ETS27 · Energy Thought Summit · 14th edition · by Zpryme Free your mind Austin, Texas · May 3–6, 2027 · Tickets ↗

May 3–6,2027

Plate I · The mind in seven provinces, after Fowler, relabelled for the grid · redraw

type
try···

touch a province and the programme opens below · type into the crown and the mind composes an answer in place · or read on, plate by plate: II theme · III lineup · IV programme · V pass · VI place

  1. 1Policy, markets & planning2 sessions · 8 minds
  2. 2Customer & affordability8 sessions · 21 minds
  3. 3People, workforce & community2 sessions · 1 mind
  4. 4AI, data & digital12 sessions · 23 minds
  5. 5Resilience & security4 sessions · 15 minds
  6. 6Load growth, storage & capacity3 sessions · 10 minds
  7. 7Grid edge & distributed energy2 sessions · 8 minds
01Province 4 · Wednesday, May 5
5 sessions · 10 minds

Who's speaking about AI on Wednesday

Wednesday carries five sessions in the AI province: two keynotes before ten, a panel on trusted AI and two fireside chats, ten minds in all. The day closes with a reception at 18:30.

  1. 09:15Hacking the Bottleneck: How AI Returns Attention to the Experts Who MatterKeynote · 15′ P4Abhishek Balakrishnan
  2. 09:30Power Hungry: A Day in the AI Powered world of 2040Keynote · 15′ P4Jeff Jerome
  3. 10:00Trusted AI for Your RealityPanel · 30′ P4Karthik Moorthy, John Kupcinski
  4. 11:30Who Wins the Race: AI Speed or Grid Stability?Fireside chat · 30′ P4Jeffrey Banks, Matt Rettagliata, Vanessa Edmonds
  5. 16:20Grid Games: How AI is Both the Defender and the InvaderFireside chat · 45′ P4John Kupcinski, Jeffrey Banks, Josh Keeling, John Miri, Joyce Deuley mod.
  1. Abhishek BalakrishnanANB Systems, DNV
  2. Jeff JeromeBGE/Exelon
  3. Karthik MoorthyBidgely
  4. John KupcinskiPSEG Long Island
  5. Jeffrey BanksCenterPoint Energy
  6. Matt RettagliataGoogle Cloud
  7. Vanessa EdmondsUtility 2030
  8. Josh KeelingUtilityAPI
  9. John MiriBedrock Strategy Group
  10. Joyce DeuleyTeam b. Strategy +

1 Source: agenda snapshot 2026-10-13, day 3, province 4 (AI, data & digital) · ETS26 stand-ins, sample data; nobody here is confirmed for ETS27 · composed by the mind

Plate II · The theme

Free
your
mind

The future doesn't belong to those who move the fastest. It belongs to those who create the space to think differently.

The 14th Energy Thought Summit returns to Austin for four days of bold conversations with the people shaping the future of energy: utility and grid leaders, innovators, policy people, founders. ETS has always leaned creative, with music, art and conversation rather than trade-show beige.

  • Edition14th flagship summit · ETS27
  • DatesMonday May 3 to Thursday May 6, 2027 · day 4 is a half day
  • WhereAustin, Texas · venue announced soon
  • Hashtag#LoveYourEnergy
  • OrganiserZpryme · Austin-based research-led firm · ets@zpryme.com

Plate III · The lineup · 77 minds, figures 1–13 featured · ETS26 stand-ins, nobody is confirmed for ETS27 · printed in one ink, as a line screen

