Into the Future
From AI-powered DERMS leadership to microgrid and asset control innovations, OATI is redefining how utilities manage the energy transition. Visit us at Booth 2428 in San Diego, Feb 2-7, 2026.
Why visit OATI at DTECH 2026?
At OATI, we’re unlocking dynamic utility operations and resilience. DTECH 2026 will be our biggest event yet.
DERMS
The industry’s most deployed platform for managing distributed energy resources—from meters to markets.
Asset Controls
Advanced controls for resilience and flexibility, from microgrids to batteries to data centers.
AI
See OATI Genie™ — the energy industry’s first generative and agentic AI platform — in action.
Dive Into the Future with OATI experts on the next-generation of DERMS, AI, and asset controls in Booth 2428.
On top of showcasing industry-leading tools, we’re giving away a free car! All you have to do is visit three OATI demo stations and be in attendance for the announcement of the winner on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. PT to qualify. If you’re unable to accept the prize, OATI will donate $20,000 to a charity of your choice.
Hear from our experts
Here, at last: AI breaks into grid operations at CAISO — Tuesday, 1:00 - 1:50 PM | Room 11AB
The demands facing grid operators are changing swiftly: power thirsty AI data centers, clean (but variable) generation sources, and extreme weather events are testing the power grid like never before. These factors require a step change in situational awareness in order to maintain a safe, secure, and reliable grid for all.
Over the past few years, AI was pegged as the answer. Visionaries dreamed up ideas for how models would solve the grid most pressing challenges, yet market-ready applications have been limited to the low-hanging fruit: chat bots for customer engagement, forecasting of siloed data and other risk-averse use cases. Until now.
The California Independent System Operator has taken an industry-defining leap to bring real AI into power grid operations. With operators spending countless hours reviewing outage-related information, CAISO partnered with OATI to bring generative and agentic AI functionality to its outage management system. In this session, attendees will learn how CAISO and OATI worked together on use case identification, solution architecture, AI model selection and evaluation, and deployment in an operation environment.
This session is especially relevant to utilities and RTO/ISOs that are looking to operationalize AI solutions to gain improved situational awareness and efficiency. We will discuss lessons learned and share methodical approaches that should be taken to operate and comply with evolving regulations.
Key Takeaways
- Uncover real-world, practical AI applications in power system operations
- See the latest evolution of OATI Genie™, the first generative and agentic AI platform developed for the energy industry, which is being developed in collaboration with the California ISO
- Learn how to improve situational awareness and efficiency with AI
Gopakumar Gopinathan
Power System Technology Senior Advisor
California ISO
Abhimanyu Thakur
Vice President – Platforms, Visualization & Analytics
OATI
Farrokh Rahimi
Executive Vice President Market Design & Consulting
OATI
DERMS in Action: How Utilities Are Advancing Dynamic Grid Orchestration — Wednesday, 10:00 - 10:50 PM | Room 28AB
As the industry embraces more distributed products, utilities are rethinking the operation and utilization of these solutions as they expand from the historic focus on building grid-edge capacity toward leveraging comprehensive flexibility. Advanced orchestration of DERs—across generation and transmission providers, distribution utilities, and end-use microgrids—demands new levels of coordination, shared visibility, and integrated data streams.
This session brings together OATI utility partners, including TVA and Oklahoma Gas & Electric, to explore the spectrum of approaches utilities are taking to get the most out of DERMS. Panelists will explore how dynamic DERMS capabilities are evolving beyond simple price-based dispatch toward systemwide situational awareness, multi-party operational alignment, and sophisticated control strategies that enhance reliability, flexibility, and customer participation.
Attendees will gain insight into lessons learned, emerging practices, and the collaborative approaches required across different stages of DERMS maturity to unlock the full value of distributed resources.
Key Takeaways
- How utilities are progressing along the DERMS maturity curve, from foundational demand response and coordination programs to more dynamic, multi-layer grid orchestration.
- What “shared visibility” means at different stages of DER integration and why high-fidelity data streams are becoming essential for both transmission and distribution operators.
- Practical insights from TVA, OG&E, and other OATI partners on building the operational, organizational, and technical frameworks needed to support evolving DER strategies.
- Strategies to maximize system flexibility while maintaining reliability across increasingly complex and decentralized grids.
- Lessons learned from real deployments, including where the biggest value has emerged so far and how utilities anticipate DERMS capabilities will advance in the coming years.
