Please join us in the Pi Bar (off the Hotel Lobby) for drinks, munchies, and conversation. We'll leave for dinner around 7:00 pm.

Learn what everyone’s working on. Each Roundtable attendee will have five minutes to explain their smart grid projects and share what’s working—and what’s not! There will be ample opportunity for discussion throughout the day, so come prepared to give a high-level overview of what you’re doing and one specific area you’re experimenting with. For example, talk about a new technology, pricing program, means of communicating with customers, or alliance.

Utilities are enthusiastic about the technologies and benefits of smart grid, but customers are not yet universally convinced. What concerns your customers? Big-brother control? Rising energy costs? The uncertainty of time-based pricing programs? Security and privacy? What are you doing to turn worried customers into smart grid advocates? Do you monitor or use social networking sites? Is customer resistance slowing down your deployments?

Some smart grid projects are primarily utility initiatives; others are joint projects involving city governments, vendors, utilities, and neighborhood organizations.  How do these collaborations compare to utility-only projects.  What can we learn about involving other parties in successful projects?

Many smart grid projects will include some way for customers to see and understand their energy use. Enhanced billing, normative billing comparisons, in-home energy-use displays, home automation and control systems, and web portals are some of the options utilities are trying. New players such as Google and Microsoft are getting into the business of energy information. What have you tried? What do your customers want? How much do these technologies cost? What do they really save?

The old transmission and distribution system was squarely the purview of utilities—not so with smart grid. There are a host of new players getting in the game, from Google and Microsoft to home automation companies and device vendors as well as big-box retailers such as Best Buy. Many of these companies have the potential to bypass the utility and go straight to your customers. How are you working with or thinking about working with these companies? What partnership models work? How do you leverage other companies and maintain your brand with your customers?

In this fast-paced session, we’ll hit several topics, including those that come up throughout the day and:

•    Data security
•    Data privacy
•    Building relationships
•    Vendors
•    Working with start-up companies
•    Finding new technologies
•    Integrating smart grid with energy-efficiency and demand-response programs

We’ll talk about IGS research topics, data we can collect, upcoming projects, scheduling for the next Roundtable, and other items of interest.

Joins us for a joint reception with the Let's Get Social: Marketing and Social Media for Utilities attendees.

The Intelligent Grid Roundtable is being held in conjunction with Let's Get Social: Marketing and Social Media for Utilities, so if you're interested in social marketing and social media please plan to stay and join us for this special E Source meeting.