Portrait of Nancy Bui-Thompson
Fig. 1Nancy Bui-ThompsonBoard Director, SMUDThought Leader of the Year 2025P2
Portrait of Paul Lau
Fig. 2Paul LauCEO & GM, SMUDThought Leader of the Year 2021P7
Portrait of Erin Autin
Fig. 3Erin AutinPrincipal, EA CollectiveP1P5
Portrait of Carlos Ayala
Fig. 4Carlos AyalaFounder and Managing Partner, Mentora LLCP2P7
Portrait of Jeffrey Banks
Fig. 5Jeffrey BanksVP, Chief Data and AI Officer, CenterPoint EnergyP4
Portrait of Kimberly Britton
Fig. 6Kimberly BrittonCEO & Founder, Britton StrategiesP2
Portrait of Greg Brown
Fig. 7Greg BrownChief Technology and Security Officer, New Braunfels UtilitiesP5
Portrait of Bashir Bseirani
Fig. 8Bashir BseiraniCEO, AvertraP2
Portrait of Gerardo Delgado
Fig. 9Gerardo DelgadoDirector of Government Affairs, Nicor GasP2P6
Portrait of Joyce Deuley
Fig. 10Joyce DeuleyStrategic Operations & Development Manager, Team b. Strategy +P2P4
Portrait of Vanessa Edmonds
Fig. 11Vanessa EdmondsExecutive Director, Utility 2030P2P4
Portrait of Janie Gonzalez
Fig. 12Janie GonzalezCEO, Board Director, Webhead, CPS EnergyP4P5
Portrait of Raiford Smith
Fig. 13Raiford SmithGlobal Director, Power and Energy, GoogleP4

The index · every mind in the snapshot, by surname · P-numbers are provinces on plate I

  1. 01Jeremy AdelmanTucson Electric PowerP5
  2. 02Jody AllisonXcel EnergyP2
  3. 03Lora AnguaySMUDP1
  4. 04Amy AtchleyAustin EnergyP2
  5. 05Erin AutinEA CollectiveP1P5
  6. 06Carlos AyalaMentora LLCP2P7
  7. 07Abhishek BalakrishnanANB Systems, DNVP4
  8. 08Elaina BallCPS EnergyP6
  9. 09Jeffrey BanksCenterPoint EnergyP4
  10. 10Sabah BayatliOCI EnergyP6
  11. 11Kimberly BrittonBritton StrategiesP2
  12. 12Greg BrownNew Braunfels UtilitiesP5
  13. 13Bashir BseiraniAvertraP2
  14. 14Nancy Bui-ThompsonSMUDP2
  15. 15Zac CandersDataCapableP5
  16. 16Andres CarvalloCMG ConsultingP4
  17. 17Sam ChangCenterPoint EnergyP2
  18. 18Chimaobi ChijiokeGeorgia PowerP2
  19. 19Gerardo DelgadoNicor GasP2P6
  20. 20Joyce DeuleyTeam b. Strategy +P2P4
  21. 21Vanessa EdmondsUtility 2030P2P4
  22. 22Seyi FabodeAsha LabsP6
  23. 23KJ FederCPS EnergyP2
  24. 24Bob FlahertyDataCapableP5
  25. 25Hugh ForrestSXSW
  26. 26Deepak GargSEWP7
  27. 27Rudy GarzaCPS Energy
  28. 28Janie GonzalezWebhead, CPS EnergyP4P5
  29. 29Chris Guttman-McCabeAnterixP1
  30. 30Damali HardingAmendment Nine Strategic ConsultingP2
  31. 31Chad HortonAES Clean EnergyP4
  32. 32Jeff JeromeBGE/ExelonP4
  33. 33Josh KeelingUtilityAPIP4
  34. 34Rebecca KleinKlein Energy LLCP1
  35. 35Navin Kumar PrasannamSAPP1
  36. 36John KupcinskiPSEG Long IslandP4
  37. 37Paul LauSMUDP7
  38. 38Joon LeeNavion EnergyP6
  39. 39Talvis LoveNational GridP4
  40. 40Tasha McCarterRWEP5
  41. 41Christine MilesPaymentusP2
  42. 42John MiriBedrock Strategy GroupP4P5
  43. 43Kevin MonagleBridgewater Consulting GroupP4
  44. 44Karthik MoorthyBidgelyP4
  45. 45Ricky MurrayDoer/MakerP2
  46. 46DeeAnne NorrisRenville-Sibley Cooperative Power AssociationP7
  47. 47Evan O'MahoneyCPS EnergyP4
  48. 48Christina OliverLCRAP6
  49. 49Tolu OmotosoSECO EnergyP4
  50. 50Cody ONeilHoly Cross EnergyP2
  51. 51Angie OstaszewskiSEEL, LLCP2
  52. 52Denise OwusuMotive Power, NPUCP6
  53. 53John PadalinoBandera Electric CooperativeP7
  54. 54Quinn ParkerEncolorP2
  55. 55Danny PetreccaItronP5
  56. 56Tim PiantaBase Power CompanyP6
  57. 57Zach PollockXcel EnergyP2
  58. 58Bill PotterDataCapableP5
  59. 59Richard A RamirezNational GridP5
  60. 60Mitch RappardPalo Alto NetworksP5
  61. 61Janet RehbergEPBP3
  62. 62Matt RettagliataGoogle CloudP4
  63. 63Teresa RingenbachBloom Advisory PartnersP7
  64. 64Jason RodriguezZpryme and FroliqP1P2P4P5
  65. 65Jason RyanCenterPoint EnergyP1P5
  66. 66Mandip SamraBurbank Water & PowerP1
  67. 67Dan SchnitzerHoneywellP4
  68. 68Brad SmithGridsightP2
  69. 69Raiford SmithGoogleP4
  70. 70Marc SpielerNVIDIAP7
  71. 71Jen SzaroAESPP7
  72. 72Carlos ThomasOracleP4
  73. 73Jonathan TijerinaCPS EnergyP6
  74. 74Venkat TirupatiERCOTP6
  75. 75Anand VedapuriCPS EnergyP4
  76. 76Todd WiedmanLandis+GyrP5
  77. 77Julia ZhuAlectraP4

