Electroposium 2.0 Agenda 2024
This year, we're excited to introduce 'circuits' — a series of presentations that explore crucial areas in electrification: Workforce, technology and policy.
*Light breakfast included.
See Full Agenda & Presentations Below
Morning General Session
Morning & Afternoon Exhibits
Morning CIRCUIT Presentations
Afternoon CIRCUIT Presentations
Evening Reception
6:30 – 8:30 AM: McNamara Alumni Center Open for Exhibitor Setup
8:30 – 9:00 AM: Registration – McNamara Alumni Center, Memorial Hall (south side)
Morning General Session ~ Memorial Hall
9:00 – 9:05 AM: Welcome & Introductions
Minnesota Center for Electrification Opportunity
CDR Chip Laingen, USN (Ret.), MPA - Technological Leadership Institute
9:05 – 9:10 AM: State of the Minnesota Center for Electrification Opportunity (MN CEO)
Kyle Shelton - UMN Center for Trans. Studies & MN CEO Committee
Tammy Meehan Russel - The Plum Catalyst
9:10 – 10:10 AM: Panel – Advancing Collaboration for Electrification at the National Level
Kirk Brown, Recharge America
John Hacker, Design Ready Controls
Kim Nelson, Riverland Community College
10:10 - 10:25 AM: Maximizing your Connections at Electroposium
Brandon Klein – Founder, Collaboration.ai
Morning and Afternoon Exhibits
10:30 AM – 4:30 PM: Memorial Hall, University Hall, Oak Street Entrance, and Walnut Street
Morning CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
10:30 – 11:20 AM
Workforce
Johnson Room - Building Electrification Training Programs
Recently ThermoKing and the University of Minnesota collaborated to produce asynchronous employee development training to enhance ThermoKing’s workforce. This training was tailored to ThermoKing personnel needing insights into electrification technologies, history, and modern developments. The presentation will discuss how this training was developed/executed, grant opportunities available from The Minnesota Department of Employment Economic Development to develop tailored training for your organization, and how the training enhanced the skill set of ThermoKing’s employees.
Brad Bauer – University of Minnesota
Grant Ovsak – Electrification Center of Excellence Director, ThermoKing
Vikki Palony – Grants Coordinator, MN Department of Employment & Economic Development
Natasha Roberts - Electrification Engineer
Technology
Swain Room - Electrification at Thermo King
Transition from Diesel to Electric in Sustainably Powered Transport Refrigeration.
Matt Srnec – Principal Engineer, Electrification at Thermo King
Wendy Foslien – Lead Data Scientist at Thermo King
Policy
Ski-U-Mah Room - A Clean Transportation Standard for Minnesota
Electrification is expensive, necessary work for meeting Minnesota’s climate targets. How are we to expect business and industry to adopt new, clean technologies with large price tags? Vehicles, chargers, and updated electrical infrastructure will be necessary for conversions of fleets and the transportation industry. A Clean Transportation Standard (CTS) is one option with an established track record of creating opportunities for productive investments; in California it has generated millions funding EV projects. These market driven programs are increasingly popular as interest in clean transportation grows with established programs in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Canada (Federal). Minnesota doesn’t currently have a CTS but has considered a sponsored bill in the past two legislative sessions. Passage of a CTS bill would spur investment and opportunity for EV owners, particularly among fleet and business owners. Join Per Lundmark of TRC’s Clean Transportation Solutions to explore the benefits of CTS and how it can support electrification in our state.
Per Lundmark, Project Manager, TRC Clean Transportation Solutions
Workforce
Minnesota Room - Dual Training Pipeline Program
Overview of the earn and learn program in manufacturing and transportation for the Dual Training Pipeline Program in the State of Minnesota, and also grant opportunities for the program in the workforce.
Erik Holtan, Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Program Consultant, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
Technology
Gateway Room - GEO for Sustainability! – A Panel Discussion
From single-family homes to entire housing developments (networked geothermal) to thermal energy networks (TEN), geothermal heat pump (GHP) technologies constitute one of the most impactful and scalable electrification options available today. As the nation moves to decarbonize and ‘future-proof’ both new and existing buildings, GHP technology is uniquely positioned as the most efficient and effective, grid-friendly infrastructure choice for sustainable, all-electric space conditioning and water heating. Minnesota’s electric utilities, whether member-owned, public-owned or investor-owned, are evaluating this opportunity to build out the state’s electric HVAC infrastructure for the clean-energy (CE) future.
