Abstract – The electrical grid evolved slowly throughout most of the 20th century, in part, because electrical equipment was typically left in service for thirty or more years after installation. So, the utility infrastructure was relatively unaffected by technological innovation. Change began in the late 1970s, driven by 1) increasing focus on environment and energy efficiency, 2) increasing “NIMBY” sentiment regarding large generation plants and high power transmission, 3) renewable energy generation and cogeneration, 4) power electronics advances (e.g. IGBTs) and 5) competition. Recently, the emergence of distributed energy resources (DERs) and Smart Grid accelerate change. Smart Grid is especially important: it enables more optimal coordination, integration and use of a) the electrical infrastructure and b) new technologies than was possible using the relatively “dumb” controls of the past. This fast paced presentation addresses the evolution of the electrical grid and the electrical grid of the future featuring DERs and Smart Grid.

Mr. Jim Eyer’s entire 30 year career has involved energy efficiency, renewables and advanced energy technologies, concepts, benefits and markets. For the last twenty years Jim has focused on energy storage with an emphasis on benefits and value propositions. Jim owns and is principal and senior analyst for E&I Consulting. He is a senior advisor to the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA). Before that he was Senior Analyst with Distributed Utility Associates for 13 years. Before that he held a range of positions with Pacific Gas and Electric Company related to advanced electric technology and concepts R&D, electric supply planning, and commercial energy efficiency services. He has an undergraduate degree with a double major in physics and management from Sonoma State University and an M.A. in management also from Sonoma State.

Abstract – Optical interference coatings find wide application in science and industry. It is hard to think of an optical instrument or system that does not benefit from their use, and many systems would not be possible without them. Sometimes the purpose of an optical coating may be relatively straightforward. Examples of such “simple” coatings include mirrors for the reflection of light as in the case of a telescope mirror, and antireflection coatings for the reduction of light reflection as in the case of a camera lens surface. In other situations an optical coating may perform a more essential function such as filtering for a specific wavelength band of light. The challenges of industry are constantly driving better performance and the development of improved and new optical coating technologies. This talk will provide a brief background on optical coatings and coating technology, and then give examples of how they have enabled fields such as Aerospace, Document Security, Telecommunications, and Consumer Electronics.

Dr. Sargent received his Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona, Tucson. He has been with OCLI since 1989 and JDSU since 2000, serving in a variety of engineering and leadership roles. His work has concentrated on the development of energetic thin film deposition processes and methods for depositing narrowband and precision filters. Over the years he has enjoyed working with companies and universities to employ filter technology in applications such as optical instrumentation, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) for fiber optic telecommunications, and consumer electronics. Since 2012 Dr. Sargent’s focus has shifted to include the development of optical coatings for document security applications. He is currently the leader of the Next Generation Products R&D Team in JDSU’s Optical Security and Performance Products group.