Preparing the Distribution System for the Future: Assessing the Impact of Electrification on Load Forecasting

Speaker: Sophia Zhang, Senior Engineer, Eversource

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are top of the agenda for state and federal jurisdictions. Electric utility companies need to proactively plan for system disruptions in a targeted manner to enable a future with electric homes and buildings. Eversource is using advanced forecasting techniques to identify system capacity needs and opportunities for distribution planning improvements. Short term load forecasting and long-term impact assessments have different underlying drivers and require a fundamentally unique approach. This presentation will give an overview of how electrification of transportation and heating systems, along with solar adoption, impacts load forecasting. Insights into how translating regulatory pathways, customer data and analytics can be used in demand assessments to inform program initiatives and policy.

Sophia Zhang is a Senior Engineer / Data Scientist for Advanced Forecasting and Modeling at Eversource Energy based in Boston. She develops large scale electrification forecasts and evaluates impacts from heating electrification, electric vehicles, solar, and distributed energy sources. In this role, Sophia helps to build innovative solutions using predictive analytics, machine learning, and data engineering. Sophia has ten years of experience as a consulting engineer in the energy sector, across US and Canada. She has optimized operations for multinational companies by building simulations for efficient engineering design. Sophia holds a Bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada and a Master’s in Data Analytics from Tufts University.

Time: Refreshments start at 6pm, talk begins at 6:30pm Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Beatty 426 (Building: Beatty Hall) 550 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Free parking at West Parking Lot)

Free and Open to the Public; RSVP is appreciated

Visit the IEEE PES Boston Chapter website for further details - https://site.ieee.org/boston-pes/

For any questions regarding this presentation or any IEEE PES Boston Technical Meetings, please contact Amsa Mangga (Amsa.Mangga@eversource.com)

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