Agenda & Event Details - CREA's Energy Innovations Summit 2026

Director Course - BLC #909.1: Effective Governance in the Face of a Crisis

CEEI Board Meeting

Registration

Silent Auction, benefiting Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification (CARE)

Expo (showcasing Lunch and Conference Sponsors only)

Reception

Live Auction, benefiting Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification (CARE)

Banquet, Awards & Guest Speaker: David Wasserman

David Wasserman is the Senior Editor & Elections Analyst for The Cook Political Report, recognized as one of the nation's premier, nonpartisan election forecasters. An NBC News contributor and 2024 Carnegie Fellow, he specializes in political geography, U.S. House races, redistricting, and data visualizations, including the Cook Partisan Voting Index. David joined us in 2024, and we look forward to hearing his perspective during this election cycle.

Registration

Expo

Welcome with Larry Archibeque, Board President, Colorado Rural Electric Association

Opening Session
The Changing Grid: A Conversation with Lanny Nickell, President & CEO, Southwest Power Pool

Join Lanny Nickell for a conversation moderated by Maureen McDonnell about the evolving Western grid and what lies ahead for SPP West. Their discussion will explore transmission planning and cost allocation, resource adequacy, growing large loads, East-West interconnection, and SPP’s continued expansion — providing insight into the regional developments shaping reliability, planning, and the future of the grid.

Moderated by Maureen McDonnell, Lead Economist - Utilities, CoBank

Grid Technology & Innovation

EVs & the Grid: From Fleet Management to Grid Assets

Explore how emerging EV technologies are connecting fleet operations with the electric grid. Panelists will examine intelligent fleet charging, utility-managed charging, and the charging technologies that enable greater grid integration. The discussion will explore how vehicles, charging infrastructure, fleet operations, and utilities can work together to support demand response, grid flexibility, and future vehicle-to-grid services.

Yukihiro Hatagishi, Electric Vehicle Charging Hardware Systems Researcher, National Laboratory of the Rockies
Craig Miller, Director of Clean Transportation, Xcel Energy
Kamal Ayad, Founder/President, SBD Technologies
Moderated by Steve Rooney, Editor/ Publisher, Intelligent Vehicle Briefs

Sponsored by RM Cyber

Wildfire Mitigation & Technology

Advancing Line Inspections & What Comes Next

Drawing on a decade of experience, San Luis Valley REC CEO Eric Eriksen will share how evolving inspection technologies are strengthening grid reliability and wildfire mitigation. Guided by a FastForward Lean Six Sigma review, the cooperative selected vehicle-mounted thermal and panoramic imaging paired with AI-assisted data processing for 2026. This discussion will explore how this approach delivers faster, lower-cost, and more accurate inspections than satellite, drone, or crew patrols — providing better data to identify hot spots, equipment conditions, vegetation risks, and GIS discrepancies while supporting stronger decision-making.

Dusty Birge, Founder/CEO, FastForward
Eric Eriksen, CEO, San Luis Valley REC

Sponsored by Empact Engineering

Expo

Luncheon
From Innovation to Implementation: Evaluating the Energy Technologies of Tomorrow

Join Colorado State University’s Jason Quinn for a look at the economics, feasibility, and challenges of bringing new energy technologies from research to deployment. Drawing on examples from energy storage, advanced nuclear systems, and other emerging assets, his presentation will explore what drives successful innovation, the barriers to commercialization, and what utilities should consider when evaluating technologies that could shape the future of energy.

Jason Quinn, Interim Executive Director, Energy Institute, Colorado State University

Grid Technology & Innovation

The Flexible Grid: VPPs, Energy Storage & Microgrids

Discover how virtual power plants, battery storage, and microgrids are creating a more flexible and responsive electric grid. Panelists will explore how these technologies are deployed, operated, and coordinated to manage demand, improve resilience, optimize energy resources, and provide new capabilities as distributed resources become increasingly integrated into grid operations.

Zach Borton, DER Service Manager, Platte River Power Authority
Josh Noel, Vice President of Technology & Energy Resources, Poudre Valley REA
Jon Aust, SVP of Power Supply, United Power
Moderated by Ola Boye, Vice President, Renewable Energy Resources, PSE

Wildfire Mitigation & Technology

Balancing Safety and Reliability: Using Wildfire Science to Guide Protection Settings

Join La Plata Electric Association and Firescape to explore how a data-driven approach to wildfire system settings helps utilities make safer, defensible decisions. This case study will examine how weather and fire consequence modeling shape protection setting decisions, alongside key lessons learned on deploying situational awareness tools, managing SCADA limitations, and balancing reliability, safety, and new technology.

Dan Harms, COO, La Plata Electric
Holly Eagleston, Founder/CEO, Firescape AI

Sponsored by Ward Electric Company

Closing Session
The Grid Ahead: What’s Next – and Are We Ready?

How can utilities prepare for a future shaped by emerging technologies and rapidly growing electricity demand? This conversation brings together utility, research, and data center industry perspectives to explore grid readiness, infrastructure challenges, evolving customer needs, and opportunities for collaboration that support a more flexible, reliable, and affordable electric system.

Dan Diorio, Executive Vice President, State Policy & Government Affairs, Data Center Coalition
Sydney Henry, Western Energy Policy Lead, Energy and Location Strategy, Google
Fei Ding, Manager, Grid Automation and Controls Group, National Laboratory of the Rockies
Moderated by Bryan Hannegan, President & CEO, Holy Cross Energy