Join fellow members as we enjoy a private, guided tour inside of the Hoover Dam Powerplant where we will walk through original construction tunnels, visit the viewing platform overlooking a 30 foot diameter penstock pipe where you will feel the vibration created by water rushing through the pipe, and see 8 of the commercial generators in the Nevada Powerhouse. After the hour-long tour, participants may also walk through the Visitor Center and Film, and Observation Deck. Roundtrip bus transportation will be provided. More information on the Hoover Dam may be found here: www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

Join us in the Baraka Room and Patio at the Westin Las Vegas, to wind down and relax after a day of activities or travel. Catch up with fellow attendees while you enjoy a beverage(or two), and enjoy a bite to eat.

PLMA invites all members of the Leadership Council to join us for a business breakfast meeting and indepth discussion of current PLMA opportunities. To check if you are on the Leadership Council, please see the PLMA Leadership page.

Data center workloads, including cloud computing, machine learning, and large language models, have sent data center electricity demand soaring, placing new stress on the North American grid. New data center projects face multi-year energization and full interconnection delays in many parts of the country. Join us for this timely panel discussion on the biggest energy challenge of our times! Our diverse experts will first size this issue and then delve into the important role that load flexibility has in addressing it, all as new data centers jockey for position in interconnect queues.

This session will provide the audience with several case studies to serve as a comparison of DERMS architecture between multiple utilities. The session will focus on the overall system structure, including integrated devices/programs, communication pathways, integrations between systems (DERMS, EMS, SCADA, etc.), decision-points and reasoning behind system design, and lessons learned.

Traditional demand response programs typically evaluate performance at the whole-premise level and prohibit dual participation across programs to avoid double compensation. As distributed energy resource (DER) adoption surges and more program opportunities and aggregators emerge nationwide, customers face a fragmented landscape—often forced to choose which single device to enroll. As a result, both customers and the grid are missing out on the full potential of DERs. To realize a more resilient, clean, and flexible grid, programs must better enable participation across multiple devices. This panel highlights four leading program portfolios that are tackling this challenge, collectively enrolling over 100,000 batteries, 250,000 smart thermostats, and 8,700 electric vehicles—totaling more than 850 MW of flexible capacity. Panelists will discuss how future programs can remove existing barriers and expand customer participation by i) designing programs that enable multi-device participation and ii) leveraging device-level data for performance evaluation.

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) and ICF partnered to explore how digital twins can unlock locational demand flexibility and defer costly grid upgrades. This case study focuses on a substation in rapidly growing area with imminent infrastructure investment needs. Our objective was to create a comprehensive digital blueprint of the substation—past, present, and future—by calibrating digital twins of over 4,200 residential customers against AMI and substation-level data. This enabled us to simulate load growth scenarios and assess the impact of various DER measures such as air sealing, heat pumps, and battery storage. By modeling these interventions at the individual home level and aggregating their effects, we quantified the locational value of DERs in peak reduction. The analysis reveals how this process can be a simple addition to distribution planning for high-level screening for NWA potential.

Hear from PLMA’s eight Interest Groups on their plans and upcoming sessions, all in short 2-minute clips.
Presenting Groups: Building Electrification, C&I Load Flexibility, Connected Devices, Customer Engagement, Electric Transportation, Global Load Management, Public Power & Cooperatives, and Retail Pricing.

Join PLMA’s Women in Load Flexibility Affinity Group for some early morning networking over breakfast, and an opportunity to hear from some talented senior leaders who’ve forged successful load management careers. They’ll share their area of expertise and kick off our upcoming Skills Coaching Series. Everyone welcome!

