Over the course of three busy days, hundreds of energy industry experts and professionals delved into how the industry is evolving at the 2018 OATI Energy Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. With highlights including a keynote presentation from OATI CEO Dr. Sasan Mokhtari, exhibits and hands-on training for OATI solutions, a Hawaiian-themed Welcome Dinner, and more, this year’s conference was our most action-packed yet.

Dr. Mokhtari and OATI Vice Presidents, including Mary Brown, Kevin Sarkinen, Dave Stangler, Ali Ipakchi, and Carlos Gonzalez-Perez, opened the conference to discuss new innovations and strategies for OATI and our customers. In addition, keynote speakers Katya Somohano, CEO of CFE Calificados (CFEC) Mexico and Joe Svachula, Vice President of Engineering of ComEd, offered their insight into how the energy sector is shifting. Ms. Somohano discussed the new Mexico Energy Market and how CFEC is aiming to produce 35 percent of power demand from clean energy sources by 2024. Mr. Svachula discussed ComEd’s microgrid journey, which will begin construction in 2019, and noted that resiliency is a key reason to build a microgrid.

Following this, conference attendees observed product demonstrations, engaged in discussions about energy industry concerns and advancements, learned new tips and tricks for handling OATI systems, and heard customer case studies.

OATI Sale Vice Presidents Linda Stevens, Salah Khuhro, and Jerry Dempsey also remarked on the latest market trends, including a strong focus on grid modernization with electric vehicle (EV) charge stations, microgrid solutions, and distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS). Mr. Khuhro addressed the continued need for an end-to-end integrated system to combine Energy Trading and Risk Management (ETRM), Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) bid-to-bill systems, and physical power systems.

In-between the activities were pauses utilized as networking opportunities, including a reception before the Hawaiian-themed Welcome Dinner. Donning Hawaiian shirts and luaus, our attendees relaxed, played games like Pictionary and Aloha Bingo, and competed in a costume contest for a cash prize.
 
For the first time, we arranged exhibits throughout the conference to showcase our latest solutions, including OATI Gryphin™, Blockchain-as-a-Service, and EVolution™. Subject matter experts discussed customer benefits and the ways in which our solutions are transforming the energy industry.

Utilities, transmission operators, end-users, and more can benefit from the expertise and innovations each OATI Energy Conference provides. Do not miss your chance to talk with energy sector leaders at the 2019 OATI Grid Modernization Conference at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Please visit our website or contact EnergyConference@oati.net for more information. We hope to see you next year!