Technical Program

Panel	Summary	Chair	Panelists
Young Professionals: Challenges and Opportunities for young professionals in the context of the energy transition	The session will focus on the critical topic of challenges and opportunities facing young professionals in the energy transition landscape. A diverse panel consisting of members from academia, industry, government, and utility sectors will provide valuable insights into this pressing issue. The primary objective of the panel discussion would be to offer an overview of the existing challenges and opportunities that new professionals will encounter as they enter the workforce. The discussion will cover various scopes, including: • How academic institutions are evolving to incorporate new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), in their core research lines to enhance the energy transition, and how this impacts the curriculum of professionals for an academic career. • Highlight the increasing demand for power engineers and the evolving industry requirements, focusing on the skills and knowledge that new professionals must acquire to thrive in this dynamic field. The aim is to bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs, ensuring that young professionals have the right tools to meet future challenges. • Understand the opportunities available in government institutions aimed at creating a more efficient energy sector. Insights into government initiatives and funding opportunities will provide a view of the potential career paths within the public sector. • Identifying the specific needs and challenges faced by utilities in the context of the energy transition is crucial. The panel will address how utilities are adapting to new technologies and regulatory changes, and what this means for young professionals entering the field.	Ivan Calero (Siemens Energy)	Brian McMillan (Natural Resources Canada and retired VP Engineering and Operations at Greater Sudbury Hydro) Jenny Zhou (Hatch) Jessie Ma (University of Waterloo) Steven Wong (Natural Resources Canada)
Women in Engineering	A discussion amongst distinguished panellists bringing perspectives from both academia and industry on various technical topics.	Sahar Pirooz Azad (University of Waterloo)	Maike Luiken (Carbovate Development Corp and Chair, IEEE Planet Positive 2030) (Additional panelists to be announced)
Industry Panel 1: No Transition Until Transmission	Is Canada's transmission system fit for purpose? How can we better plan, operate and modernize our aging transmission systems to proactively respond to accelerating demand growth, increasingly distributed generation sources, heavy congestion, and a growing desire to keep Canadian-made electrons in Canada. In this panel, we will explore how grid modernization, advanced transmission technologies, proactive transmission planning, and building a bigger grid could prepare Canada for a future of energy abundance.	Erik Ela (ESIG) & Anna Lafoyannis (EPRI)	(To be announced)
Panel 2: Distribution Grid Modernization - The Infrastructure Perspective	The distribution grid serves as the backbone of electrical energy systems, acting as the critical link between transmission grid and end consumers. As the key component of the grid, it plays a pivotal role in enabling ambitious energy transition goals, particularly through the seamless integration of distributed energy resources (DERs).This disruptive shift demands significant infrastructural advancements—making the grid more scalable, highly flexible, and controllable like never before. But are we truly prepared? Are switchgears equipped with the intelligence and features necessary to ensure reliability and adaptability? What about the protection and control systems at various layers—the very brain of the grid? In this panel, we will explore how distribution digital switchgears, and centralized/virtualized protection and control systems can transform scalability, strengthen future-proofing strategies, and enhance edge intelligence—no longer a luxury, but a necessity in modern grid operations.Challenges and opportunities of distribution grid modernization (protection and control modernization, grid digitalization)	Iman Firoozi (ABB Inc.)	Amir H. Miragham (Schneider Electric) (Additional panelists to be announced)
Industry Panel 3: Unlocking the full potential of DERs for all customers	Distributed energy resources like solar PV, energy storage, and responsive loads are now mainstream options for electricity customers. However, making these options and their various value stacks accessible to all customers across the grid requires the next level of integration and scale. This panel discusses the interconnection processes, standards, and policies required in Canada to fully unlock the possibilities for DER customers. These experts will attempt to bring together the many workstreams currently progressing under one concept of a customer centric grid.	Phil McKay (Canadian Renewable Energy Association)	(To be announced)

Panel Cluster	Track Topics	Chairs
Emerging technologies and their applications	Hydrogen-based Energy Systems Grid Integration of Small Modular Reactor Technologies Energy Storage Systems Advancements in DC Grids	Bharatkumar Solanki (NREL) Ismael El-Samahy (IESO)
Active Distribution Systems	Load Electrification and Smart Control DSO-TSO Coordination Schemes Active Distribution Networks Demand Response Distributed Energy Resources	Rupali Jain (Toronto Hydro) Bharatkumar Solanki (NREL)
Bulk Grid Modernization	Renewable Energy Resources Integrated Energy Systems Resiliency in Smart Grids Electrification of Transportation	Madeleine Seatle (SESIT Group, University of Victoria) Jessie Ma (University of Waterloo)
Information Technology	Transactive Energy Systems AI and ML Applications in Smart Grids Cybersecurity in Smart Grids	Mehrdad Pirnia (University of Waterloo)
Social, environment, and policy	Net-Zero Grid Policies and Regulations	Jessie Ma (University of Waterloo)