Agenda

All times are shown in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Monday, July 26
  • Monday, July 26
  • Tuesday, July 27
  • Wednesday, July 28
  • 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
    Utility Success is Planned. Carbon Reduction is No Different
    Utilities with strong carbon reduction commitments report the most progress toward eliminating emissions associated with their total retail energy supply. These utilities are revising commitments, increasing transparency, and setting interim, science-based targets as they accelerate timelines. This session explores the replicability of these efforts for other utilities and how stakeholders, technology companies, and regulators can get engaged and amplify this progress.
    • Debra Smith
      General Manager and CEO
      Seattle City Light
      Speaker
    • Julia Hamm
      President and CEO
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
    • Ralph Cavanagh
      Energy Co-Director, Climate and Clean Energy Program
      NRDC
      Speaker
  • 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
    Programs with Intention: Prioritizing LMI Customer Needs and Goals
    When it comes to utility planning, what’s reliable and affordable for some customers isn’t for others. Our regulatory systems lack incentives around proactively seeking out the input of under-represented customers who are most likely to be negatively affected by rate increases or infrastructure siting. This session investigates how to address these issues now and speed up efforts toward carbon reduction goals.
    • Christina Nichols
      Senior Program Director
      Groundswell
      Moderator
    • Emeka Anyanwu
      Energy Innovation & Resources Officer
      Seattle City Light
      Speaker
    • Indran Ratnathicam
      Chief Marketing Officer
      Uplight
      Speaker
    • Victoria Hackett
      Deputy Commissioner for Energy
      CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP)
      Speaker
  • 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
    Meeting Tomorrow’s Transportation Demands Through Fleet Electrification
    High-profile, last-mile delivery customers, smaller companies, and utilities are tackling the unavoidable rise and challenges of fleet electrification. This panel will discuss the current state of fleet electrification as well as future grid benefits such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
    • Frank Barton Sidles
      EV Fleet Business Development Manager
      bp - Future Mobility & Solutions
      Speaker
    • Molly Elizabeth Middaugh
      Director, Business Development
      EVgo
      Moderator
    • Natasha Contreras
      EV Customer Program Manager
      SDG&E
      Speaker
    • Andrew Price
      Business Development Manager
      Clean Power Research
      Speaker
  • 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
    Beyond Consulting: Accelerating Innovation through External Partnerships
    Utilities, including those in SEPA’s Utility Transformation Leaderboard, are turning to incubators, academia and ahead-of-the-curve startups to accelerate innovation. This session investigates how utilities, and the technology companies that support them, develop and use these external resources to think, plan, and execute effective solutions to complicated challenges of carbon reduction.
    • Adam Sledd
      Director
      Dominion Energy Innovation Center
      Speaker
    • Apoorv Bhargava
      CEO
      WeaveGrid
      Speaker
    • Arlen Orchard
      Strategic Advisor
      EnerTech Capital
      Speaker
    • Sharon Allan
      Chief Strategy Officer
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
  • 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
    Testing the Microgrid Waters: A Case Study from Annapolis, Maryland

    How can utilities, the customers they serve, and the jurisdictions that regulate them collaborate in the planning phase to ensure maximum value from microgrid projects? This session investigates how Baltimore Gas and Electric partnered with the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis to develop and execute a microgrid pilot that advanced carbon reduction progress, stakeholder engagement, municipal concerns, and grid management issues.

    • Jared Leader
      Senior Manager, Research and Industry Strategy
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
    • Jennifer Adams
      Development Director
      Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis
      Speaker
    • Justin Felt
      Manager of Strategic Planning
      Baltimore Gas & Electric
      Speaker
  • 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
    Front-Loading Stakeholder Engagement To Accelerate Carbon Reduction
    Utilities are increasingly proactive with stakeholders, addressing complicated challenges that affect large swaths of customers; traditionally addressed through regulatory proceedings, find out how stakeholder engagement can advance innovative initiatives and programs rather than just being a step in the process.
    • Brenda Chew
      Director, Research
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
    • Marc Campbell
      Manager, Sustainability Policy and Programs
      SRP
      Speaker
  • 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
    A New Dawn for Electricity Regulation: A PBR Framework from the Aloha State
    In December 2020, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a Performanced-Based Regulation (PBR) Framework that transitions away from cost-of-service regulation to a system rewarding the utility for exemplary performance. The Framework controls costs, improves efficiency, reduces customer rates, drives renewable energy integration, and accelerates achievement of the state’s clean energy goals. This session unpacks key components of the order, the decision-making process that drove its development, and how the Framework will impact different segments of Hawaii’s energy economy.
    • James Griffin
      Chair
      Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
      Speaker
    • Janet Gail Besser
      Vice President
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
  • 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
    Crowdsourcing Carbon Reduction with Demand Flexibility
    Changes to existing processes, programs and structures that promote flexibility are necessary for a comprehensive transformation to a modern grid. This session discusses the role that grid interactive efficient buildings, integrated distributed energy resource programs, and other demand flexibility resources play in reaching a carbon-free future.
    • Kate Strickland
      Manager, Industry Strategy
      Smart Electric Power Alliance
      Moderator
    • Lisa Reed
      Energy Programs Manager
      Holy Cross Energy
      Speaker
    • Tyler Rogers
      Senior Director of Utility Sales
      EnergyHub
      Speaker
    • Natalie M Frick
      Energy Efficiency Program Manager
      LBNL
      Speaker