SpaceX Update

Kathryn Lueders

SpaceX Starbase
General Manager

Biography

Kathryn Lueders serves as the General Manager at Starbase, the operational center for SpaceX’s Starship. She retired from NASA on April 30, 2023, where she held the position of Associate Administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing the International Space Station (ISS) Program, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development, NASA’s communication and navigation services, launch activities, and crew operations related to human spaceflight.

Prior to this, Ms. Lueders made history as the first female Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, where she managed the agency’s comprehensive portfolio for human spaceflight initiatives. She also successfully managed the Commercial Crew Program returning NASA crew transportation to and from U.S. soil, and served as the first ISS Transportation Integration Manager, where she oversaw the coordination of international spacecraft to the ISS and led the inaugural commercial cargo missions.

Ms. Lueders began her distinguished career at NASA in 1992 at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico establishing the repair depot for Shuttle OMS/RCS hardware. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of New Mexico and both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University. Kathryn is married and feels her proudest accomplishment is her four children.

Money as a Machine: Electrifying Tomorrow’s Grid with Bitcoin

Nikola Pavlovic

Technical Support Manager

Ontario Power Generation (OPG)

Biography:

Nikola is a seasoned electrical engineer with over 12 years of experience in high-voltage power systems, renewable energy integration, and cutting-edge blockchain applications.

As a Professional Engineer, Nikola has spearheaded projects in hydroelectric power generation, dielectrics R&D, and previously ran his own consulting firm focused on delivering tailored engineering solutions.

Currently serving as a Technical Support Manager at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Nikola is at the forefront of transforming energy ecosystems to align with OPG’s mission.

Presentation Description:

As the global energy landscape evolves, power grids face mounting challenges, including curtailment of renewable energy, increasing peak demand, and the growing energy requirements of AI and cloud computing.

In this keynote presentation, Nikola introduces the “Bitcoin Grid,” a revolutionary concept that integrates Bitcoin mining with renewable energy sources to monetize surplus electricity and future-proof power systems. This presentation will explore the technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of the Bitcoin Grid, including its potential to stabilize grids, reduce peaker plant dependency, and position power generators as leaders in the digital economy.

Using case studies and financial modeling, Nikola will demonstrate how this innovative synergy can unlock new revenue streams while supporting global sustainability goals. Attendees will leave with actionable insights into harnessing Bitcoin mining as a strategic tool for energy resilience and modernization.

Is Renewable Energy Running Out of Wind?

Kevin Alewine

Director of Technical Sales

Shermco

Biography:

Kevin Alewine is Shermco’s director of technical sales focusing on renewable energy. Kevin has been involved directly and peripherally with the electrical power industry for many years and has published multiple articles, technical papers and presentations related to renewable operations and maintenance. He was previously a vice-president and senior applications specialist for a leading manufacturer of electrical insulation and conductors and was responsible for the marketing and application engineering of American manufactured products worldwide. He assisted global clients in optimizing the cost/performance value of their motor and generator designs with the development of electrical insulation materials, systems and manufacturing processes.  Kevin is a senior member of the IEEE and is serving on the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society AdCom. He was the general chair for the international 2019 IEEE Electrical Insulation Conference. Kevin is also a past chair of the American Clean Power O&M Working Group focused on improving the reliability and profitability of renewable projects and was the editor of the ACP Operations and Maintenance Recommended Practices for Wind projects. Additionally, he was the technical program chair for the AWEA Windpower 2014 conference. He currently serves on the ACP EHS Steering Committee and several related working groups concerning both safety and operational excellence. He was one of the authors of the CanREA Electrical Safety Guide and the ACP guide for developing Qualified Electrical Worker programs.

Presentation Description:

Renewable energy generation has been a part of the North America grid for over 30 years, not considering that hydrogeneration has been around since the beginning of electrification. Due to the rapid growth of utility scale wind and solar since 2005 and the new advent of battery electrical storage systems (BESS) ,many design, operational and commercial challenges have been faced and resolved, but there are always new opportunities for reliability improvement and to reduce the cost of a reliable energy supply. With an awareness of the explosive growth of AI data centers, bitcoin mining operations and other energy hungry data management facilities, this presentation will review the current state of the renewable industry in North America including historical and ongoing technical challenges and how the coming nuclear revival might alter the direction of electrical generation over the next decade.

Harnessing AI for Electrical Insulation and Grid Resiliency: Diagnostics, Monitoring, and Emerging Methods

Elvis Jorge

Innovation Department

Ampacimon

Biography:

Elvis received the B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, B.Sc in Computer Engineering and the M.Sc. degree in Big Data from University of Huelva. He has also served as a Lead Machine Learning Engineer at Enel on applied AI for demand response systems and Lead Data Scientist in the Innovation department of Ampacimon, where his work focuses on partial discharge detection, dynamic line rating, and advanced analytics for medium- and high-voltage systems. His research aims to integrate artificial intelligence within energy-sector applications—to enhance reliability, performance, and sustainability in electrical insulation and power grid operations.

Presentation Description:

Discover how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the landscape of electrical insulation diagnostics and broader power-system operations. While emphasizing partial discharge detection and condition monitoring as key examples, we will also discuss emerging AI-driven methods that hold promise for grid resiliency, asset management, and proactive fault prevention. Whether you’re a reliability engineer, maintenance manager, or involved in power-sector research, this talk will offer a forward-looking perspective on the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into modern energy infrastructure.