Steven Koep, Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO)
Scott Niesen, President – MN Geothermal Heat Pump Association (MNGHPA)
Pete Ellis, Massmann Geothermal & Mechanical (MN GHP Contractor)
Jon Sullivan, Minnesota Power
Policy
Laukka Room (2nd Floor) - Making the Electrification of America Resilient to All Hazards
This presentation is intended to be an interactive discussion to investigate the potential for holding a conference in late spring 2025 on the issue of resilient electrification of America. This issue has emerged due to a combination of much higher than expected electricity demands, and new grid threats.
Dr. Michael Cohen, Technological Leadership Institute (TLI)
Morning CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
11:30 AM – 12:20 PM
Workforce
Johnson Room - Recharge America: Being the Connector in Local Communities, State and Nationally
Partnerships between educational institutions, businesses, and community organizations are crucial for the success of the clean energy and transportation movement. Local, state, and national collaborations fostered through Recharge America assist in workforce development, EV infrastructure build-out, and community electrification planning.
Kirk Brown, CEO, Recharge America
Stephanie Dorman, National Program Director, Recharge America
Technology
Swain Room - Toro Technology
This seminar will be presented by The Toro Company and will be led by engineering and product marketing. This event offers a deep dive into potential career trajectories within our sustainable workforce, spanning engineering, design, and technology domains. Gain essential insights into the strategic significance of our electric equipment evolution, firmly rooted in ecological responsibility. Explore the concrete advantages of electric equipment, ranging from emission reduction and regulatory compliance to compelling total cost of ownership benefits. This seminar serves as a specialized platform tailored for the MN CEO community, catering to individuals interested in pursuing impactful, purpose-driven careers.
John Hurst, Senior Director, Center for Technology, Research, and Innovation
Sam Dando, Senior Product Marketing Manager Sitework Systems, Toro
Rick Gerhardson, Senior Engineering Manager II, Commercial, Toro
Robb Anderson, Electrical Engineer V, Commercial, Toro
Marissa Auer, Recruiter, HR Talent Acquisition
Technology
Ski-U-Mah Room - Building Electrification: Driving the Need for Stronger and Safer AC Capacitors
As the push for clean energy intensifies, the integration of renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies is becoming more prevalent in building electrification. However, these advancements bring new challenges to electrical systems, particularly in the performance and reliability of AC capacitors. This presentation will explore the impact of building electrification on modern AC capacitors, focusing on the effects of incorporating renewable energy inverters and variable frequency drives (VFDs) designed for energy savings. Attendees will gain insights into why clean energy is not always "electrically clean" and how this drives the need for stronger and safer capacitor technologies to ensure the durability and safety of modern electrical infrastructures.
John Houdek, Power Quality Engineer, Allied Industrial Marketing/Frako, Inc.
Technology
Minnesota Room - Preparing Your Company for Electrification – Facility, Safety and Equipment Considerations
Best practices for component and system level electronification testing, including motors, inverters, battery, BMS, & system level test. Darryn will also discuss how to keep your staff and facility safe when working with High Voltage systems.
Darryn La Zar, Sr. Director, Development, Affiliated Construction Services (ACS)
Technology
Gateway Room - Railroad Decarbonization
Learn about opportunities for railroad decarbonization using electrification, hydrogen, and renewable diesel technology.
Peter Gilbertson, Anacostia Holdings
Technology
Laukka Room (2nd Floor) - Permanent Carbon Dioxide Removal from Waste
Winner of the MN Cup, Carba is the future of carbon dioxide removal. We take waste and convert it to stable carbon that can be buried safely underground for thousands or millions of years. The process has unique environmental co-benefits and helps address the growing concern of waste in this country.
Andrew Jones, CEO Carba
Afternoon CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
1:00 – 1:50 PM
Workforce
Johnson Room - Coordinating the Energy Transition
MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, functions like an air traffic controller for the electrical grid, keeping the lights on for over 45 million people and businesses from Manitoba, Canada to the coast of Louisiana. MISO operates over 75,000 miles of transmission lines, covering the largest geographical area of the seven Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) in the United States. As an independent, not-for-profit, member-based organization, MISO has three priorities: managing the flow of high-voltage electricity across its region, facilitating one of the world's largest energy markets, and planning the grid of the future. To ensure a resilient, adaptable grid capable of meeting demands through an energy transition of unprecedented change, MISO engages in many planning activities. A few of these include forecasting drivers of load growth like electrification, modeling forward-looking scenarios via MISO Futures, and analyzing load patterns to assess system risk, all of which help MISO keep lights on.
Jerri Jackson, Principal Advisor, Strategic Initiatives, MISO
Victor Ni, Senior Advisor, Strategic Insights, MISO
George Masson, Analyst II, Strategic Insights, MISO
Technology
Swain Room - Hydrogen and Electrification – Center for Transportation and the Environment
What is hydrogen doing at an electrification conference? Hydrogen is a great energy storage path for heavy duty transportation. This presentation will cover an overview of hydrogen in heavy duty transportation, where it makes sense (and doesn’t), and why, as well as key points for infrastructure planning. The staff at the Center for Transportation and the Environment are a group of passionate engineers and planners working to make medium and heavy duty electrification projects successful - from prototypes to demonstrations to deployments to long range planning. If it’s zero emissions, battery or hydrogen, we’re interested in making it work.
Erik Bigelow, Engineering Director, Center for Transportation and the Environment
Technology
Ski-U-Mah Room - Dynamic Energy Storage for an Electrified Future – Trane Technologies
As Minnesota progresses towards a sustainable and electrified future, integrating advanced energy storage systems in buildings is essential for achieving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. This presentation will explore the innovative combination of a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery storage system, known for its safety, longevity, and smart energy management, with a Thermal Battery Storage-Source Heat Pump System. This system uniquely combines thermal energy storage ice tanks, all-electric chiller-heaters, and air-to-water heat pumps to deliver efficient heating and cooling, even in extreme climates. By leveraging these technologies in a single building, Minnesota can significantly enhance energy efficiency, reduce peak energy demands, and increase the resilience of its buildings, all while supporting the state’s sustainability goals and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This dynamic approach highlights the potential for these combined technologies to play a pivotal role in the state's transition to a fully electrified and sustainable future.
Zack Main, Trane Techhnologies
Zahra Iliff, CEO, Vessyll
Adam Iliff, VP Operations, Vessyll
Technology
Minnesota Room - Residential Heat Pumps: Challenges and Opportunities for Technology and Policy
Heat pumps are the next wave of mass-consumer cleantech. Come learn about their potential benefits, the challenges that are holding them back, and what we as technologists and policymakers can do to accelerate their adoption. (And what this Twin Cities heat pump startup is already doing!)
Joseph Strommen, Founder & CEO, 2040 Energy, Inc.
Workforce
Gateway Room - Enhancing Electrical Safety: Proactive Risk Management Strategies for the Modern Workplace
In today's electrified world, robust safety protocols are essential. This session will highlight the critical role of risk management in ensuring electrical safety across various occupational settings, with a strong emphasis on quality training. Participants will learn best practices for identifying and managing electrical hazards to protect lives and enhance operational efficiency.
Marty Werdebaugh, Worksafe Consultants
Jason Walsh, Worksafe Consultants
Workforce
Laukka Room (2nd Floor) - Minneapolis Green Careers Exploration Program
The Green Careers Exploration Program (GCEP) was created by the Minneapolis Health Departments Environmental Programs Division to meet the needs of the emerging green industry by intentionally positioning Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth and young adults at the forefront of these opportunities.
Justo Garcia, Health Services, City of Minneapolis
Afternoon CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
2:00 – 2:50 PM
Workforce
Johnson Room - Developing Talent for Emerging Technologies
Education is slow to respond to industry needs as emerging and disruptive technologies enter the space. We discuss flexible degrees focused on nimbly meeting workforce needs through sponsored industry projects and work-based learning, where students gain authentic experience before they graduate.
Brian Martensen, Executive Director, MinnPoly
Molly Schaefer, Director of Operations & Industry Partnerships, MinnPoly
Colette Faidley, Pathway Specialist, MinnPoly
Technology
Swain Room - How Complex Systems Science Simplifies DER Grid Connections – presented by SYNCRIS
As decarbonization efforts shift electric grids from centralized to decentralized models, grid-level controls need to replace key functions such as mechanical inertia and black-start capability. New technologies are needed to integrate decentralized, autonomous functionality into grid infrastructure, ensuring resilience, rapid balancing of integrated systems, and protection against physical and cyber-attacks. Using complex system science, SYNCRIS has developed power controls for microgrids and other inverter-based resources that enable grids to self-organize, act cooperatively, and adapt almost instantaneously to dynamic changes in network conditions. This technology allows for truly modular and scalable systems that can dramatically simplify new infrastructure development.
Scott Tracy, SYNCRIS
Zach Emond, SYNCRIS
Technology
Ski-U-Mah Room - Fleet Electrification
The transportation sector accounts for 28% of Green House gas emissions in the US. Regulatory pressures, grant opportunities, and rapidly changing technology is driving growth in the fleet electrification space. The presentation will share tips and advice on fleet electrification from pilots to fleet wide deployments.
Mark Reierson, Group Manager, TKDA
Policy
Minnesota Room - Minnesota’s Leadership in E-Mobility
Learn about how Minnesota uses education, policy, infrastructure and collaboration to address challenges and reap benefits in E-mobility.
