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This month we are joined by John Dirkman, Vice President Product Management, Resource Innovations (RI) who will present on the software projects that RI is conducting internationally to empower electric utility companies to make the transition to Net Zero.

John will provide an overview of Resource Innovations, detailing a number of active projects taking place across UK Power Networks, EirGrid, National Grid, as well as other utility companies. He will also expand on RI’s work on U.S. Department of Energy ‘s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) grant research projects conducted in collaboration with various universities and utility companies. The presentation will be followed by a group discussion on opportunities for international collaboration regarding the most critical challenges facing utilities today, particularly around Net Zero. The discussion will highlight the interconnection of distributed energy resources (DER), mitigating the impacts of DER, the importance of data quality and observability in distribution and transmission networks, among other topics.

John Dirkman

Speaker bio

John Dirkman has over 25 years of experience as a Product and Program Manager, building and implementing world-class products and managing programs valued at over $250M. He currently manages programs for advanced integrated on-prem and cloud-based/SAAS Smart Grid and cybersecurity systems for Resource Innovations, where he takes software from concept to design implementation and maintenance. He has been with Resource Innovations since 2015 and was previously with Schneider Electric for 13 years and James W Sewall Company for 3 years before that. Dirkman also served in the US Army Corps of Engineers for 8 years. He is a registered Professional Engineer, a Senior Member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, and an inventor and entrepreneur. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University and have given over 75 webinars and presentations at utility conferences.

This is an in-person event with tea/coffee and cake served prior to the beginning of the seminar.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact the Net Zero Centre team at netzero@kcl.ac.uk.

Net Zero Interdisciplinary Seminar Series

The Net Zero Interdisciplinary Seminar Series is the flagship seminar series for King’s College London’s Net Zero Centre, providing a platform for cross-pollination between academia, industry and government to develop novel research projects to achieve Net Zero.

Every month, we host a speaker to discuss a new research idea and seek contributions from audience members on a proposed challenge. A half-hour talk is followed by a discussion, and we encourage speakers to engage with colleagues on research related to our four priority areas, decarbonisation, sustainable manufacturing, equitable resource allocation and resilient infrastructure.

About us

The Net Zero Centre at King's is dedicated to addressing the challenges of decarbonising our society and reducing the environmental impact of our manufacturing, infrastructure, and cities. It serves as hub for scientific, technological and engineering research geared towards this challenge.

Based in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences (NMES), the Centre works across the boundaries of disciplines at King’s from geography and business to law and social science to deliver solutions for sustainable development. The Centre fosters the next generation of King’s change-makers by educating scientists and engineers on the holistic context of these challenges and developing technologically aware social scientists, lawyers, and policy makers.

Photography and videography

There might be photography and videography on the day. If you do not wish to appear in any photographs or videos, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email netzero@kcl.ac.uk before the event. Photographs and videos taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available on request or at www.kcl.ac.uk/terms/privacy.

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Event details

K3.11 (Level 3)
King's Building
Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS