Keynote Speaker:

Chris Knudsen,
Director, Technology Innovation Center
Information Systems Technology Services, Strategic Planning and Architecture
Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Mr. Knudsen is currently the Director of the Technology Innovation Center at Pacific Gas & Electric Company, where he is responsible for integrating advanced technologies into PG&E's electric grid. In his role at PG&E, he leads and coordinates labs and pilot programs to facilitate development of nascent Smart Grid systems and ensure their seamless integration into PG&E's electric system, transforming it over time into a Smart Grid capable of reliably integrating PG&E's large and growing portfolio of renewable energy resources.

Mr. Knudsen also chairs the Open SmartGrid Technical Committee within UCAIug, a not–for–profit corporation focused on assisting users and vendors in the deployment of standards for real-time applications. As UCAIug chair, he has been highly engaged in the NIST Smart Grid standards process and has successfully led a diverse coalition of industry stakeholders to converge standards around elements of Smart Grid.

Prior to PG&E, Mr. Knudsen held a number of technical leadership positions at Intel, Vulcan Capital, and Metricom's Ricochet. He also founded a start-up company focused on developing an energy efficient home automation system after starting his career designing and developing radio systems for defense electronic applications.

Mr. Knudsen holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Davis and has completed work towards a Master of Technology Management at Santa Clara University.