Michael Wojcik, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
Technology
Gateway Room - Local Power Generation for the Zero Carbon Future
With power demand at an all-time high from AI, EV, and general electrification of everything, onsite power generation is necessary to transition these industries and supplement the grid. But that generation must be cost effective, dispatchable, and ready for a zero emission tomorrow.
Anders Thulin, Senior Originator – Mobility, Mainspring Energy
Technology
Laukka Room (2nd Floor) - Navigating the Challenges of Electric Vehicle Battery Materials Testing – 3M
This presentation will explain the 3M methodology for developing innovative battery solution materials without needing to complete expensive traditional OEM validation or global electric vehicle (EV) standards testing.
Mark Fairbanks, Lead Specialist – Product Development, 3M
Afternoon CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
3:00 – 3:50 PM
Policy
Johnson Room - Metro Transit Zero Emission Bus Transition – Plan 2023 Annual Report
Metro Transit adopted their first Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan in February 2022 and is currently working to update the plan for February 2025. The presentation will provide an overview of the adopted transition plan, provide project updates, and review performance for our electric bus pilot.
Carrie Desmond, Manager – Electric Bus Infrastructure, Metro Transit
Jeremiah Riter, Technical Support Supervisor, Metro Transit
Workforce
Swain Room - Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development Programs
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is the state’s principal economic development agency. The focus of DEED is to provide and promote programs for business recruitment; expansion and retention; international trade; workforce development; and community development. DEED’s Workforce Strategy Consultants will provide an overview of DEED, its programs, and resources available to support business development.
Adesewa Adesiji, Workforce Strategy Consultant-Metro Area, MN Department of Employment & Economic Development
Jessica Miller, Director of Workforce Strategy, MN Department of Employment & Economic Development
Technology
Ski-U-Mah Room - Gopher Motorsports - University of Minnesota Formula SAE
Overview of the University of Minnesota’s Gopher Motorsports team, including their electric vehicle technology.
Ryan Swanson, President
Ben Abbott, EV Chief Engineer
Alex Tong, Electrical
Isaiah Wildenberg, High Voltage Designer
Technology
Minnesota Room - Building Electrification
Almost 39% of Global Carbon Emissions comes from buildings, and Building Electrification plays an important role in reducing climate change. Learn the role of engineers, like recent CSE graduate Amethyst O’Connell, in the sustainable building future.
Amethyst O’Connell, Electrical Designer, Michaud Cooley Erickson
Technology
Gateway Room - Overcoming Challenges in Double Pulse Testing of SiC and GaN Devices
This presentation will explore the toughest challenges engineers encounter during double pulse testing, particularly with SiC and GaN devices. Topics covered include optimizing current sensing methods, managing high common mode interference, automating gate drive stimulus, and more. Attendees will learn about instrumentation tools and techniques, both hardware and software, that are available to improve the accuracy and efficiency of double pulse testing.
Cameron Lowe, Field Applications Engineer, Tektronix
Technology
Laukka Room (2nd Floor) - Cyber Risks to the Electric Grid
This presentation aims to provide utility companies, cybersecurity professionals, and policymakers with a general overview of risk management practices that are crucial for safeguarding the electric grid against cyber threats. Emphasizing the importance of establishing comprehensive security frameworks and proactive defense mechanisms, the session will guide attendees through the essentials of effective risk management strategies adaptable to various infrastructures, including the electric grid. Attendees will explore fundamental principles of risk assessment, such as identifying vulnerabilities, evaluating potential impacts, and prioritizing mitigation efforts based on risk severity. The discussion will also touch on the significance of developing adaptable incident response plans and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within organizations to enhance resilience against cyber threats.
By the end of this session, participants will have a clearer understanding of how general risk management methodologies can be effectively tailored to protect critical infrastructure like the electric grid, ensuring its reliability and security in the face of evolving cyber risks.
Candice Wold, Security GRC Director, Salesforce
Afternoon CIRCUIT Presentations ~ Breakout Rooms as noted
4:00 – 4:50 PM
Policy
Johnson Room - Accelerating Market Transformation and Product Development through Utility Partnerships
Learn to partner with electric utilities and other ecosystem partners to accelerate market and product development.
Gabe Chan, University of Minnesota, Associate Professor Humphrey School
Ryan Fedie, Energy Executive
Evening Reception ~ Heritage Gallery
________________________________________________________________________________________
4:30 – 6:30 PM: Join the Minnesota Center for Electrification Opportunity (MN CEO) and Grid Catalyst for a hosted networking reception, including hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and a cash bar.