2026 Conference Sessions

As the Western Interconnect surges toward nearly 200 GW of solar and wind capacity by 2030, curtailments are already exposing the limits of variable generation. In 2024 alone, CAISO curtailed 3,500 GWh of renewable output, underscoring the urgent need for long-duration energy storage solutions. The Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project in Delta, Utah, is a first-of-its-kind facility that converts excess renewable energy into hydrogen, stores it in massive underground salt caverns, and uses it to power gas turbines at the Intermountain Power Plant. This groundbreaking approach bridges innovation and infrastructure, demonstrating how hydrogen can provide seasonal shifting, low-carbon dispatchable power and system reliability at scale. Attendees will hear directly from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Chevron and Mitsubishi Power on how this project is paving the way for clean, reliable energy in the Western U.S.