Plate IV · The programme · four days · 50 sessions · times are Austin (CDT) · ETS26 programme relabelled to ETS27 dates, sample data

Day 1 · 08:15–21:00Monday, May 3Opening remarks, policy and data-center load panels, customer experience and grid security, opening reception.
  1. 08:15Registration OpensRegistration · 525′
  2. 09:15ETS Opening & Special Video Remarks w/ Rudy GarzaOpening / closing · 10′
  3. 09:25How to Hack Your Experience at ETS27Keynote · 10′
  4. 09:35Premier: MLK Community Center Microgrid StoryShort documentary · 10′ P3
  5. 10:30The Policy Singularity: When Innovation Outpaces RegulationPanel · 45′ P1
  6. 11:15Megawatt Reckoning: Hacking the Data Center Load CurvePanel · 45′ P6
  7. 12:00Networking LunchMeal · 60′
  8. 13:00The Engagement Hack: Making Grid Optimization a Customer GameKeynote · 15′ P2
  9. 13:45The CXth Sense: JodyBot, the Digital Twin for Customer OperationsFireside chat · 30′ P2
  10. 14:15Beyond the Firewall: Securing a Million New Grid Edge Entry PointsPanel · 45′ P5
  11. 15:00Networking BreakNetworking break · 30′
  12. 15:30The New Energy Trilemma: Customer Affordability, Wildfires, and the AI Power SurgeTown hall · 45′ P2
  13. 19:00ETS27 Opening Networking ReceptionEvening reception · 120′
Day 2 · 08:15–20:00Tuesday, May 4AI and data talks, parallel breakouts, grid-edge and metering panels, evening reception.
  1. 08:15Networking BreakfastNetworking break · 45′
  2. 09:00Leadership Perspective: Service, Innovation, and Customer Affordability in the New Energy EraFireside chat · 15′ P2
  3. 10:00The Efficient Frontier: Where AI Meets Customer-Centric AffordabilityKeynote · 15′ P4
  4. 10:30The Edge is the New Core: Why the Grid's Future is DistributedPanel · 45′ P7
  5. 11:50AI Won’t Fix Your Data Problem — But Your Data Problem Will Kill Your AI StrategyFireside chat · 30′ P4
  6. 12:20Networking LunchMeal · 70′
  7. 13:30From Firewalls to Frequency: Operationalizing Security at the Grid EdgeBreakout · 45′ Breakout AP5
  8. 13:30Rate Design Reimagined: Hacking Economics for Grid InvestmentBreakout · 45′ Breakout BP2
  9. 14:15Emotion Meets Electron: Designing Energy Experiences That StickBreakout · 45′ Breakout FP2
  10. 15:00Networking BreakNetworking break · 30′
  11. 15:30How AI is Rewiring the Utility MindsetETS Talk · 15′ P4
  12. 15:45Innovation, Workforce, and Quantum Grid ApplicationsETS Talk · 15′ P3
  13. 16:00AI, Meet AMI: The Real-Time Brain for the Modern GridPanel · 45′ P4
  14. 16:45Power Play: How Google and AES are Disrupting the Energy and Intelligence Status QuoFireside chat · 30′ P4
  15. 18:30Day 2 Networking ReceptionEvening reception · 90′
Day 3 · 08:15–20:00Wednesday, May 5Outage intelligence, AI keynotes and panels, workshop, planning and reliability, closing reception.
  1. 08:15Networking BreakfastNetworking break · 40′
  2. 08:55Hack the Outage: Grid Down. Customer First. How the Energy Industry is Rewriting the Rules of Outage IntelligencePanel · 15′ P5
