Track 3 – Distribution and Transmission Planning for the Grid of the Future

Kenneth M. Kulak

Ken Kulak counsels energy companies in regulatory proceedings, including ratemaking proceedings, before public utility commissions and in transactional matters. He advises public utilities, project developers, investors, and corporate energy users on retail and wholesale electricity markets, renewable portfolio standards, distributed generation (including microgrids), demand response, and energy efficiency. Clients seek his advice in navigating the legal issues associated with the development, purchase, sale, and financing of renewable energy and storage projects, including the negotiation of power purchase agreements; engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts; and operations and maintenance (O&M) agreements.

Ken is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he teaches a seminar on energy law and climate change. He is also a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, advising on energy storage issues. Before joining Morgan Lewis, Ken worked as a trial lawyer in the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, representing the United States in contract and employment law cases. He handles trials and appeals of complex contractual disputes involving finance, accounting, and federal taxation. From 1994 to 1996, Ken served as a law clerk to Judge Raymond J. Broderick of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Vincent J. Cushing, Jr.
Chief Technology Officer And Co-Founder

Vince Cushing has 50 years of experience encompassing all facets of the electricity industry including power contracting; grid engineering, operations and markets; grid ancillary services; coal plant NOx/SO2 compliance; grid storage; financial risk management; SCADA systems; demand response; retail power supply; utility strategic planning; and transmission planning. For the last twenty years, he has focused on engaging large urban commercial buildings in electric grid operations and markets, with his colleagues at the University of Colorado Boulder, Penn State University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
QCoefficient is Mr. Cushing’s seventh start-up. He has written, mentored, and judged several hundred business plans. He has also developed and applied advanced analytical approaches to financial risk management, asset valuation, power supply planning, energy storage, and financial forecasting.
Mr. Cushing served on the Operating Committee of the North American Electric Reliability Council, on executive committees of regional transmission associations, as Chairman of the Interconnection Arrangements Committee of the Edison Electric Institute and as a utility industry liaison to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He earned his bachelors in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a masters in engineering administration from George Washington University.

Eric Hsieh
Director for Grid Systems and Components at U.S. Department of Energy

Director for Grid Systems and Components at U.S. Department of Energy

Eric Hsieh is the Director for Grid Systems and Components at the U.S. Department of Energy. His group conducts cutting edge research and development for new grid hardware technologies, including energy storage, robotics, and power electronics. He previously held positions at Nexans, A123 Systems, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Eric received degrees in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and Computer Science from MIT, and was recently named a “young and rising star” by Public Utilities Fortnightly.