(Shelton, CT, December 20, 2022) — Clarion Energy, a subsidiary of Clarion Events, the world leader in B2B industry events, announced today that Becca Jones-Albertus, the director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural GridTECH Connect Forum in San Diego, California on Feb. 6, 2023. 

The GridTECH Connect Forum is a first-of-its-kind regional event bringing together utilities and distributed energy developers to overcome challenges tied to interconnection. The inaugural event in San Diego is tailored to meet the needs of the California market with a focus on interconnection collaboration, electric vehicle integration, demand response, and more.

Jones-Albertus' keynote address is part of GridTECH Connect Forum's collaboration with the U. S. Department of Energy’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) project.  

“In order to meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a decarbonized electricity system by 2035, we need to deploy more clean energy to the grid as quickly and reliably as possible. However, current procedures for connecting to the grid are not equipped to handle the rapid increase in clean energy projects needed to meet our climate goals,” Jones-Albertus said. 

“We cannot solve interconnections challenges without stakeholder collaboration, which is why, like GridTECH, i2X joins together groups who are essential in expediting the interconnection process to share data, develop a roadmap, and facilitate new solutions to improve interconnection procedures with the support of DOE."

The GridTECH Connect Forum in San Diego will feature a panel session on DER hosting capacity and impact analysis, as well as a technical interconnection boot camp for attendees, both led by the DOE. 

"Clarion Energy is pleased to partner with the U.S. Dept. of Energy on such an important issue facing the energy transition," said Stephanie Kolodziej, Portfolio Director, Transmission & Distribution at Clarion Events. "Becca Jones-Albertus is a respected industry veteran with technical experience that resonates with both utility leaders and DER developers. We look forward to hearing her speak at our inaugural event in San Diego." 

GridTECH Connect Forum’s robust speaker lineup features senior leaders from Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Pacific Gas & Electric, National Grid, Standard Solar, Nexamp, CAISO, Voltus, Nuuve, ABB, and more. See the full program schedule here. 

The inaugural GridTECH Connect Forum will be held at the San Diego Convention Center on Feb. 6, 2023, ahead of DISTRIBUTECH International, the leading transmission and distribution industry event. Registration is open but limited. Secure your spot today.