The rapidly evolving energy landscape presents significant challenges in cultivating a skilled and future-oriented workforce.

Christian Lopez, Director- Engineering, AES, will discuss this challenge from the utility perspective at DTECH (formerly known as DISTRIBUTECH) convening from March 24-27, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.

Lopez will participate in the session, Utility workforce development challenges and solutions, taking place March 26 from 1:00 PM-1:50 PM.

This panel discussion brings together distinguished experts from academia, power utilities, and corporate engineering and consulting firms to share their unique insights, perspectives, and strategies for addressing workforce development and training obstacles.

This panel will explore how these sectors can collaborate, share best practices, and foster a synergistic approach to holistically tackle workforce challenges. Through interactive discussions, attendees will gain valuable perspectives on building a resilient, future-proof workforce capable of driving innovation and sustainable growth within the power industry.

Key Takeaways:

In this session, Lopez will be joined by:

Lopez is an engineering leader with over 15 years of experience in delivering 15GW+ of power systems, including High Voltage and SCADA systems for renewables like solar, battery storage, and wind. He specializes in building high-performing engineering teams and managing projects from conceptual design through commissioning.

Lopez holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from John Brown University, an M.S. in Renewable Energy Sciences from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering & Power Systems from Kansas State University.

Currently, he is the Senior Director of Engineering for Performance, Commissioning, and SCADA Controls at the AES Corporation, where he has developed a strong engineering program for grid integration of renewables.

Attending DTECH this year? Don’t miss these other great sessions!

This list will be updated as more sessions are previewed.