By Babu Chalamala, PES Vice President – Meetings & Conferences
Approximately 50% of all IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) professional members indicate “industry” as their primary employer type. To meet the needs of these members, PES events and activities are specifically designed to provide development opportunities applicable to their day-to-day professional activities. We aim to spotlight PES’s flagship events to showcase these efforts.
T&D: The Industry’s Premier Electric Grid Event
The largest PES event is the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition, which serves as the industry’s leading and most comprehensive event focused on the design, operation, and modernization of the electric grid. This biennial conference brings together the entire transmission and distribution ecosystem, encompassing utilities, regulators, researchers, and technology providers. The event has evolved into a key industry-focused event, with many manufacturers planning and launching new products in coordination with it. From the 2024 event, ~95% of exhibitors rated T&D as important for their business in terms of generating business, acquiring new customers, and creating marketplace awareness for their company and brand.
In addition to the exposition floor (over 800 exhibitors), T&D features a technical program with panel sessions focused on the industry’s key topics and stage presentations that provide exhibitors with an opportunity to present the latest technical updates on their projects and products to event attendees. The next PES T&D will take place from 4 to 7 May 2026 in Chicago, IL, USA, and is expected to attract approximately 14,000 attendees.
Annual PES General Meeting: Networking and Technical Knowledge for Industry
The annual PES General Meeting doesn’t have exhibitors, but ~20% of the attendees work for an electric utility or related company. Over 3,000 people attend for the networking opportunities and to gain technology knowledge from the 300+ Technical Committee meetings and 150+ Panel Sessions, which focus on providing best practices within the industry. The 2026 PES General Meeting will be in Montreal, Canada (19 -23 July).
Connecting the Grid with Consumers
The PES Grid Edge Technologies Conference & Exposition is a relatively new event that focuses on the intersection of the electric grid and consumers, encompassing buildings, industry, transportation, renewables, and energy storage. In addition to an exhibit floor, the technical program features panel sessions, PhD Dissertation Challenge, and a Startup Showcase & Innovation Challenge. The 2027 PES Grid Edge will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (19 – 22 April).
Technical Activities and Industry Standards
In addition to these events, PES produces an Industry Impact Newsletter quarterly, highlighting the products, events, and initiatives that have a significant impact on the industry. Information on the latest IEEE Standards produced by the IEEE PES technical committees and subcommittees is highlighted to manufacturers ,and they are made aware of what has been approved.
Another area with extensive industry engagement is through the PES Technical Activities, comprising 17 Technical Committees and 4 Coordinating Committees. Working groups and task forces of PES technical committees have a significant impact on the industry through the timely release of technical reports and the development and maintenance of IEEE Standards, which produce nearly half of all IEEE Standards annually.
Industry Leadership and Talent Development
PES has also worked with industry and established the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative. This program helps address the crucial challenge facing the field of power and energy – the shortage of power engineers needed to sustain and transform electric energy systems by awarding scholarships to undergraduate students to attract top talent to the power and energy field. Additionally, PES connects scholars with companies seeking highly qualified interns and co-op students, providing them with vital career experience prior to graduation. Since 2011, over 1,400 students have been awarded scholarships, and close to 800 past recipients are now working full-time in the power industry.
Executive Advisory and Policy Initiatives
PES has established the Executive Advisory Committee (EAC) whose members include leaders from major companies in the power and energy sector. EAC has been instrumental in advancing greater participation of industry members in society activities. The PES Industry Technical Support Leadership Committee (ITSLC) provides support to and cooperates with governments, regulators, and other industry organizations globally on technical issues related to power, energy, and policy topics.
Additional PES initiatives with industry have focused on building relationships with organizations to position PES as a trusted advisor, helping to shape policy and the industry ecosystem in power and renewables. This effort includes publishing various articles which have been published online to increase visibility for IEEE and the Power & Energy Society.
One Response
Babu–I don’t think we’ve met, but I applaud your effort to keep the PES track record of successful meetings moving ahead at full speed. I have been retired for 15 years. I’m also 7 years “retired” from active PES and IEEE roles, but still try to keep active in the PES space locally and virtually. During my time on the PES GB I was instrumental in developing or re-imagining many of these meetings and happy to see their continued success. T&D transitioned from every 30 months to every two years. Many new international meetings were begun. They have helped make PES the presence it is today so cheers to you for keeping it going!
Al Rotz
Past PES President