From the Desk of Executive Director Richard Putnicki

What a great time of year! The time of the year when the sports seasons converge, the anticipation and excitement of the upcoming holidays and, of course, buttoning up another year. For RMEL, it is the start of 2020. It all begins at our Fall Convention – the energy gained from the conversations about what lies ahead. Our committees framing up topics, content, and speakers for the upcoming educational calendar, and the critical work performed at the planning sessions to assure RMEL’s signature events, the Spring Management, Engineering & Operations Conference and Fall Executive Leadership and Management Convention, provide valuable, relevant and timely topics to promote the educational networking opportunities that we are known for.

Preliminary speakers and sessions were drawn up for the 2020 Spring Conference, and all I can say is that it’s shaping up to be a solid event. The 2020 Spring Conference will take place May 11-13 in Austin, TX. Registration is now open, and you can expect more details soon.

Regarding “buttoning up,” the committees were also finishing their educational commitments for 2019. The Distribution Engineers Workshop on October 9-10th focused on distribution engineering best practices and technology, including EV charging, DERMS, EV-AUD, emergency DG/DER and emerging technologies. With EV and distributed generation trends driving so many changes for energy markets, attendees engaged in our roundtable discussion where ideas, best practices and lessons learned were shared with their fellow utilities and service providers. The Renewable Planning and Operations Conference covered the gamut of technology to safety on October 16-17. Battery storage and battery safety were focal points of discussion in presentations and during the attendee roundtable. We wrapped up a busy October with Richard Peña leading an Electric Utility Financial Decision Making Workshop, which provided valuable financial skills training for our industry. Topics included business building blocks, generation and energy market fundamentals, cash-based financial decision making, valuation of cash flows and handling uncertainty. Thank you to Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association for hosting this workshop at their facility in Westminster, CO. I want to also thank all of the fantastic speakers and the RMEL Education Section Committees that made October such a productive month!

Last week, we held RMEL’s November Safety Roundtable at Poudre Valley Electric Association in Fort Collins, CO. Randy Nieman, ART Corporate Solutions, and Nina Patterson, BSMe, MPT, OCS, ART, CSCS, Instructor, FuelingYou LLC, discussed Active Release Techniques (ART®) and how they can help reduce costs and increase employee retention. Thank you Randy and Nina, and thank you Poudre Valley Electric Association for hosting!  We closed out the year with the 2020 Fall Planning Session. Thank you Zachry Group for hosting. 

Upcoming RMEL Events

Introduction to the Electric Utility Workshop
February 4, 2020, Denver, CO

This course is designed to acquaint non-technical utility employees with the basics of their industry from the generation to the distribution of electricity. The workshop will focus on five areas: an overview to electricity and electrical power systems, information on conventional production methods, alternative technologies, transmission and distribution systems and customer service. In the overview, you will learn about the basic theory of electricity, how it is produced, and delivered to your home. In the conventional production methods section you will learn the role of primary energy sources: water, gas, oil, coal, and nuclear. You will also hear about power conversion processes, system application, capital and operating costs and grid connection considerations.

Safety Roundtable - February 2020
February 21, 2020, Denver, CO

Tom Severino, Tyndale, will kick off the roundtable with a presentation on AR/FR Clothing. Roundtables offer a unique forum for peer-to-peer sharing of experiences, critical issues and expertise. Discussion is based on topics brought by attendees. Each participant is offered a chance to pose questions and share information. All attendees are encouraged to bring issues for discussion and materials for sharing.

Power Supply Planning for Modern Energy Solutions Conference
March 11-12, 2020, Denver, CO

Evolving RTO markets, renewables, distributed resources, and calls for increased grid resiliency present power supply planners with significant challenges to ensure flexibility and reliability while remaining cost competitive. This conference will explore current trends, relevant projects and market perspectives to gain insight to this changing industry. A roundtable discussion will provide an invaluable opportunity for open dialogue regarding challenges and best practices in meeting these challenges.

Look for full details soon on the entire 2020 slate of RMEL events for Safety, Generation, Transmission, Distribution & Vital Issues. The preliminary list of events is below, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Send Us Your Training Needs, Questions and Ideas

As the RMEL community is hard at work planning the full calendar for 2020 events, we would love to hear from you!  Whether you have a quick question or a specific topic and speaker you’d like to share, you can use the Electric Energy Topics Submission Form. Submissions will be sent to the appropriate committees for consideration. You are always welcome to email me directly with questions and/or ideas.

Wishing All a Blessed Thanksgiving

As we get ready for the holiday season, we are thankful for how you all help facilitate member discussions and share your experiences through RMEL.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!