Abstract:
Resilient, reliable and efficient electrical grid operation is critical to society. The electrical power and energy industry is changing rapidly to meet the demands of the society and address decarbonization needs. New technologies offer significant opportunities for realizing a resilient and sustainable energy future.

The grid also continues to face evolving challenges, such as cyber and physical attacks, major weather events (e.g., catastrophic wildfires, hurricanes, significant rain/snow incidents) and aging infrastructure. We have the opportunity to make it better than it was before by taking more aggressive actions to adapt, including grid infrastructure hardening and improved grid and equipment monitoring. What we need now is a renewed understanding of the value of not just electricity, but the grid that enables it, and recognize the contributions of renewable energy resources, energy storage, and electrification in achieving environmental, resilience, reliability, and safety targets.

We are at a crossroads in making business and technical decisions that will allow us to optimally and cost-effectively manage the grid.   This presentation will discuss success factors for sustainable electrical energy delivery in the context of industry trends and transformation drivers and opportunities for grid modernization with technologies for the changing nature of electricity delivery.

Biography:
Dr. Damir Novosel is president and founder of Quanta Technology, a subsidiary of Quanta Services, a Fortune 500 company. Previously, he was vice president of ABB Automation Products and president of KEMA T&D US.  Damir has also led development and implementation of pioneering concepts, methods, and products that improved reliability and efficiency of power grids.  He was elected to the US National Academy of Engineers in 2014.  Dr. Novosel, an IEEE Fellow, served as IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) President in 2016 and 2017 and was IEEE PES VP of Technology. He was also member of the IEEE Standards Board and has been active with IEEE Standards Committee and other IEEE initiatives. Dr. Novosel is presently chairing the Industry Technical Support Leadership Committee responsible for IEEE cooperation with global regulatory agencies and corporate engagement.  Damir is also member of the CIGRE US National Committee and received the CIGRE Attwood Associate award.  He holds 17 US and international patents, published over 140 articles, receiving IEEE PES 2011 and 2013 Prize Paper Awards, and contributed to 5 books. He has been continuing contributor to education, including an adjunct professorship of Electrical Engineering at North Carolina State University, sponsorship of college scholarship programs, and support to industry courses and tutorials.  Dr. Novosel holds PhD and MSc, BSc degrees in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University (where he was a Fulbright scholar), the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and the University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively. Dr. Novosel was selected Mississippi State University Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 2015.