Join Virtual Peaker At These 2026 Utility Energy Conferences

It’s that time of year again, where we celebrate the dawn of a new year by looking forward to our utility energy conferences to come. The electric utility industry saw many challenges in 2025, with exponential load growth driven by AI and data center developments, supply chain and tariff issues, and increasing volatile weather and extreme temperature events.

At Virtual Peaker, we know that the only way out is through, which is why we’re continuing to develop the next generation of virtual power plants (VPPs), as well as enhanced demand flexibility initiatives like demand response and EV charging to help meet demand by shifting load to off-peak periods of usage, which lowers peak energy market costs and enhances grid resiliency. That’s why we’re traveling the nation this year to meet with partners old and new and help connect utilities with the demand flexibility solutions they need to meet increased demand.

 

Quick Reference Guide

• CEO Close-Up
• PLMA/SECC Symposium
• DistribuTech 2026
• Intersolar & Energy Storage North America 2026
• 2026 TechAdvantage
• 2026 PLMA Spring Conference
• AESP Flex Connect
• Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange (RMUE)
• E Source Forum 2026
• 2026 Smart Energy Exchange
• 2026 PLMA Fall Conference

 

CEO Close-Up

Our first event of 2026 is, again, the NRECA CEO Close-Up event, hosted this year in Palm Desert, CA from January 11-13. The CEO Close-Up is an opportunity for CEOs, general managers, and industry partners to exchange ideas and best practices for affordably improving energy security, and enhancing grid resiliency. We’re on hand to discuss our cooperative solutions like demand response, to conserve energy during periods of peak demand, no matter what time of the year it is.

 

PLMA/SECC Symposium

You can find us February 2, 2026 in San Diego, CA for the PLMA | SECC Symposium on DERs and Customer Engagement. This utility energy conference serves as the kick-off companion to DistribuTech 2026, and presents an opportunity to discuss the potential of distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicles, EVSE chargers, and smart home devices like thermostats and water heaters to leverage for demand flexibility programs. The event is 9 am to 5 pm, PST and hosted at the San Diego Convention Center. See you there!

 

DistribuTech 2026

You can find us again this year in sunny San Diego, CA at one of the biggest utility energy conferences, DistribuTech 2026! Each year, Distributech presents an extraordinary opportunity for electric utilities and industry professionals to meet and discuss smart cities, transportation electrification, the benefits of distributed energy resources (DERs) and demand flexibility initiatives, and so much more. Join us February 2-5, 2026 at the San Diego Convention Center in booth #437!

 

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America

You can find us February 18-20 at the Intersolar & Energy Storage North America conference in San Diego, CA. We’re on hand to discuss the next-generation of virtual power plant (VPP) as a valuable solution to mitigating high operating and energy market costs, while increasing grid resiliency. You can catch our Senior Sales Executive, Whitley McGovern, on Wednesday, February 18 from 1:15-2:15 pm for the panel “The Next Phase of Grid Flexibility in a High-Penetration Renewables Era.” See you again in San Diego this February!

 

2026 TechAdvantage

We’re in Music City this March 9-11, 2026 for 2026 TechAdvantage! Join us in Nashville, TN for TechAdvantage, a utility energy conference that explores cooperative engineering, operations, information technology, and more. Want non-wires alternatives ideas for your electric cooperative that can help you save on operational costs and member rates? Join us in booth #400 to discuss the value of meeting rising electric demand through virtual power plants and more.

 

2026 PLMA Spring Conference

Late Spring, we’re headed to Hoosier land in beautiful Indianapolis, Indiana for the 2026 PLMA Spring Conference. Join us from May 11-13, 2026 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis to discuss the value of load flexibility in meeting the rapidly rising demand caused by data center load growth, electrification, and more!

 

AESP Flex Connect

The AESP Flex Connect conference is designed to not just imagine an interconnected future that leverages things like proliferating BTM DER technologies to shift load to off-peak periods of usage, it helps you learn how to realize those dreams. You can join our very own SVP of Strategy & Growth, Jeff Quigley during the event, speaking on the “Problem Solvers: From Pilots to Programs: Scaling Demand Flexibility in the Age of Load Growth” panel, happening from 12:15 – 1 pm in Symphonie 2A on Wednesday, September 2. Join us this September 1-3, 2026 in Montreal, Canada!

 

Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange (RMUE)

This September 21-24, we’re heading to Vail, CO for the Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange (RMUE)! The RMUE is an annual conference focused on helping utilities and energy professionals evaluate and realize customer-centric demand flexibility programs to help mitigate growing load demand. Join our VP of Client Success, Kirsten Millar, at the Grand Hyatt Vail, where she is co-leading the “DERs Driving Affordability: How ED3 Leverages Grid-Edge Orchestration for Rural Resiliency.”

 

E Source Forum 2026

This Fall, you can find us in the Mile High City for the E Source Forum 2026. The annual E Source Forum is another incredible utility energy conference designed to connect utility industry professionals to discuss everything from energy-efficient technologies to the customer engagement strategies necessary to scale demand flexibility programs. Join us at the Sheraton Denver Downtown hotel in Denver, CO from September 29-October 1, 2026 to learn more about the next-generation of virtual power plants.

 

2026 Smart Energy Exchange

This November 2-4, you can find us at the Smart Energy Exchange in the Mile High City, Denver CO. The Smart Energy Exchange is an opportunity for Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) members to meet to discuss opportunities to enhance affordability, reliability, and sustainability issues for electric utilities. We’re on hand to meet with clients now and to come to help them foster in a flexible load future through demand flexibility initiatives.

 

2026 PLMA Fall Conference

Join us this autumn for the 2026 PLMA Fall Conference held at the Westin Seattle, in Seattle WA from November 9-11. Like the PLMA Spring Conference, this event continues on the themes of leveraging flexible load management & DERs to provide equitable and affordable service for customers. Find us on the conference floor, on hand to discuss the power of virtual power plants and other demand flexibility programs in minimizing operational and customer costs, deferring high infrastructure costs, and enhancing grid resiliency.

 

Join Virtual Peaker At These 2026 Utility Energy Conferences Conclusion

With so many challenges within the utility industry, developing strategies to persevere the energy transition has never been more crucial. Fortunately, these utility energy conferences provide multiple opportunities for cross-collaboration on emerging technologies and strategies, including demand flexibility, demand forecasting, energy arbitrage, and so much more. Did you miss your favorite event in our list? Stay tuned throughout the year for more, as this list can and will be updated to reflect our appearances at upcoming utility energy conferences. We hope to see you in person soon.