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Western Load Research Association
Spring 2014 Meeting & Conference
April 9-11, 2014
San Francisco, California

Conference Announcement and Call for Papers

Our friends at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) are proud to host the Spring 2014 Western Load Research Association (WLRA) meeting and conference in San Francisco, California, April 9-11, 2014.

Location:
The spring 2014 WLRA meeting and conference will be at the Monaco San Francisco:

Monaco San Francisco
501 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-292-8173

Conference Registration:
Please register by March 10, 2014. Conference registration is $525. Conference registration and payment can be completed online at http://loadresearch.com/event/wlra-spring-2014-meeting-and-conference/, or by downloading and sending the registration form and check (payable to Pacific Gas & Electric Co.) to:

Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Attn: Elizabeth Dancel
PO Box 770000
Mail Code N4Q
San Francisco, CA 94117

Hotel Reservations:
You must make your hotel reservations by March 10, 2014 to guarantee room availability and to secure the conference rate of $229 for a Standard Room (plus taxes) per night. Reservations can be made by online or telephone:

  • Online Booking Instructions:
    Book online directly by clicking here. Or, follow the process below.

  • Visit our website at www.kimptonhotels.com and select the city and hotel or visit Hotel Monaco’s website directly at www.monaco-sf.com
    Click on Reservations
    Select the arrival and departure dates, number of adults and number of rooms
    Enter 11050602631 in the Meeting/Group Code field
    Click “Search”
    The hotel will display a list of available rates on that date. If the group rate is available on the date you have requested, those rates will be displayed at the top of the list. If they are not available, please select from the rates offered or check availability on another date.


  • You may also contact Reservations at 1.866.622.5284 and request the Western Load Research Association Spring 2014 Meeting Rate during your stay dates.

Transportation:
The distance from San Francisco International Airport to the Monaco San Francisco is 15 miles.

The hotel is accessible using BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit light rail system. The trip via BART, including the 10 walk from the BART stop to the hotel, will take about 50 minutes and costs $8.25 each way. A taxi is from the airport about $40 each way and rental car rates vary by company. The Monaco San Francisco’s Map/Directions web page has additional directions, as well as a link to shuttle services.

The conference hotel does not offer complimentary shuttles to or from San Francisco International Airport. If you arrive at the conference by car, note that valet parking at the hotel $52/night plus tax.

Special Evening Event – TBD
Stay tuned. More coming soon!

Call for Papers:
Presentations at the conference will continue to demonstrate that load research and load forecasting are great tools for dealing with the newer challenges of the modern electric utility industry. This includes smart grid implementations, demand response, renewable energy, dynamic pricing programs, time-of-use rates as well as traditional regulatory needs. Papers and discussions can focus on innovative new technologies and methodologies or the traditional principles of statistical analysis.

WLRA will accept papers on any subject related to load research or load forecasting, including but not limited to, least-cost sampling, end-use research, integrated resource planning, program evaluation, load profiling, innovative rate design, energy efficiency measures and peak-demand forecasts.

WLRA is continuing to expand utility involvement, and special priority consideration will be given to utilities wishing to make presentations. The continued success of the WLRA Conference depends on participation from utility members. It is for this reason that utility presentations are particularly encouraged, but utility-vendor partnership presentations are also welcomed, and vendor presentations will be considered.

Presentations need not be extravagant and a presentation can be as short as fifteen (15) minutes

If you would like to make a presentation, please fill out the attached "Call for Papers" form and email to Greg Mandelman (GBM7@pge.com), WLRA Co-Chair. Please submit your paper by March 31, 2014.

Expanded Roundtable Discussions
The Spring Conference will continue to feature roundtable discussions. If there are topics you would like to discuss during the roundtables, please make sure to note them on your Conference Registration Form or contact Greg Mandelman directly (see contact details below).

Vendor Reception
As with previous WLRA conference, the San Francisco conference will have a vendor reception hosted by one of the industry’s premier vendors. The reception will be held in the evening on Wednesday, April 9th. As always, this is a great opportunity for attendees to catch up with colleagues from across the west, network with new providers and experts and enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

For more information, please contact
Conference Host:
Elizabeth Dancel
(415) 973-3442
EED3@pge.com

WLRA Co-Chairs:
Philip McAvoy
(916) 774-5689
pmcavoy@roseville.ca.us

Greg Mandelman
415-973-4778
gbm7@pge.com