DistribuTECH 2011It’s just a few days away…. DistribuTECH, one of the best conferences, I think, for getting to see, touch and “kick the tires” of the energy industry’s latest and greatest technology, equipment and solutions.

Conferences like DistribuTECH are important these days as our industry continues to manage some of the largest challenges it has faced in decades: meeting projected growth in energy demand, while at the same time doing the least harm to the environment on the power production and consumption sides.

(Editor’s note: Siemens is a sponsor of The Energy Collective)

This is where our uber-important, but little-thought-of-by-consumers power grid will play a huge role. And in order to grasp the transformation ahead for our grid, one must look closely at the way in which we distribute and consume our power and the equipment, technology and systems put in place to ensure we get the most out of our power generation with the least amount of negative impact on the three Ps: People, Places and the Planet.

Electric VehicleThis conference will allow us to take a look at all aspects of the grid from big picture to small switches and relays. Equipment like EV charging solutions, which not only may fuel our cars in a few years, they may also be mobile power storage units for our power grid. Siemens will be demonstrating how EVs will get charged up for their trips and beyond. And, I am sure many other companies will have examples of EVs impact on our power grid.

Or what about meters and the management of the data they produce? This part of the power distribution process can be critical not only in how a utility manages its power generation, but how a consumer manages their power usage.

From switchgear to power outage management system; relays to staff training and consulting for utility companies, DistribuTECH covers it all. And the diverse group of attendees can give you varying points of view. Come to our booth, and you will get to touch and feel some of the products and solutions that make it all physically possible, but visit a utility’s booth or presentation, and suddenly those things you held in your hand come to life, as you learn how they were implemented in a recent project.

I believe conferences like next week’s DistribuTECH help us focus on important lessons learned in the area of our power grid and, specifically, in what it will take for us to successfully build a Smart Grid. I hope you will join me either in San Diego or on forums like this one to absorb those lessons.