Fall Conference
The Council’s Fall Conference
Building Back to a Clean Energy Future
November 4, 2021
The Council’s 2021 Fall Conference was held on November 4th at the historic Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. We wrapped up a great day on Thursday with a fantastic party across the street at Lake Chalet on the beautiful shores of Lake Merritt.
During the conference, we heard from a number of inspiring clean energy leaders, influencers, and practitioners. We also were honored to give this year’s Arthur Rosenfeld Lifetime Achievement award to Jeanne Clinton. For those of you who couldn’t attend, we simultaneously pulled together a nearly seamless virtual program. A few important themes emerged over the course of the day:
Agenda and Videos:
Note: videos include breaks and some videos overlap, please fast forward if necessary.
Welcome: Greg Wikler
Executive Director, California Efficiency + Demand Management Council
First Keynote Address: Senator Josh Becker
Opening Plenary – Navigating Efficiently Through Turbulent Times: Meet the Influencers
As California faces a multitude of unprecedented challenges brought on by climate change, the purpose and role of efficiency and demand management couldn’t be more apparent. Yet these resources face their own challenges as California’s policy and regulatory leaders look for ways to overcome a myriad of barriers and obstacles. The purpose of this session is to invite senior leaders ranging from regulatory agencies, utilities, academia and NGOs to offer their perspectives on what it will take to rapidly accelerate efficiency, demand management and all other behind-the-meter resources to immediately address our climate change challenges. After introductory remarks, conference attendees will be invited to ask live questions Invite key decision makers to weigh in on audience-generated questions.
Panelists:
Second Keynote Address: Alice Reynolds
Senior Advisor for Energy at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
Third Keynote Address: CPUC Commissioner Darcie Houck
Art Rosenfeld Award
Presented to Jeanne Clinton
Session 1 – California is Moving Ahead with Decarbonization
With all Californians continuing to experience the effects of climate change, there is more resolve than ever to ensure that we have effective and meaningful decarbonization policies available to fight back. Over the past few years, a number of promising decarbonization initiatives have launched and are starting to make a difference. During this session we will take a deep dive into the current state of these efforts, discuss the potential impacts and the challenges that lie ahead. We will hear from leaders who are tasked with implementing various recent legislative efforts (AB 3232, SB 1477, etc.). We will hear from implementers and administrators of initiatives such as BUILD and TECH, Energy Optimization pilot efforts, and other debarb efforts such as renewable natural gas.
Panelists:
Session 2 – Distributed Energy Resources are Making a Difference
Distributed energy resources (DERs) have become an essential part of California’s grid of the future. With significant technological advances in automation and controls combined with new and evolving market programs, more customers are able to deploy these resources and meaningfully contribute to ensuring the stability of our grid. During this session we will explore a host of DER efforts that are taking place right now and are beginning to make a difference.
Panelists:
Session 3 – Aligning Climate Policies with Equity Priorities
As we continue to rebuild our economy in a post-pandemic world, a spotlight has been placed on the extent to which climate policies and actions are fully considering and incorporating concerns related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). For far too long, DE&I considerations haven’t been given the highest priority when it comes to addressing climate change. But there are signs that things are changing as we relentlessly tackle the effects of climate change. More attention is being paid to building a clean energy economy with a sharper focus on DE&I. The purpose of this session is to learn about a number of efforts that are underway to align climate policies with equity priorities.
Panelists:
Closing Remarks: Gene Rodrigues
ICF and Board Chair, California Efficiency + Demand Management Council
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:
All in-person attendees are required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend the Council’s Member Forum. Masks will also be required for all attendees while inside the Scottish Rite Center. If you are unvaccinated, you may only attend remotely using the online platform. The Council follows all requirements set forth by the Alameda County health authorities, as specified here. If there is a mandated shutdown, we will switch to a fully virtual event. We appreciate your understanding.