2020 AGENDA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Conference schedule is in Eastern Time
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11:00 - 11:05 AM
Opening Remarks

Gregory Wetstone, President & CEO, ACORE 

11:05 - 11:35 AM
Keynote Remarks

John Bear, CEO, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)  

12:00 - 1:00 PM
Enabling a Clean Energy Future: Adapting the Grid to High-Penetration Renewables

  • Challenges and opportunities as we move toward achievement of 100% state and potential federal goals
  • Facilitating grid reliability, resilience and flexibility in decision making
  • The impact of increased electrification on renewables and the grid

Speakers

Seth Lucia
Of Counsel,
Morrison Foerster (Moderator) 

Mark Ahlstrom
Vice President, Renewable Energy Policy,
NextEra Energy Resources

Jam Attari
CEO,
BayWa r.e. Solar Projects

Jaya Bajpai
Head of Analytics,
Lockheed Martin 

Debra Lew
Consultant,
Debra Lew LLC 

1:15 - 1:45 PM
Keynote Remarks

Angelina Galiteva, Chair, CAISO Board of Governors

2:00 - 3:00 PM
Keeping the Lights On: Capacity Market Design and the Future of Resource Adequacy

  • Lessons learned from the rolling blackouts in CAISO
  • Flexible capacity products
  • Climate-aware energy markets: RTO-level carbon pricing and other proposals
  • Reforming retail markets to enable long-term contracting

Speakers

Lloyd MacNeil
Partner,
McDermott Will & Emery (Moderator) 

Nora Mead Brownell
Founding Partner,
EPSY Energy Solutions
Former FERC Commissioner and former Chair of PG&E board 

Rob Gramlich
Founder and President,
Grid Strategies 

Casey Roberts
Senior Attorney,
Sierra Club

Abe Silverman
General Counsel,
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities 

3:30 - 4:00 PM
Keynote Remarks

Richard Glick, Commissioner, FERC

4:30 - 5:15 PM
RTO+: Deploying Power Markets to Support Renewables Expansion

  • Expanding RTO/ISOs: The right approach for continued renewable integration?
  • Assessing the Southeast Energy Exchange Market, the Western Energy Imbalance Market and enhanced day-ahead market, and other non-RTO/ISO approaches
  • What can the U.S. learn from the E.U. and other international efforts as it balances an increasingly renewable grid?

Speakers

Heather Curlee
Of Counsel,
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Moderator)

Jamey Goldin
Energy Regulatory Counsel, Global Energy Markets and Policy,
Google 

Joe Hoerner
Senior VP for Regional Grid Solutions,
PacifiCorp

Robert Helton
VP of Government & Regulatory Affairs,
ENGIE

Robert Stoddard
Managing Director,
Berkeley Research Group

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Conference schedule is in Eastern Time
11:00 - 11:30 AM
Keynote Remarks

The Honorable Sean Casten, U.S. Representative, IL-06 

11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Fireside Chat: The Role of Transmission and Grid Upgrades as Part of an Effective Climate Solution

  • Can a Macro Grid enable a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions?
  • How can grid expansion and modernization help achieve our climate imperatives?

Speakers

Gregory Wetstone
President & CEO,
ACORE (Moderator) 

Ana Unruh Cohen
Staff Director,
House Select Committee on Climate Crisis 

John Moore
Director, Sustainable FERC Project,
Climate & Clean Energy Program,
NRDC

12:45 - 1:05 PM
Interview with General Wesley Clark

General Clark, Co-Chair of the National Commission on Grid Resilience, will outline recommendations to help ensure the security and resilience of the U.S. electrical grid.

General Wesley Clark
Chairman and CEO, Wesley K. Clark & Associates
and Co-Chair, National Commission on Grid Resilience

Gregory Wetstone
President & CEO,
ACORE (Moderator) 

1:30 - 2:30 PM
Financing Models for Transmission, Storage and Other Grid Resources

  • Can transmission, storage and other investment tax credits expand private investment or is direct federal spending the answer?
  • Who should foot the bill for transmission, investors via merchant transmission or ratepayers via regulated transmission, independent or utility builders?

Speakers

Martin Toulouse
Partner,
Baker Botts (Moderator) 

Joan Fang
Vice President,
Ares Management

Cary Kottler
Vice President, North American Development,
Pattern Energy

Pat Reiten
SVP, Government Relations,
Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Britta von Oesen
Managing Director,
CohnReznick Capital

2:45 - 3:15 PM
Keynote Remarks

Curtis Wynn, Board President, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association 

3:30 - 4:30 PM
Transmission Expansion: Does It Serve the Public Interest?

  • What are the economic costs and benefits of transmission expansion?
  • What is the role of proactive planning in reducing interconnection queues and aligning renewable deployment with public policy goals?
  • Should FERC introduce a new transmission planning rule?
  • Are grid-enhancing technologies a good solution for alleviating congestion?

Speakers

Amy Farrell
SVP, Government & Public Affairs,
American Wind Energy Association
(Moderator)

Lauren Azar
Principal,
Azar Law LLC and Azar Consulting LLC

Dan Scripps
Chair,
Michigan Public Service Commission 

Michael Skelly
Senior Advisor,
Lazard 

Daniel Olsen
Research Scientist,
Breakthrough Energy

4:30 - 4:35 PM
Closing Remarks

Gregory Wetstone, President & CEO, ACORE