Joseph Johnson
Sr. Consultant – Strategic Initiatives & Business Development
Tennessee Valley Authority
Ryan Jones
Grid Innovation Manager
Oklahoma Gas & Electric
Linda Stevens
Chief Strategy Officer — Smart Grid and Smart City
OATI
Where Projects Become Power: Aligning EPCs and Utilities for Microgrid Success — Wednesday, 10:00 - 10:50 PM | Room 10
Microgrids offer unique pathways to resilience, new revenue streams, and sustainability. But every microgrid is unique, which means delivering reliable projects requires far more than acknowledgement of the asset’s merits. True complexity lies not in hardware installation—but in controls engineering, system orchestration, and multi-stakeholder alignment. This session brings together partners across the microgrid ecosystem to share how EPCs and utilities can successfully take projects from idea to operation.
Panelists will discuss the technical, operational, and organizational factors that drive successful microgrid deployment, including sequence-of-operations design, coordination with utilities, and the collaborative processes required to bridge expectations between owners, EPCs, and operators. Attendees will see firsthand how these partnerships accelerate time to deployment, reduce risk, and enable more resilient, flexible energy systems.
Key Takeaways:
- Why controls engineering—not just hardware—determines microgrid performance, and how field-tested design and operational frameworks enable EPCs to deploy successful systems
- How EPCs and utilities can streamline microgrid delivery through integrated engineering, sequencing, and commissioning workflows
- Lessons learned from real deployments
- How proper stakeholder alignment between utilities, EPCs, and technology partners reduces friction and shortens deployment timelines
- The emerging trend: EPCs increasingly recognize the need for a dedicated controls partner, and how this partnership model accelerates market growth
Jeremy Chapman
Partner
Melink Solar Development
Austin Rogers
Director of Applications Engineering
RavenVolt
David Heim
Vice President Strategic Solutions, Chief Strategy Officer & Sr. Associate General Counsel
OATI
Evergy DERMS with OATI — Wednesday, 1:00 - 1:50 PM | Room 6D
Grid edge and grid level Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) are important tools for utilities to manage DER assets and work with Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) to promote a more flexible and controllable grid. Such important tools require input from a variety of utility stakeholders, including operations, demand response, and product software.
This session will spotlight Evergy’s DERMS journey, which started in 2018, and now covers two states and four jurisdictions. We’ll discuss the current portfolio, which consists of over 200 MWs and includes business demand response, residential thermostats, and an electric battery pilot. Topics will include lessons learned from vendor cutovers, handling multiple DRMS programs, and preparing for future FERC 2222 marketplace aggregator participation. The importance of Evergy’s cross-department team will be highlighted as we discuss the planning and operations of Evergy’s DERMS. We’ll end by discussing Evergy’s next phase: pairing DERMS data with Evergy’s ADMS to showcase where DERs are located for better monitoring and the option to call location-specific events.
Christian Winingar
Distribution Modernization
Burns & McDonnell
Tianling Wu
Principal Engineer
Evergy
Andrea Carrillo
Senior Product Specialist
Evergy
Amy Bartak
Grid Modernization Manager
Burns & McDonnell
Shelly Barczak
Senior Manager
Exelon
Powering Sovereignty: Tribal Microgrids, Resilience, and Utility Collaboration — Wednesday, 1:00 - 1:50 PM | Room 6C
Across North America, tribes are advancing energy sovereignty through resilient microgrids, distributed energy resources, and long-term strategies that strengthen self-determination and local economic development. These projects also create opportunities—and challenges—for deeper collaboration with utilities as both parties work to enhance reliability, support grid stability, and navigate evolving regulatory and operational landscapes.
This session brings together tribal energy leaders, utilities, and technology partners to explore what it takes to design, deploy, and sustain successful tribal microgrids. Speakers will discuss the importance of cultural alignment, community-driven priorities, sovereign decision-making, and technical planning for resilience. The conversation will highlight emerging models for utility engagement, coordination during design and interconnection, and long-term operational partnerships that respect tribal autonomy while strengthening the broader grid.
Attendees will gain practical insight into deployments already underway, lessons learned, and the pathways tribes are forging as they build sovereign, resilient, and future-ready energy systems.
Key Takeaways
- How tribes are using microgrids and DERs to advance energy sovereignty, resilience, and long-term community control over energy decisions.
- Best practices for tribal–utility collaboration, from early planning and interconnection to ongoing operational engagement.
- The technical foundations of resilient tribal microgrids, including controls architecture, sequencing, cybersecurity, and resource integration.
- Regulatory and governance considerations unique to tribal nations, including sovereignty-driven priorities and partnership pathways.
- Lessons learned from real tribal deployments, including aligning community goals, utility requirements, and technology capabilities for successful outcomes.
Tim Clashin
Account Executive
OATI
Lynn Siedschlag
Director of Engineering
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
Matthew Pleasants
Central Services Director
Colville Tribes
Jake Schueller
Development Executive
Woven Energy