Wanda Reder

Transforming the Electric Utility Industry with a Smart Grid 

THE PRESENTATION: The electric grid has been undergoing significant transformation including the introduction of digital technologies, growth of renewables and increasing engagement of electricity customers.   An underlying driver of the transformation is securing a clean energy future.  As the transformation is underway, consumers’ expectation of performance and dependency on the grid is increasing. At the same time, the risk for widespread outages from extreme natural events and manmade cyber-attacks are also on the rise creating interest in increased resiliency for electrical infrastructure. 

This presentation discusses a vision for the electric grid of the future that is more flexible balancing affordability, resiliency and security.  Case studies highlighting state-of-the art automation, renewable, storage and microgrid deployments will be discussed.     The presentation will also contemplate how technologies will be utilized for electric grid transformation to facilitate a more interconnected world enabling society-at-large to be greener, cleaner, more reliable and more efficient in the future

Biography:

Wanda Reder, an IEEE Fellow, is a National Academy of Engineering inductee for leadership in electric power delivery and workforce development.  She is the President and CEO of Grid-X Partners, a WBE-certified management consulting company that is focused on electric grid transformation.  Earlier, she chaired the IPERC Board of Directors, was Chief Strategy Officer at S&C Electric Company and served as its Vice President of Power Systems Services significantly expanding field and project-related service work globally. Ms. Reder held leadership positions at Exelon and Northern States Power (now Xcel), with increasing responsibilities in areas such as asset investment strategy, standards, engineering, systems planning, reliability, work management, automated metering and demand-side management.

She is the Vice-Chair for the Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee and the Past President of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, where she launched and successfully led the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative and IEEE Smart Grid. She serves on the Board of Directors for Technical Diagnostic Services, the Singapore Energy Grid 2.0 Advisory Board (chair) and on the IEEE Foundation Board.  Ms. Reder has a B.S. in Engineering from South Dakota State University where she is a Trustee and has an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.