Improving Resilience Through Microgrids & Battery Storage

John Caldwell, Ph.D., is Director of Economics at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). At EEI, Caldwell is addressing the growing role of microgrids in the evolving electricity system and how these can best be utilized.  Since the onset of the Great Recession and the current recovery, much of his principal focus has been on identifying the short- and long-term impacts of the recent economic recession on the electricity industry, including demand growth and demographic changes in electricity consumption patterns, and exploring potential longer-term industry transformations, such as the modernization of the electrical grid. Recently, he has been working with industry consultants and colleagues at EEI in the development of new recommended regulatory policies and business models that will better enable investor-owned utilities to contend with the many imminent and potentially significant changes facing the electricity industry.

He has worked in the electric and gas utility industry for over twenty-five years, first at the Illinois Power Company (now part of Ameren) as a planning engineer, and then at NiSource, where he was involved in the development of long-term forecast models for energy use and peak demand, the introduction of innovative alternative rate designs, and the design and implementation of financial hedging strategies and risk management systems to support these products. Caldwell holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, an MBA from the University of Illinois at Springfield, an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Brendan Owens is Chief of Engineer at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).LEED Fellow, P.E. SVP.  Owens oversees strategic development and integration of rating systems at USGBC, such as the Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER).  PEER is the first certification system for sustainable power systems and the PEER Assessment Tool produces a foundation of project operation costs and how to optimize system design and operation such as for microgrids.  In this role, Brendan collaborates with teams developing tools that transform the way we design, build and operate the built environment. He led the effort to establish the system goals for LEED v4 and is building on this work as the foundation to integrate other programs USGBC collaborates on.

Owens is a board member of the New Buildings Institute and is deputy director of the center for cycling technology at USGBC. Additionally, Brendan volunteers as a board member of the foundation USGBC is partnering with to build the William Jefferson Clinton Children’s Center in Port au Prince, Haiti.   Brendan is proud to serve as an advisor to the Honor’s College at his alma mater Purdue University. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer and a LEED Fellow.

Dan Ton is Program Manager for Smart Grid R&D within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. He is responsible for developing and implementing a multi-year R&D program plan for next-generation smart grid technologies, including microgrids, to transform the electric grid in the United States, through public/private partnerships.

Ton has served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Power Systems Engineering Division within the DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. In that capacity, he was responsible for managing the development of projects for “next generation” electricity delivery technologies and supporting activities to accelerate their introduction to the marketplace. Key activities in the Power Systems Engineering Division focus on smart grid research and development, energy storage, and cybersecurity for energy delivery systems, all in support of the OE’s mission to drive electric grid modernization and resiliency.  Previously, Ton managed the Renewable Systems Integration program within the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program. Ton holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Business Management, both from the University of Maryland.

Michael Yambrach is the Capital Projects Manager, Energy and Sustainability, at Montgomery County and will discuss “Microgrids as a Service.” Yambrach is responsible for implementing and managing programs and projects initiated by the Energy and Sustainability group. He is currently developing 2 microgrid projects on critical facilities, and over 11 MW of solar projects on County buildings. He has over 26 years in the energy industry, managing both supply and demand programs.  Yambrach had previously managed the District of Columbia’s energy program, along with development responsibilities at Enron and Johnson Controls. He has worked in both the public and private sectors and is experienced in developing new revenue streams and reducing operating costs.  Yambrach has an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago.

Yambrach has over 26 years in the energy industry, managing both supply and demand programs.  Yambrach had previously managed the District of Columbia’s energy program, along with development responsibilities at Enron and Johnson Controls. He has worked in both the public and private sectors and is experienced in developing new revenue streams and reducing operating costs.  Yambrach has an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago.