6th Microgrid Global Innovation Forum in Washington, D.C. to Examine Technology and Business Advances

Washington, DC, February 13, 2018 --(PR.com)-- The global microgrid market size was valued at USD 3.76 billion in 2016, and is expected to reach USD 17.51 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17.0%, according to Grand View Research. The drivers behind this include the need for greater grid reliability and resiliency, the integration and control of distributed energy resources into the grid, as well as the desire by commercial and industrial end users to control energy costs and adopt more on-site renewable energy generation. To explore key issues and opportunities in this field, the 6th Microgrid Global Innovation Forum will be held on March 13-15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (www.microgridinnovation.com)

The event brings together key thought leaders, utilities, energy providers, and other stakeholders to examine the latest technology developments and lessons learned in the design, implementation and operation of hybrid renewable energy microgrids. “This will be a tremendous opportunity to interact directly with companies at the cutting-edge of microgrid deployment,” says Daniel Coran, editor of the Smart Grid Observer and program manager of the Forum. “Top utilities will be speaking who are pushing the envelope in terms of leveraging microgrids for grid resiliency, service flexibility, and DER integration.”

This 6th edition of the Forum will zero in on refining the value proposition and business case for microgrids in North America, integration with the larger grid, and case studies of grid-tied and off-grid projects and pilots to date. Confirmed speakers for the Washington, D.C. Forum include Dr. John Caldwell, Director of Economics, Edison Electric Institute; Eric Stein - Manager R&D and New Technology Programs, Exelon/PECO; Charles (Chuck) Hookham, P.E., Director, Project Management and Engineering, CMS Energy; Howard Smith - Manager, Distributed Energy Resources Policy, Southern Company; Jon Mele, General Engineer, Distributed Energy Resources Planning & Analytics, Pepco, and many others.

The Forum will be held in the Marvin Center at the George Washington University. Previous versions of the Forum have been held in Irvine, California; Barcelona, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal. Topics to be addressed during the conference include: using innovative business models to solve today's biggest energy challenges; advanced microgrid controllers; microgrids and distributed energy resources (DER) integration; disruptive generation - bypassing the traditional grid paradigm; lessons from the implementation of utility-owned islandable microgrids, benefits of multi-stakeholder, multi-partner microgrids; the role of microgrids in non-wires strategies, and much more.

“North America is a key market for microgrid growth,” Coran notes. “This Forum is unique in that attendees will hear directly from utilities who have real world lessons to share and who will be discussing success strategies in this market going forward.” The Microgrid Global Innovation Forum series is organized by the Smart Grid Observer (www.smartgridobserver.com), an online information resource covering current trends and developments in smart grid, renewable energy, and greentech sectors around the world. Attendees who enter the special discount code “SGO20” when registering will receive 20% off the standard rates. For full information and to register, visit www.microgridinnovation.com