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Will Power Empower the Electronics Industry?
22-26 October 2017
 ne of the key aspects of INTELEC® 2017 is that it will be held a tantalizing block away from the sun, surf and sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean at the magnificent Gold Coast Conference and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia.
Most readers of this Newsletter will know and recognize INTELEC as the long-standing, respected annual IEEE conference exploring the science and engineering of energy systems for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure. What some may not know is that this will be only the second time in the 39-year history of this global conference that the event has been held in the Southern Hemisphere. As you can appreciate, there is a local and regional industry buzz about this rare opportunity in having INTELEC 'down-under'.
 The theme for INTELEC® 2017 is 'Driving Innovation in ICT Energy Infrastructure'. In a global sense, it is an exciting time in the ICT energy systems space. Digital convergence continues to drive increasing demands on ICT energy infrastructure in terms of consumption and resilience, and there is great opportunity in leveraging established know-how and practicalities with new and emerging technologies.
The innovation theme for INTELEC® 2017 also has been applied directly to the conference itself, and those attending will see some departures from the traditional INTELEC line-up. The deadline for this providing this article has just preceded the finalization of the conference program, and at the time of writing, full details of the program cannot be revealed. Keep a watch at www.intelec.org/program.php for updates and announcements.
Conference Program
The conference consists of the traditional technical program and parallel industry exposition. Content for the technical program has been selected by a blind-peer process, and approximately 130 technical papers and posters, and four Special Seminars will be presented throughout parallel sessions during the conference. The program kicks off on the Monday morning with keynote addresses from operators giving their view of future trends and expectations in the energy infrastructure space. Each day, a topic-specific plenary session precedes the parallel technical sessions across the six general topic domains – ICT infrastructure, energy efficiency and thermal management, batteries and energy storage, power electronics, power system architectures, and renewable and alternative energy sources.
One of the innovations this year is the introduction of specific 'end-to-end thread' streams, which start with plenary session content, go through grouped papers sessions, and end with a facilitated, interactive forum. Three such streams - one on advanced batteries, one on thermal management of plant, and the other on remote-line powering – are interspersed throughout the technical program schedule. To accommodate the increased program, the conference will close on around 4pm on the Thursday afternoon, rather than at lunchtime.
Educational tutorials will be held on the Sunday preceding the start of the conference. To cater for the wide range of subject matter within the INTELEC scope, four very different tutorials are offered covering the topics - 5G & energy harvesting, solar & hybrid system design, designing power electronics for batteries, and cooling and energy management of base transceiver stations. Registrants for the tutorials can obtain continuing education credits.
Industry Exposition
There has also been some innovation of the Exhibition side of the conference. INTELEC's success has always been due to the unique mix of academia & researchers, industry product developers and vendors, end-users and infrastructure operators. The exhibition space is the mixing pot for productive networking and the exchange of ideas. For INTELEC® 2017, there is increased focus on the exhibition and exhibitors. To maximize focus and impact, the Exhibition will be first seen and opened in a separate and specific lunchtime opening on Monday, after the conference opening and keynote addresses. This means the traditional Sunday evening Welcome Reception will be held elsewhere (another surprise). In addition, as part of the parallel technical program, the Commercial Product Exposure stream, which allows exhibitors and product developers to give formal technical presentations to conference delegates, will be held in the exhibition area to attract interest from the floor. Exhibitors will also have access to a purpose specific video presentation room to host small customer groups. The Exhibition will stay open and host the close of the conference on Thursday afternoon.
 Conference Experience
The Gold Coast is an icon visitor destination in an icon destination country. Delegates at INTELEC® 2017 will have the chance to be up close with kangaroos, koalas and wombats, as well as participate in other memorable social events. INTELEC® 2017 will therefore be a different, if not unique, conference experience. The exchange rate is very favorable, so be sure you get to INTELEC® 2017!
Provided by John M Hawkins, Convener, INTELEC 2017
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