Optimizing the Regulator’s Role

This session will discuss transactive energy and blockchain technology from a regulatory standpoint, evaluating:

• Current regulatory hurdles and barriers to widespread blockchain technology adoption
• Pathways to enabling federal action to reduce barriers for blockchain and digital technology in energy markets
• Update on Arizona Corporate Commission: docket to examine blockchain technology
• What role should regulator’s play – if any – to optimize the role of blockchain technology for the power industry?

Landon Stevens, Policy Director, Arizona Corporate Commission

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. :: REC & Energy Trading Blockchain Applications: Evaluating the Pros and Cons

Currently, environmental commodities such as carbon offset credits and renewable energy credits are monitored manually and recorded on Excel spreadsheets and PDFs. They are typically reconciled quarterly, require costly auditing, and still suffer from “double-counting” issues.  Blockchain applications offer a number of opportunities for this space to dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with tracking and redeeming environmental commodities.  This session will evaluate possible applications and current projects in this space, discussing:

• What are current blockchain applications and pilot projects with:
  • RECs
  • Carbon credits and offsets
  • Natural gas
  • Renewable fuels
• How is blockchain emerging as a new technology in the environmental commodities marketplace?
• How could blockchain technology improve current tracking systems?
• What are the limitations of blockchain technology?
• What would be a model consumer situation?
• How would a tracking system vs. blockchain meet consumer demands?
• What speed and cost are required to achieve a certain transaction?
• How might the role evolve for third party verifiers and certifiers in incumbent systems in a blockchain-based trading system?
• How can the energy industry ensure the marketplace doesn’t reinvent the wheel and keep up the credibility guard-rails, while still fostering innovation?
• What mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure consumers are getting the same value?

Alex Anich, Senior Manager – Renewable Market Intelligence, Clearway Energy

Ben Gerber, Executive Director, Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (M-RETS)

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

2:45 – 3:30 p.m. :: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Utility Case Study: Blue Ridge Energy

• Creating a sustainable energy/technology ecosystem and economy through blockchain technology
• Utilizing cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to incentivize energy consumer behavior with Blue Ridge Energy in North Carolina
  • Project overview, goals and scope
• Designing innovative customer engagement programs utilizing blockchain
  • Blockchain as a catalyst for a rewards program
• Challenges, lessons learned & future applications

Girard Newkirk, CEO, KwHCoin

Representative, Blue Ridge Energy

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. :: Blockchain Utility Case Study: Duke Energy

Duke Energy is working to lead the industry with innovative technologies.  This session will present the multiple use cases Duke Energy is engaged with for implementing blockchain technology:

• Energy trading
  • Peer to peer
  • Electric vehicles (EV)
• Grid security
  • Footprint expansion
  • Demand response
• Communications
  • Customer billing
  • Asset notifications

Kendrick Carroll, Sr. IT Manager, Emerging Digital – Digital Transformation, Duke Energy

4:15 – 5:00 p.m. :: Blockchain Utility Case Study: Alectra Utilities

This session will present new data resulting from Alectra Utilities’ Power.House pilot in Ontario – a 20-home solar and storage deployment that launched in early 2016.  Operating off blockchain technology, the pilot allows Alectra to treat the 20 homes as a single, virtual power plant (VPP) and provide demand response or electricity when outages occur.   This session will give an overview of the Power.House project and how blockchain technology optimizes the performance of the VPP, discussing:

• The utility’s “Virtual Power Plant” blockchain pilot
  • Aggregated residential solar + storage customers
  • Managing multiple participants on a mini exchange
  • Managing market services with real-time contract settlement
• “Tokenizing” energy transactions on a distributed ledger
  • “Buy-in” of tokens based on value of Canadian dollar
  • Opportunities for merchant buy-in to manage energy trading in real time

Vikram Singh, Director – Advanced Planning, Alectra Utilities

Thursday, April 18, 2019

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. :: Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. :: Blockchain Approaches for the Distribution Grid: DERs, Storage and Electric Vehicles (EVs)

• Blockchain as a method to optimize operations and integration of distributed energy resources (DERs)
  • Comparison of DERMs solutions that use blockchain tech vs. those that do not
  • Utility/customer perspective
• Blockchain technology as a solution to improve capabilities and uses of energy storage and Electric Vehicles (EVs)
  • Technical feasibility
  • Cost effectiveness
  • User experience
• Comparison of EV charging solutions with blockchain tech vs. those that do not use blockchain
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging – regulatory aspects and optimizing the role of the regulator
• How might the energy industry continue to see coordination between blockchain, storage and EVs in transactive energy markets?

Bryan Jungers, Lead Analyst, E Source

Landon Stevens, Policy Director, Arizona Corporate Commission

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. :: Closing Panel & Final Remarks

This session will do a wrap-up of the conference sessions and discussions, providing some summarizing thoughts and considerations for how the energy industry can best move forward with blockchain technology projects.

Vikram Singh, Director – Advanced Planning, Alectra Utilities Girard Newkirk, CEO, KwHCoin

Alex Anich, Senior Manager – Renewable Market Intelligence, Clearway Energy

Alex Anich, Senior Manager – Renewable Market Intelligence, Clearway Energy

Stina Brock, Senior Vice President – North America, Electron

Kendrick Carroll, Sr. IT Manager, Emerging Digital – Digital Transformation, Duke Energy

Ben Gerber, Executive Director, Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (M-RETS)

Bryan Jungers, Lead Analyst, E Source

Girard Newkirk, CEO, KwHCoin

Chris Peoples, Managing Partner, Peoples Partners and Associates, LLC

Vikram Singh, Director – Advanced Planning, Alectra Utilities

Landon Stevens, Policy Director, Arizona Corporate Commission

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Blockchain Technology for the Energy Sector

April 17, 2019 | Nashville, TN

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Individual attendee(s) - $ 595.00 each
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