POWER-GEN International to showcase a range of energy solutions

Oct. 29, 2018

Celebrating its 30th year, this power generation event will feature diverse content for all forms of energy, Dec. 4–6, in Orlando.

POWER-GEN International, a power generation event with diverse content for all forms of energy, will celebrate its 30th anniversary, Dec. 4–6, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center, West Halls.

The event will include a multitrack summit and knowledge hubs, an exhibition with more than 900 companies and many networking opportunities. The event topics and trends will focus on technology, innovation and policy advancements.

New features for 2018 include:

  • Updated schedule to give attendees more time to explore the exhibit floor
  • Four new tracks in the Conference Summit: microgrids, solar, wind and hydro
  • Two keynotes
  • Knowledge Hub theaters
  • Expanded focus on emerging industry sectors, such as digitization, tech, storage, solar, wind, hydro and cybersecurity
  • Basic 101 courses

In addition to these new features, the exhibit hall will serve as a hub throughout the event for face-to-face business in the power generation market. Thousands of attendees will have the opportunity to see the products of more than 1,100 exhibitors and meet the teams behind them.

Those in attendance will see the latest technologies, innovations and trends and learn how to implement these innovations into operations to cut costs, maximize efficiencies, improve visibility and reduce risk. Speakers will present innovative ways to tackle the latest industry challenges with real-world case studies.

The opening keynote session is "Rethinking Power: A New Beginning" with Greg Scheu, president of the Americas Region for ABB and managing director for the U.S. Scheu sits on the board of governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the board of the National Association of Manufacturers, and he is a member of the Business Roundtable in the U.S. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware.

Other featured speakers will include Robert Yeager, president of Emerson Power & Water Solutions and Russell Stokes, president and CEO of GE Power.

During the conference, there will be nearly 300 industry experts from around the world presenting new solutions and innovations for the future. Full conference attendees will also earn 10 professional development hour (PDH) credit hours. Conference sessions are organized into 12 concurrent session tracks, including four new tracks for 2018:

  1. Flexible Generation & On-Site Power
  2. Operation & Design of Gas-Fired Plants
  3. Energy Storage Breakthroughs
  4. All Things Solar
  5. Optimizing Plant Performance
  6. Digital Solutions and Cybersecurity
  7. Gas Turbines: What’s New?
  8. Microgrids: An Ideal Solution
  9. Next-Gen Wind
  10. Emissions: Cut it Out!
  11. Hydropower Trends & Innovations
  12. Show Me the Money

New tracks for 2018

Microgrids – The rapid growth and development of microgrids is driven by a need for greater reliability and use of distributed energy resources. They offer power producers and their customers a way to better control energy costs. Sessions in this track will feature thought leaders, project managers and power providers who will examine the latest developments in design, implementation, operation, and regulation of microgrids.

Solar power – The fastest growing new energy source year after year is solar power. From huge utility-scale installations to smaller behind-the-meter distributed generation, sessions in this track will provide a look into photovoltaic technology including modules, inverters, balance of systems, trackers, and the smart software that makes it all work.

Next generation wind power – There are more than 500 gigawatts (GW) of wind power installed capacity across the world today and this number is expected to grow by at least 10 percent each year. Sessions in this track will explore new and innovative turbine technology from the nacelle to the foundation, project development, O&M strategies, and markets for both onshore and offshore wind.

Hydropower trends and innovations – Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of clean power generation in the world, but the industry continues to innovate and grow. Sessions in this track will cover innovations in areas such as, turbine technology, control systems and operations and maintenance. Cutting-edge trends in new markets, finance and energy storage will be covered as well.

The Knowledge Hubs will be organized into the following categories:

  • Decarbonization and Decentralization– Expert speakers from the industry will look into the ways that renewables are impacting the modern power system. Sessions will highlight solar, wind, market design challenges and more.
  • Energy Storage and Integration Challenges – Energy storage is seen by many as crucial for smoothing out intermittencies with renewables and to make microgrids feasible. Hub presentations will cover the fundamentals of battery integration with various primary energy sources.
  • The Future of Baseload– Gas, coal and nuclear still carry the brunt of generation for power grids everywhere. These sessions will focus on advancements in gas turbine plants, construction trends, the state of nuclear power, compliance and plant retirement planning.
  • Emerging Industry Trends and Technologies – The future requires paying attention to exciting and disruptive potential changes globally from power plant to end user. Blockchain, digital twinning and emerging international markets will be at the center of key presentations.

Another new feature in 2018 will be four Power 101 sessions available in the Knowledge Hubs. These basic sessions are designed for the new engineer, an interested student or a sales representaive who wants better insight into the industry. Sessions will include: Solar Power 101, Gas-Fired Power 101, Wind Power 101 and Energy Storage 101.

Networking opportunities

Networking events will include an off-site networking party, Women in Power Generation Luncheon, networking receptions on the exhibit floor, breakfast roundtables and more.

The Women in Power Generation Luncheon will be hosted by the Women in Power committee that features successful women who have advanced the power generation industry. The Women in Power committee selects high-powered women each year to serve as role models to inspire young women to pursue careers in energy. Luncheon attendees will have the opportunity to network with women in the power industry and learn about the career paths of some of the most successful women in power.

The POWER-GEN 30th Birthday Bash will take attendees back to 1988 with music, games, food and drinks from the time period when the conference first began. Attendees will also receive a ride pass for the ICON Orlando, the tallest observation wheel on the U.S. east coast at 400 feet.

Breakfast round table events will be held both days of the conference to give attendees the chance to network with industry experts and peers about the industry’s hot topics over breakfast. These informal, give-and-take round table discussions will provide an ideal way to ask questions and gain new information about trends, current issues or specific challenges.

The POWER-GEN Powerful Young Professionals program will connect young power generation professionals. POWER-GEN alumni will also be in attendance to answer questions and offer advice.

For more event information, visit power-gen.com.

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