Once the advanced metering and data communication networks have been installed, what are the new opportunities and challenges for the next five years for smart grid development? Our panelists present their ideas.
Energy used to be a one-way street. Today, it's becoming a bi-directional superhighway with utility customers finally taking charge of their power use and how much they pay for it. Instead of drilling into short-term IT issues and arcane arm-chair politicking involved in this shift, GreenBeat 2009 maps out the hottest business and technology opportunities the Smart Grid has to offer.
Bio
Sharon Allan
Sharon Allan is a senior executive and the Smart Grid practice lead in North America. In this role she is leading the practice to help utilities not only with their strategies but also their implementations to modernize their infrastructure.
For the past two years, Accenture has conducted global research to understand the business opportunities and challenges related to climate change. Based on interviews in 133 utility, energy and chemicals/natural resources resources companies in 29 countries, the research provides deep insights into the thoughts and plans of company executives on climate change, its anticipated impact on their businesses and they actions that are planned to address the opportunities and challenges associated with climate change. Sharon Allan has more than 25 years of experience in the technology services industry in various executive and management roles.
She has focused on smart grid deployment and transformation for the utility T&D industry for the past 12 years. She has worked with organizations around the world in smart grid and smart metering deployment strategy, infrastructure planning, and organizational performance.
Prior to Accenture, she served in positions within our industry as President of Elster Integrated Solutions, President of AMCO Automated Systems and Chief Knowledge Officer for Elster Electricity (formerly ABB).
Matt Marshall
Matt Marshall is the editor and CEO of VentureBeat, which he founded in 2006. He covered the venture capital and startup beat for the Mercury News from 2001-2006. Marshall significantly expanded the newspapers coverage of venture capital and startups during that time, in daily articles and a weekly column called the VC Insider, and then online with his blog SiliconBeat from 2004.
Marshall was awarded Journalist of the Year by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists in 2002, and the James Madison Freedom of Information award in 2003. These awards were for a series of articles he wrote in conjunction with two successful Mercury News lawsuits, in part instigated by Marshall, against California's public pension fund (CalPERS) and the University of California. The lawsuits sought disclosure of the financial performance of venture capital and other private equity funds that CalPERS and UC had invested in, arguing that state taxpayers and retirees had a right to know these results. As a result of these laws suits, public employees now have full access to information on the performance of their retirement investments.
Marshall was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 through 1998. In 1999 he wrote a book while in Germany, The Bank: the Birth of Europe's Central Bank and the Rebirth of European Power. He has also written for the Washington Post and several other publications. Marshal is also the executive producer of DEMO.
Marshall has a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University.
Philip Mezey
Philip Mezey became senior vice president and chief operating officer for Itron North America in April 2007. Philip Mezey is responsible for the direction and strategy of Itron's software and hardware solution lines, including the operations of advanced metering, R&D, marketing, and sales. He has served the company in several capacities including vice president and general manager for Software Solutions, followed by senior vice president, Software Solutions. Philip Mezey joined Itron as managing director of Software Development for Itron's Energy Management Solutions group upon Itron’s acquisition of Silicon Energy in March 2003. He joined Silicon Energy in 2000 as vice president of Software Development. Prior to joining Silicon Energy, Philip Mezey was a founding member of Indus, a leading provider of integrated asset and customer management software. With Indus for 12 years, Philip Mezey's various responsibilities revolved around product development and services for utility solutions. Philip Mezey holds an associate degree in history from University of California, Berkeley.
David Pacyna
David Pacyna is Senior Vice President & General Manager of the NAFTA Transmission & Distribution Divisions of Siemens Energy Inc (SEI). He has served in this capacity since January 2009, when Siemens formally brought together its power generation, T&D, and oil & gas businesses to form SEI. Siemens is a leading provider of transmission & distribution technology and smart grid solutions, serving electric utility and industrial customers throughout North America and around the world. Siemens maintains over 20 locations throughout the NAFTA region to deliver manufactured product, developed software solutions, systems engineering expertise, T&D network analysis/consulting, turnkey project execution, and complete service capability. Prior to that, David Pacyna served as the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc. (SPT&D). He had served in this capacity since 2002. David Pacyna came to SPT&D from Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation in Orlando, where, he was a member of the senior management team and served as the Vice President in charge of Global Business Strategy.
David Pacyna began his career in the power industry in 1984 at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. When Siemens acquired Westinghouse from CBS in August 1998, he was the vice president of power generation sales for Latin America and Canada and in 1999, was named vice president in charge of global business strategy. He has extensive international experience within the power industry, having led project development, and sales and marketing efforts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Canada, and Latin and South America. David Pacyna is also currently serving as a member of the U.S. National Executive Committee of CIGRE. He is a Member of the Board of the Power Equipment Division of the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA). David Pacyna holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, NY. He and his wife, Andrea, reside in Raleigh, North Carolina, with their two children.
Andrew Tang
Andrew Tang joined PG&E Corporation in 2007 in the Corporate Strategy and Development Group focusing on Special Projects. He was responsible for strategy formulation and analysis and support of PG&E's strategic initiatives. Andrew Tang recently joined Pacific Gas and Electric Customer Products & Services team as Senior Director, Smart Energy Web. In his new role, Andrew Tang has responsibility for Clean Air Transportation (including Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicles) and the Energy Information Network underpinning the Smart Energy Web. In addition, he is also responsible for PG&E's Demand Response Programs. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Director of European WiMAX Solutions Development for Intel Corporation.
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