The Council’s Fall Conference

2023 Fall Conference

Tuesday-Wednesday, November 7-8, 2023
In-person with Online Viewing Option
Scottish Rite Center, Oakland, CA
Agenda and time details coming soon!

Review the 2022 Fall Conference:
Accelerating Toward Climate and Economic Goals

Given the increasingly dire situation brought about by climate change, we need to move faster and smarter to realize the very goals that are aimed at curbing these impacts. Over the course of the day, we will bring together policymakers, regulators, implementers, administrators, evaluators, and advocates from across the energy efficiency, demand response, and DER communities to explore critical topics that are essential for advancing California’s clean energy industry. Through interesting keynote addresses and a number of engaging panel sessions, the Fall Conference will focus on ensuring attendees receive timely information that will help everybody thrive in California’s increasingly challenging energy landscape.

2022 CONFERENCE AGENDA

• Keynote Session – Distributed Resources and Innovative Financing Solutions
  

  Click Here to Watch Video – Passcode: x+#hsy9G

  With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) last year and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Loan Program Office (LPO) now has the tools and the loan authority to facilitate the deployment of innovative technologies. The IRA substantially increased the LPO’s existing lending authorities by more than $100 billion and created a new loan program, the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program (Title 17 section 1706). Hear directly from LPO Director Jigar Shah what this means for the EE, DR, and DER industries in a lively, interactive conversation.

• • Jigar Shah, Director, Dept. of Energy Loan Programs Office (via Zoom)
  • Introduced by: Joe Desmond, Executive Director, CEDMC
•  Opening Plenary – California and Clean Energy Finance
  Building on Director Shah’s remarks, a panel of finance, investment, and policy experts will discuss how existing funding mechanisms, programs, and incentives can be leveraged to support Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs), load-shifting technologies and efficiency measures for the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors..
  • Dan Adler, Deputy Director for Climate Finance, California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development
  • Vice Chair Siva Gunda, California Energy Commission
  • David Nemtzow, Senior Advisor (Virtual Power Plants), Loan Program Office at U.S. Dept. of Energy (via Zoom)
  • Moderator: Joe Desmond, Executive Director, CEDMC
•  Keynote Session
  • Senator Henry Stern, Representing California’s 27th Senate District (via Zoom)
  • Introduced by: Christopher Burmester, Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President, Energy Solutions
• Art Rosenfeld Lifetime Achievement Award Announcement
  • Congratulations Greg Wikler!
• Session 1 – Energy Efficiency, Demand Response, and Distributed Energy Resources: Near-term Challenges and Solutions
  A panel of senior executives with deep domain expertise from the public and private sectors will discuss key issues impacting the future of EE, DR, and DERs. Panelists will share their respective organizations’ goals along with a range of potential solutions and initiatives. Speakers will also comment on how their issues are addressed beyond California’s borders and share lessons learned. This session is an excellent opportunity for attendee questions.
  • Aaron August, Vice President, Utility Partnerships & Innovation, Pacific Gas & Electric
  • Commissioner Andrew McAllister, California Energy Commission
  • Anna McKenna, Vice President of Market Policy and Performance, California Independent System Operator (via Zoom)
  • Brian Parsonnet, Founder, Seeq Corporation
  • Moderator: Carmen Best, Vice President of Policy & Emerging Markets, Recurve
• Session 2 – Equity, Jobs and Decarbonization: How California’s new Climate Legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act impact EE, DR and DER Resources
  This session will explore how EE, DR and DER markets and business models are evolving due to expanded state and federal policies and budgets to address climate change. Hear from an expert from the hill provide a detailed overview of the Inflation Reduction Act and the opportunities it presents for underserved communities to lower costs, create jobs, improve air quality, support grid reliability, increase resiliency, and reduce emissions. A conceptual framework and metrics for how Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCAs) can be combined with Distributional Equity Analysis (DEAs) to address energy equity issues and inform program investment decisions will be presented.
  • Natalie Fortman, Project Manager, E4TheFuture (via Zoom)
  • Kara Saul Rinaldi, CEO, AnnDyl Policy Group (via Zoom)
  • Moderator: Steve Schiller, Schiller Consulting and Founder, California Efficiency + Demand Management Council
• Session 3 – Pathways to Success: What Needs to Happen Next?
  There are high expectations for the role EE, DR, and DERs can play in achieving the state’s decarbonization goals. How fast can we go? What are the true costs and total benefits? What information is available to guide our collective efforts, and what is still needed?  How can we ensure coordination across multiple agencies with all the new legislation, initiatives, programs, pilots, rulemakings, and dockets?  What do legislators, policymakers, and regulators need to hear from those organizations focused on delivering on the state’s climate goals? A broad cross-section of clean energy stakeholders shares their experiences, insight, and suggestions on how to make the most of this unique moment in time.
  • Hannah Bascom, VP, Regulated Business, SPAN
  • Jennifer Berg, Director, Energy Programs, Association of Bay Area Governments
  • Nate Kinsey, Senior Policy Manager, Sealed
  • Dale Roberts, Principal Engineer and Head of Energy Resources, Sonoma County Water Agency
  • JP Ross, Vice President of Local Development, Electrification and Innovation, East Bay Community Energy
  • Moderator: Olivia Patterson, Senior Vice President, Opinion Dynamics
• Closing Remarks
  • Kimberly Rodriguez, Board Chair, CEDMC + Director of Utility Services, Resource Innovations

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