  3. 09:15Hacking the Bottleneck: How AI Returns Attention to the Experts Who MatterKeynote · 15′ P4
  4. 09:30Power Hungry: A Day in the AI Powered world of 2040Keynote · 15′ P4
  5. 10:00Trusted AI for Your RealityPanel · 30′ P4
  6. 11:00Hacking the Distribution UtilityFireside chat · 30′ P7
  7. 11:30Who Wins the Race: AI Speed or Grid Stability?Fireside chat · 30′ P4
  8. 12:30Networking LunchMeal · 60′
  9. 13:30The Next Era of DSM: From Short-Term Savings to Long-Term ChangeWorkshop · 45′ Breakout GP2
  10. 15:00Networking BreakNetworking break · 25′
  11. 15:35Conducting the Grand Symphony: Sustainability, Reliability, and AffordabilityPanel · 45′ P1
  12. 16:20Grid Games: How AI is Both the Defender and the InvaderFireside chat · 45′ P4
  13. 18:30Closing Day 3 Networking ReceptionEvening reception · 90′
Day 4 · 08:30–12:30Thursday, May 6Half day: storage and trust keynotes, capacity and resilience conversations, closing session.
  1. 08:30Breakfast & NetworkingMeal · 60′
  2. 09:15Supergrid Rising: Can Energy Storage Save the Planet?Keynote · 15′ P6
  3. 09:30The Trust Hack: You Can Pilot Without It, But You Can’t Scale Without ItKeynote · 15′ P4
  4. 09:45The Software-Defined Power GridKeynote · 15′ P4
  5. 10:00Unlocking Capacity in an Age of ExtremesPanel · 45′ P6
  6. 10:45Future Forward: Re-Examining Sustainable Resilience in the Era of AIFireside chat · 45′ P5
  7. 11:30Hack the Customer: Real Stories and Real Impact from Utilities at the Forefront of Addressing the Affordability ChallengeTown hall · 45′ P2
  8. 12:15Closing Session: ETS27 Ultimate HacksOpening / closing · 10′
  9. 12:25Event CloseOpening / closing · 5′

Plate V · The pass · on sale now on Eventbrite · phase 1 prices hold until Nov 19, 2026 · no refunds

Government & utility · phase 1$299$320.89 with fees
Industry · phase 1$849$907.78 with fees
  1. Government & Utilityphase 1 · until Nov 19, 2026$299$320.89 with feeson sale now
  2. Industryphase 1 · until Nov 19, 2026$849$907.78 with feeson sale now
  3. Government & Utilityphase 2 · until May 7, 2027$349$374.25 with feesfrom Nov 19, 2026
  4. Industryphase 2 · until May 7, 2027$1,149$1,227.91 with feesfrom Nov 20, 2026

Tickets on Eventbrite ↗Prices read 2026-10-13; what a pass includes, group codes and speaker, student or press rates are not published yet.

Plate VI · The place · Austin, Texas · venue announced soon

Austin, Texas. Venue announced soon.

The summit returns to its home city. The hotel block and travel details follow the venue announcement.

Hotel
A room block at the conference hotel, overflow next door and a shuttle to the venue, as in past editions. Booking link to follow.
Getting around
Cap Metro, rideshare, e-bikes, e-scooters or walking. Bring a reusable bottle.
Speak · sponsor
ets@zpryme.com · +1 888-908-2522 · partners are listed in six tiers, Platinum to Bronze.
Ask the mind
Type into the crown on plate I: “where do I stay”, “is the venue announced”.