PG&E anticipates significant load increases over the next 20 years due to EV adoption, building electrification, and continued adoption of distributed solar, behind-the-meter storage and flexible loads. Orchestrating distributed energy resources (DER) is crucial for managing such a highly electrified and decarbonized grid. This session focuses on developing a DER orchestration framework to optimize the behavior of a diverse portfolio of DER according to the reliability balancing, temporal availability, and cost-efficiency needed to solve one or multiple distribution grid needs. The DER orchestration framework includes: Defining DER attributes characterizing the availability, reliability, and cost components of a DER. Engaging a portfolio of DER (e.g. via a rate, a DER program). Scoring those DER against a distribution grid need (e.g. distribution capacity deferral, energizing load faster). Prioritizing DERs as either a base, supplemental and emergency resource in meeting the grid need. Allocating DER within a resource priority. Quantifying benefits of orchestrated DERs

For those who attended the Load Flex Fundamentals Class on October 14-15, PLMA invites you to join your PLMA instructors for a chance to continue the conversation. Bring questions that have occurred to you since the class, as well as during the initial conference sessions. Plus, we’d love to get feedback on your learning experience. 

The future of load management is coming fast—and it’s smarter, quicker, and more connected than ever. As we race toward 2030 and 2040, rapid advancements in technology, evolving regulatory mandates, and new customer expectations are reshaping how we manage demand and ensure grid reliability. This session brings together leading experts in the load management field to explore what lies ahead, share hard-won lessons, emerging trends, and practical advice for navigating what’s to come. However you are looking to level up your career or impact in shaping tomorrow’s grid, join to learn and discuss the trajectory of load management—and the roles that will shape its future.

In 2024, PG&E launched a proactive peak load shifting and shaping program: a first-of-its-kind virtual power plant (VPP) that harnesses behind-the-meter battery storage and smart panels to reduce grid constraints. The study includes 16 feeders, nine substations for peak-shaving and includes 16 substation cluster that simulate loads with 2035 levels of electric vehicles and solar. The demonstration is being conducted using existing, installed resources. The key objectives are to Develop hourly forecast of demand that are updated daily and converted into local dispatch instructions for devices for all locations. Test sending different dispatch instructions to different locations, each different load relief needs, loading factors, and load patterns. Assess the ability of batteries to precisely shape loads based on distribution needs For load limiting technologies, assess the ability to maintain loads below selected threshold. Demonstrate the resources to influence the feeder or substation loads.

In this 30-minute session you’ll hear from a selection of PLMA utility members on situations they’re currently experiencing. Topics may include a “problem” that needs solving, unexpected results from a pilot (good or bad), or a request for information. These 3-5 minute presentations have few slides and aspire to creating awareness of utility challenges and opportunities, and potential follow-up conversations.

Join us to hear from PLMA sponsors on their unique solutions to industry problems. This fun and original session, which is not a marketing pitch, consists of three-minute “presentation shorts” in which our sponsors provide interesting and relevant examples of how they bring value to the energy industry. Presentations will be followed with a quick question posed by our moderator, Michael Brown of Berkshire Hathaway NV Energy.

Join us for some break-out conversations with our PLMA leaders who work for a cross-section of PLMA’s membership. We’ll discuss a variety of important career-advancing skills and seek your input on the challenges you’ve faced as you build your strengths and capabilities. Plus, we’ll roll out the schedule for this new learning series. Topics will include: Presentation Skills, Be the Spark Igniting Your Career, and more. Everyone welcome!

Can we unlock the full value of open standards as we integrate DER technologies into load management programs and support customers on dynamic pricing? This session explores available standards, showcases PG&E use cases, and considers future applications. Panelists will share implementation experiences and debate the benefits and challenges of different approaches.This panel will demystify standards across two dimensions: technical protocols and the organizational commitment required to support them. We’ll explore why utilities need dedicated staff to manage standards from deployment to updates to troubleshooting. We will discuss the costs and complexities of adopting new standards for utilities and partners, and how open protocols could reduce costs of leveraging DERs. Panelists will openly debate: Do standards accelerate or impede innovation? How do certification requirements balance creativity with interoperability? What’s practical, and what’s cost-effective? This session invites a candid discussion about navigating standards to unlock demand flexibility at scale.