RMEL's Spring Electric Energy Conference provides continuing education and networking opportunities for engineers, managers and operations personnel. The 2009 conference, May 17-19 in Keystone, Colorado, will feature more than 25 presentations. It covers issues in generation, transmission, distribution, safety, customer service, human resources and other management topics. In addition to a robust education program, attendees will also have time to network with their peers, visit the exhibits, play a round of golf or just enjoy the beautiful scenery in the Rocky Mountains.

Mike Carlson, VP and CIO, Xcel Energy, will kick off the general session on Monday, May 18 with a presentation on Xcel Energy’s SmartGridCity project in Boulder, CO. This project is considered to be one of the most aggressive Smart Grid pilot programs in the United States and the results from this program will impact future projects across the nation.

GE and Google have formed a partnership to collaborate on energy policy and technology, including pushing for smarter grid, cleaner power generation and greener transportation. Mark Hura, general manager - Global Sales Transmission & Distribution at GE Energy, will give attendees at the Spring Conference a first-hand account of the efforts made to develop the policies and partnerships – this one and others -- that will enable the deployment of a smarter electrical infrastructure.

Smart Grid may be grabbing the national spotlight, but there are other important technologies making news in our industry. Carbon sequestration, extreme high-voltage power lines and renewable power are just a few. Integrating renewable energy into existing systems is a challenge as well as an opportunity for utilities worldwide. There will also be presentations on topics that may not be new – like safety, outage planning and vegetation management, but the solutions are.

And while this conference will clearly focus on the operational issues engineers and operators encounter daily in their jobs, attendees will also learn about how utility and engineering firms are collaborating to create programs that will build a pipeline of young engineers able to handle the technical demands of our power system now, and in the future.