Deane Lyon brings more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry, including leadership roles with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). His career includes extensive hands-on experience in real-time distribution, transmission, substation, and bulk interconnected system operations, along with significant leadership in operations management, training, and reliability coordination.
During his 20-plus years with PG&E, Deane held multiple operational leadership roles, including management of PG&E’s Oakland switching center, which coordinated all distribution, transmission, and substation maintenance outages as well as system trouble response such as storms, line failures, and equipment events. His later PG&E career and much of his time with CAISO focused on real-time bulk power system operations (60 kV–500 kV) and balancing authority responsibilities. As Shift Supervisor at PG&E’s Energy Control Center, he led teams responsible for near-horizon and real-time grid operations. At CAISO, he served as Shift Manager overseeing real-time operation of the ISO-controlled grid, including PG&E, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Valley Electric Association systems. His control room team was on shift during the historic 1998 transition when CAISO assumed balancing authority responsibility and day-ahead and real-time energy markets went live.
While deeply rooted in real-time grid operations, Deane has also played a significant role in operations support and training. As Director of CAISO’s Operations Support and Training department, he led initiatives supporting grid and market operations personnel and contributed to the development of operational policies designed to ensure reliability, practicality, and sustainability in real-time system management.
Deane has represented industry interests through participation in regional committees and working groups, most recently serving on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council’s Unscheduled Flow Administrative Subcommittee (UFAS). He has been part of the operations team since 2015 and has played an important role in supporting and managing the Southwest Reserve Sharing Program.
Education & Certifications
North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Certified System Operator (Active since 2005)