Chad Abbey

VP of Grid Architecture, Quanta Technology

Chad Abbey is a recognized industry expert with over 22 years of experience in grid modernization, utility operations, and renewable energy and energy storage integration. He leads the Grid Architecture business at Quanta Technology, helping utilities and developers navigate the energy transition, and implement technologies and organizational processes in support of the next generation power grid. He is an active member in CIGRE and IEEE and has contributed through extensive peer-reviewed publications, industry courses, and contributions to working groups.

What do you see as the biggest challenges we face regarding sustainable technology?
There are several challenges as we face the energy transition but the biggest relate to adapting to a grid more dominated by IBRs and provide sufficient flexibility for the intermittency associated with renewables. Within that context, how to develop policy and regulation to support and guide investments in capacity but also telecommunications and IT/OT solutions to best help us strike the balance between those two, while maintaining or enhancing current levels of reliability and quality of service.

What key takeaway do you hope attendees will gain from your panel discussion?
I think a great takeaway would be for the audience to understand how regulation and policy can help stakeholders to achieve to double bottoms lines — investments that make good business sense but are also good for rate payers and the broader society.