Raab Assocates’ ongoing Electric Restructuring Roundtable series continues on Friday, April 15th with two timely topics on potential transformational change for utilities and electric power:

• Smart Power and the Future of Electric Utilities
• Transforming the Electric Grid with Storage and Electric Vehicles

Details for the session (from the session announcement):

Our keynote speaker is Dr. Peter Fox-Penner, author of a new and provocative book entitled Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future of the Electric Utilities. Currently a principal at the Brattle Group, Peter worked in top-level positions in energy policy at U.S. DOE and the White House, and is also quite familiar with New England, having spent many years at Charles River Associates in Boston.

In keeping with our “Restructuring” focus, Peter’s new book envisions the need for a very different utility industry and regulatory structure if we are to succeed in transforming the electricity system to meet climate and other public policy objectives.

Next, following our customary networking break, we will hear from our panel on Transforming the Electric Grid with Storage and Electric Vehicles. On the electricity storage side, major advancements in technologies – from batteries to ice storage to flywheels – combined with regulatory changes in states (such as California’s setting utility targets for storage) and new FERC rules, make this a very timely topic. And on the electric vehicle side, 2011 is already a banner year, with the roll-out of all-electric vehicles (Nissan Leaf) and various electric/gas combination vehicles (such as Chevy Volt and the plug-in Prius). Down the road, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), will blur the line between storage and electric vehicles — while potentially revolutionizing the electric grid.

Panelists:

• Ron Minsk, Sr. VP Policy, Securing America’s Future/Electrification Coalition
• John O’Brien, Senior VP Gov’t/Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy
• Watson Collins, Mgr. of Business Development, Northeast Utilities
• Judith Judson, VP Market Development, Beacon Power Corporation
• Andy Chu, VP Marketing and Engineering, A123
• Mike Jacobs, Director, Market Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Xtreme Power

Registration is not required for this session, but it’s best to be on time as the sessions are very well-attended.