The electric power industry is experiencing a transformation today similar to the evolution of the Internet and World Wide Web 20 years ago. In fact, this transformation is the merging and intersection of the two most technically complex networks built by humans -- the Internet and electrical power grid. IP communications protocols, Internet enabled energy routers, 300,000 miles of transmission lines, and linking of complex networks of sensors in power generation and distribution networks -- will give us the ability to monitor and manage energy in ways we could only imagine a few decades ago. This workshop will introduce the technical terminology emerging around smart meters, Home Area Networks (HAN), Energy Management Systems (EMS), Building Management Systems (BMS), and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging systems. What will this new landscape look like, how long will it take to build, and what skills will be needed to design, install, and service this new network?

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Speakers Bio

Robert Cormia is a full-time faculty at Foothill College where he teaches informatics and nanotechnology, and works in campus wide sustainability issues including energy and GHG management. His background began in biochemistry, analytical chemistry and materials science, and later moved to the Internet, working in e-commerce and Web marketing. Bob joined the faculty of Foothill College full-time in 2001, and helped develop certificate programs in bioinformatics, informatics, and nanotechnology. He is a member of the Apollo Alliance, and principle investigator in a nanomaterials engineering program. His passion is helping ordinary people understand climate change, and a path to a new energy future - the electron economy