Industry Days: World’s First Shake Table Test of Large Power Transformer

Four plenary sessions and technical panels address solid-state transformer (SST) topologies and system architectures; power devices, including SiC, GaN, high-voltage IGBTs, and medium-voltage protection; high-frequency magnetics, packaging, and thermal management; fusion as a potential power source for data centers; SST control, protection, reliability, cybersecurity, and grid services; and grid-interactive data centers, energy storage, onsite generation, and flexible AI loads. The program also includes poster sessions and awards. Panel topics include grid interconnection, microgrids, demand response, renewable integration, battery and long-duration storage, workload flexibility, waste-heat recovery, and coordination between data centers and utilities. Plenary speakers include Dr. Patrick Chapman, Vice President of Enphase Energy and a National Academy of Engineering member, and Dr. Le Xie, Gordon McKay Professor at Harvard University.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is the host utility. A generator-focused lunch-and-learn covers generator testing benefits, safety and expected results, along with extending generator life through condition-based maintenance. The program also offers tours of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Old Hickory Project, a run-of-river, multipurpose water-resources facility combining hydropower generation and navigation. The project is undergoing rehabilitation that includes transformer and exciter replacements, installation of an intake gantry crane, and turbine-generator overhauls. Tour participants can observe a disassembled unit.

Topics include electrical safety and high-risk work environments; serious-incident reviews and lessons learned; human performance and error reduction; contractor safety; confined-space, work-at-height, and rescue practices; and emergency response, thermal runaway, and fire preparedness for battery energy storage systems. Operations and asset-performance topics include predictive maintenance, reliability optimization, advanced analytics, major-component reliability for gearboxes, blades, inverters, and BESS, aging fleets, asset-life extension, hybrid wind, solar, and storage operations, and operational readiness and commissioning. Workforce themes include fatigue management, technician readiness, apprenticeships, cross-training, frontline leadership, knowledge transfer, and succession planning. The PowerCast Stage features practical presentations on operational experiences, demonstrations, emerging technologies, and best practices.

The program covers power-generation operations, grid reliability and security, project development, and changing electricity demand. Keynote sessions address supply, demand and the next build cycle; securing the grid amid AI-related threats; and reliability, readiness and the performance gap. Technical sessions include gas-turbine fleet performance and upgrade potential; advanced reactors and TRISO fuel; carbon-capture integration; battery storage and capacity-market accreditation; data-center power demand and flexibility; long-duration storage; nuclear digital modernization; renewable integration; and power-project delivery. Additional program areas include CHP, cybersecurity, grid planning, emissions, and operations and asset reliability.

The conference focuses on the customer-utility interface, including planning, demand management, distributed energy resources, storage, DERMS, energy efficiency, interconnection, standardization, scalability, AI, data center growth, and next-generation loads. The program includes tutorials, technical tours, welcome and opening remarks with a keynote, breakout sessions, exhibits, stage presentations, startup lightning pitches, a poster session, and a closing session. Super Sessions address generation mix and grid reliability; data center growth and the AI economy; flexible load management; AI for planning, operations, and reliability; and asset management for an affordable grid. The program also includes an invite-only Innovation Challenge and brings together utility engineers, planners, consultants, developers working on large-load interconnections, AI and data-center leaders, DER providers, policymakers, regulators, and researchers in data, cybersecurity, and grid-edge systems. PacifiCorp is the host utility.

The technical program covers conventional and emerging power systems, including steam power systems (HRSGs, boilers, and steam turbines), gas turbines, concentrating solar power, geothermal energy, small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technologies, sCO₂ power cycles, advanced ultra-supercritical steam, and hydrogen and bulk thermal energy storage technologies. Topics include additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing, advanced welding, cladding, fabrication processes, design approaches, material and welding qualification, standards development, and regulatory challenges. Component-specific issues include castings, forgings, blades, rotors, and valves. Materials and performance topics include creep, creep-fatigue, stress relaxation cracking, oxidation, corrosion, wear, erosion, high-temperature alloys and steels, failure analysis, life management, and fitness-for-service methodologies. Repair topics include weld repair, rejuvenation heat treatment, surface engineering, and refurbishment solutions. The conference program includes plenary sessions and breakout topical tracks. Accepted papers undergo peer review and are assigned DOIs. EPRI and ASM International jointly organize the conference.

Produced by IEEE PES and hosted by Georgia Power, the exposition includes a Data Center Stage track exploring how the rise of hyperscale and edge data centers is influencing grid planning, energy infrastructure and sustainable load management. The conference brings together the transmission and distribution ecosystem, including utilities, regulators, researchers and technology providers, with many manufacturers timing new product launches to coincide with the event.

The technical program combines peer-reviewed lecture and poster presentations, industry presentations, professional education seminars, plenary programming, and expert debates. Seminar themes include wide-bandgap device reliability, AI in power electronics, magnetics, converter topologies, electromagnetic compatibility and motor drives, and data-center power delivery. Specific topics include SiC and GaN switching behavior, online condition monitoring, AI-assisted converter design, planar magnetics, solid-state transformers, electric drives and e-mobility, and power delivery for AI accelerators and data centers. Technical and industry programming addresses modeling and simulation, data-center power systems, inverter design, chargers, power devices, test and characterization, and integrated voltage regulators. Debate topics include integrated voltage regulator roadmaps and roadblocks, whether solid-state transformers are ready for deployment, and whether future power-electronics breakthroughs will come from academia or industry. APEC is sponsored by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association, IEEE Power Electronics Society, and IEEE Industry Applications Society.

WEI’s largest event includes general sessions with industry leaders and keynote speakers, plus breakout programming across Asset Management, Damage Prevention, Electric Distribution, Electric Substation, Electric Transmission, Grid of the Future, Grid Resilience, Low Carbon Fuels, Natural Gas Emergency Response + Restoration, Natural Gas Integrity Management, Natural Gas Operational Excellence, Operational Leadership, Safety + Health, Safety Management Systems, and Workforce Development. The program is open to anyone in the energy industry.