Webinar: Energy Systems Integration – The Next Step Toward Sustainable Energy

Featured Speakers:
Mark O’Malley, Chief Scientist, Energy Systems Integration, NREL
Mark Ahlstrom, VP, Renewable Energy Policy, NextEra Energy; President of the Board, Energy Systems Integration Group
Charlie Smith, Executive Director, Energy Systems Integration Group

Mark O’Malley is Chief Scientist, Energy Systems Integration and Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA.  He is on sabbatical from University College Dublin where he holds the Chair of Electrical Engineering.  He was the founding director of the International Institute for Energy Systems Integration which evolved into the Energy Systems Integration Group where he chairs the Research and Education Working Group.  In 2017 he was the James M. Flaherty Visiting Professor at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.  He is a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineers, member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and has received two Fulbright Fellowships.  Mark is recognized as a world authority on Energy Systems Integration and Grid Integration of Renewable Energy.

Mark Ahlstrom is Vice President of Renewable Energy Policy for NextEra Energy Resources and WindLogics, NextEra’s subsidiary known for meteorology, energy analytics and renewable energy integration. NextEra is North America’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Mark is particularly interested in the integration of variable generation into power systems and energy markets. He is actively involved at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and many activities across North America to support the economic and reliable use of higher levels of clean energy. Mark also serves as President of the Energy Systems Integration Group (formerly known as the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group, UVIG), the non-profit educational association that provides resources and education to the engineers, researchers, technologists and policymakers for our evolving electricity and integrated energy systems.

Charlie Smith is a member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society; a member of CIGRE, the International Council on Large Electric Systems; a member of the American Meteorological Society; a US representative to the IEA Wind Annex Task 25 on Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power, and a Fellow of the IEEE. He is a guest editor for the IEEE Power and Energy magazine, and a past editor for the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. Mr. Smith received the IEEE PES Ramakumar Family Renewable Energy Excellence Award in 2014.

He received his BSME and MS degrees from MIT in 1970. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG). Previously, he served as President of Electrotek Concepts, a power engineering consulting firm. He has over 45 years of experience in the electric power industry.

Moderator: Charlie Smith, ESIG Executive Director

Registration Cost: FREE

Abstract: UVIG became the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) in March and the International Institute of Energy Systems Integration (iiESI) merged in their members and activities to create an “ESI dream team.” Why did we do this, what does it mean for integrating energy systems, what is ESI, and what does it mean for you and your organization? The leadership of UVIG, iiESI and ESIG will explain the thinking behind these important changes and discuss where we are headed. This webinar will feature Mark Ahlstrom (President of the ESIG Board of Directors), Mark O’Malley (iiESI Director and NREL’s Chief Scientist for Energy Systems Integration) and ESIG Executive Director Charlie Smith. Whether you are a current member of ESIG, a prospective member, or just someone who wants to understand what Energy Systems Integration really means, join us for this webinar.