Arizona Public Service (APS) will serve as the host utility for the 2027 Microgrid Knowledge Conference, scheduled for May 5–7 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Conference Center in Glendale, Arizona.

Chris Lynn, advisor of data center strategy for APS Customer to Grid Solutions, will serve as chair of the conference's 2027 Advisory Board, helping shape the program and bring utility perspectives to discussions on microgrid development, deployment and operations.

APS has identified microgrids as a potential resource for supporting both customer needs and electric grid reliability as Arizona's electricity demand grows. The utility's 2023 Integrated Resource Plan identified approximately 600 MW of dispatchable microgrid capacity in its service territory by 2031. APS has said it intends to partner with customers on microgrid projects where cost-effective.

In September 2024, APS issued a microgrid request for proposals to identify developers and technologies capable of supporting customer-sited projects. The utility's proposed approach calls for projects to be located at customer sites rather than owned by APS, with potential arrangements involving capacity purchase agreements with project owners.

APS also has explored microgrids as a resilience measure for communities vulnerable to wildfires. A U.S. Department of Energy-supported grid modernization initiative includes plans to build microgrids in two high-fire-risk Arizona communities, providing local backup power during outages caused by wildfires and other extreme weather.

The 2027 conference will bring together utilities, microgrid developers, technology providers, energy users and other industry stakeholders to examine project development, financing, technologies and emerging applications.

This year's program will address six focus areas: power for data centers and large-load growth; permitting, environmental and community acceptance; generation, storage and fuel strategies; project development, operations and utility integration; systems engineering, controls and interconnection; and resilience and mission-critical infrastructure.

The 2027 event will also co-locate with the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit for the first time. The conferences will share an exhibit floor and select educational sessions, connecting data center developers and operators with utilities and companies working on behind-the-meter generation, storage and microgrid solutions.

Registration is available through the Microgrid Knowledge Conference website.