The Role of Electricity Delivery Infrastructure in Addressing
Climate Change, Demand Growth, and Energy Security

February 20-21, 2008   •   Renaissance Hotel   •   Washington, DC

National Electricity Delivery Forum Overview

Day 1 will begin with a keynote session designed to discuss the Three Grand Challenges facing the Nation and the role the nation's grid should play in addressing climate change, demand growth and energy security.  The keynote panel will be comprised on thought leaders who will address the topic from a high level perspective representing both government and industry.  There will then be three panel that follow the keynote session.  The CEO panel will include representatives from various electric power entities and they will discuss how each of their companies are addressing their solutions to climate change, demand growth and energy security.  The Technology Leaders panel will include leaders from the Nation's technology leaders.  These panelists will approach the Three Grand Challenges from a research and development perspective.  Day 1 will end with a panel of State Policymakers who will address the Three Grand Challenges from the perspective of state government.

Day 2 will focus on some of the specific issues related to solving the Three Grand Challenges.  The first session will address the challenge of delivering power to load from both renewable and conventional resources.  The second session will focus on regional issues, including interregional seams issues and cost recovery.  In the afternoon, two breakout sessions will be offered.  One breakout session will focus on demand-side issues and the other breakout will focus on grip operations challenges.  The day will conclude with a general session on transmission siting and a closing keynote speaker.

Forum's Goals

  • Exchange ideas and discuss current and needed future efforts that will address the challenges of climate change, demand growth and energy security;
  • Provide a dialogue with national thought leaders involved with energy policy representing both public and private sector interests;
  • Evaluate fundamental and proposed policy and technical issues associated with electric power system delivery and operation;
  • Evaluate the steps needed to deploy the appropriate technologies to expand and modernize the US electric power delivery system, including the deployment of energy efficiency technologies and demand response programs.

Why is the National Electricity Delivery Forum Needed?

On February 6, 2003 President Bush highlighted the need to "...modernize our electric delivery system...for economic security...and for national security." Since that time, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability has undertaken a series of projects with many stakeholder groups on the complex technical and policy issues related to modernizing the electric delivery system. At the same time, states have also undertaken a variety of measures to coordinate and plan for a robust system.

Decisions made today will impact the modernization efforts of the system for decades to come. It is essential to get policies, incentives, investment strategies, and regional planning and siting objectives correct so that the much needed system upgrades can be constructed. The 2008 National Electricity Delivery Forum will ascertain the status of both Federal and State efforts to modernize the U.S. electricity delivery system and will discuss how these efforts can help solve the Nation's need to address climate change, demand growth and energy security, what the Forum is calling the Three Grand Challenges.  The 2008 National Forum will result in a strong assessment of what has been accomplished in 2007 and what next steps, both near-term and long-term, need to be addressed to accomplish the goal of a robust, reliable electricity delivery system to serve U.S. consumers for generations to come.

Who Should Attend

  • Chief Executive Officers
  • Senior Management
  • Policy Decision Makers
  • Consumer Advocates
  • State Legislators
  • State Public Utility Commissioners and Staff
  • State Energy Officials
  • Federal Energy Officials
  • Members of Congress and Staff
  • Press, media and analysts
  • Researchers and academics with interest in the U.S. Transmission System

General Information

The National Electricity Delivery Forum is being managed by Energetics Incorporated. Energetics is a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy. For more information regarding the 2008 National Forum please contact Peggy Welsh, Senior Consultant, Energetics Incorporated at pwelsh@energetics.com or call 202-406-4108.