DISTRIBUTECH International 2020

John Zachary Gibson
Chief R&D Engineer
Avista


Mr. Gibson is the Chief R&D Engineer for Avista Utilities and leads the Distribution Services group responsible for the development of grid product and services for Avista’s customers. Mr. Gibson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical (BSEE) and civil engineering (BSCE) from Gonzaga University and a Masters in Engineering Management from Washington State University. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Washington and has worked in the electric utility industry for over twenty five years. Mr. Gibson’s experience in the electric utility industry consist of hydroelectric safety, GIS facility management, distribution planning and operations. More recently, Mr. Gibson led a team to deploy Avista’s first Distribution Mangement System (DMS) where seventy nine distribution feeders embedded with intelligent devices to automate Fault Detection Isolation and Restoration (FDIR) as well as Integrated Volt Var Control (IVVC). Built upon this platform, Mr. Gibson led or sponsored grid storage and microgrid projects to provide added value grid products for Avista’s customers. Mr. Gibson’s, most recent effort is the development of an eco-district to support the “five smartest blocks” in Spokane’s University District south landing. The eco-district is reinventing the utility business model to support net zero and carbon free developments to be grid optimal. Mr. Gibson Distribution Services team is currently developing and deploying Avista’s first integrated and testing facility to certify inverter and IoT technologies to ensure they can be safely deployed on the grid.

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