CIGRE’s 46th General Session is an international conference on large high-voltage electric systems that will attract some 8500 senior executives, engineers and experts from the worldwide power industry. The increasing importance and popularity of this biennial event for transmission and distribution industry professionals has already resulted in record numbers of technical contributions, delegates and exhibitors registering for the upcoming August conference.
The CIGRE 2016 General Session will be staged in the Palais des Congrés, situated in northwest Paris, France, on the edge of the Boulogne Woods and in close proximity to the Arc de Triomphe. This large conference center can accommodate all the activities included in the technical program as well as the supporting exhibition.
The electricity industry is facing some of its largest challenges as the demand for economic, reliable and secure supply of electrical energy continues to increase at a time when the generation is increasingly dependent on renewable energy resources. Faced with the now established environmental issues of climate change, the decline in fossil-fuel generation and the safety concerns linked to nuclear power generation, the industry requires new technologies to accommodate generation from renewable energy resources.
This year’s conference will present the range of new technologies that have been developed to accommodate the variable and unpredictable generation from renewable energy projects. The design and commissioning of large extra-high-voltage transmission interconnections continues to increase as high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technologies now enable circuits to operate at higher voltages over longer distances to optimize system capacity and facilitate international-based
energy marketing.
Therefore, CIGRE offers a unique learning opportunity for seasoned industry professionals as well as next-generation engineers entering the industry. All attendees will derive tremendous benefits from the knowledge and experience shared by the industry’s experts on all aspects of research, manufacturing and utility management. The technical conference that extends over a five-day period is well structured, all the major issues are discussed and every session is managed to include time for attendees to contribute and benefit from the assembled industry experts.
The Palais des Congrés is an excellent facility that can accommodate the four-track program of technical meetings in well-equipped auditoriums that are all positioned close to the large areas assigned for the technical exhibition. The CIGRE organizing committee has arranged for a team of support staff to be available to service all delegate enquiries through the duration of the conference.
Official Opening Ceremony
The official opening ceremony will be held on Sunday, Aug. 21 and will include an address titled “Big Shift in Power — Shaping the System of the Future” by Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Systems Division. This will be followed by the first networking opportunity for delegates and their guests.
Technical Meetings
The technical program starts on Monday, Aug. 22 and continues daily until Friday, Aug. 26. The first day will be devoted to a meeting for CIGRE members, held between two sessions. The opening panel on Monday will offer a “Global Perspective of Distributed Generation Impact on the Bulk Connected Network.” The afternoon workshops on “Large Disturbances” will focus on system disturbances and market disturbances.
Tutorials
CIGRE 2016 has introduced tutorials designed to complement information prior to the technical meetings, which will be held in the afternoon on Monday, Aug. 22. Prior registration is required for these four tutorials, which are open to all registered delegates.
• Tutorial 1. Overhead Lines: Part 1 — Guide to Overall Line Design (AC and DC); Part 2 — Guide to the conversion of existing AC lines to DC operation
• Tutorial 2. System Technical Performance — Modeling and dynamic performance of renewable energy systems.
• Tutorial 3. HVDC and Power Electronics — High-voltage direct-current transmission
• Tutorial 4. Distribution Systems and Dispersed Generation — Planning and operation of distribution systems with high shares of renewable energy.
The four-track program of technical meetings starts on Tuesday, Aug. 23, and all delegates have the opportunity to select a topic of their choice from the 16 discussion group meetings. These meetings discuss the papers submitted for each of the specialist subjects that are considered by CIGRE’s study committees. From the 640 synopses received by the technical committees from authors around the world, 559 papers have been selected for discussion.
In advance of the technical meetings, the study committee’s special reporter identifies common key issues that authors are invited to address at each technical meeting. This standard form of session management gives delegates the opportunity to contribute and benefit from the knowledge and experience exchanged in the discussion meetings. Following these meetings, the special reporter prepares a summary of the short presentations and discussion, which is available to the delegates on the following day.
Companion and Social Events
The CIGRE organizing committee has arranged an extensive program of activities to suit all tastes for those companions accompanying conference delegates. This year, companions will be able to discover France’s history, timeless treasures and arts by booking the visits planned to the many museums and historic buildings. Opportunities are also available to experience the delights of French cuisine and wine tasting, and to visit beautiful French countryside that surrounds Paris.
Many evening functions will give all attendees the opportunity to relax and enjoy leisure time with fellow professionals in a convivial atmosphere. The French National Committee has arranged a cocktail reception at the “Cité de la Mode et du Design” on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 25 for all delegates and companions.
Technical Exhibition
The Palais des Congrés will also stage the largest-ever CIGRE technical exhibition with more some 250 exhibitors from around the world. The exhibition will remain open to all delegates during conference hours from Monday, Aug. 22 through Friday, Aug. 26. The exhibition hall will include stands from many of the world’s leading manufacturers who select this event to promote new developments and innovative technology designed to meet the current demands of the power generation and transmission utilities. It provides all delegates with the opportunity to experience and discuss the equipment, software and/or services directly linked to applications on extra-high-voltage and high-voltage power-delivery systems with the expert staff in attendance.
The CIGRE exhibition is now an established showcase that serves to strengthen the links between the research associates, manufacturers, end users and decision makers, as every sector of the industry will be represented at the conference. The exhibition will include specialist companies and research institutions that are able to offer the electricity industry much-needed contract services, research and testing facilities. Therefore, every delegate will benefit from their time spent visiting the exhibition.
For full details and how to register for CIGRE 2016, visit www.cigre.org.
For a complete list of exhibitors, visit http://www.cigre-exhibition.com/exhibitors/list-of-exhibitors-2016/
