Register Today for Clean Energy Communities / Reliable Systems
Posted on July 16, 2019 by Amelia Lamb
Tags, Conference & Events
Registration is now open for CUB’s ninth annual Energy Policy Conference, Clean Energy Communities / Reliable Systems! Taking place on Friday November 8, 2019 at the Downtown Portland Hilton, this conference is designed to educate energy and utility policy analysts, attorneys, advocates, regulators, utility staff, and others working in and around the energy industry.
What is a utility to do? Disparate stakeholders want today’s utilities to accomplish many things: phase out coal, become 100 percent clean, give customers and communities more choices, make long-term investments, and much more. At the same time, utilities must retain enough capacity to ensure that lights turn on and customers are comfortable on the coldest and warmest days. It is clear that creating clean energy communities in Oregon requires us to resolve conflicting energy policy options.
One factor in meeting this challenge is addressing definitional differences. What do the following terms mean and to whom: Choice? Clean Energy? Community? Resilience? Reliability? Additionally, what is the role of market mechanisms in driving major utility decarbonization investments? What regulatory improvements would facilitate new customer-utility interactions for strategic use of distributed resources and other new technologies? What information technology and broadband policies are needed to ensure that the future energy system works with privacy and security safeguards? And how can we ensure that all Oregonians have the information and resources to affordably and meaningfully participate in Oregon’s future energy system?
The conference’s opening panel, The View From The Top, moderated by CUB Executive Director Bob Jenks, will convene five of Oregon’s utility executives to discuss how their companies are addressing some of these issues: Larry Bekkedahl - Vice President Grid Architecture, Integration & System Operations, Portland General Electric; Stefan Bird - President and CEO, Pacific Power; Kim Heiting - Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Marketing Officer, NW Natural; Elliot Mainzer - Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration; and Dennis Vermillion - President, Avista Corporation.
The day’s agenda will also include a lunchtime keynote address by Megan Decker – Chair, Oregon Public Utility Commission, and six engaging breakout panels, discussing:
- Clean and Renewable: Oregon’s Path to “100%”
- Wholesale Markets: Decarbonization and Reliability
- Accelerating Local Clean Transitions
- Capacity Realities: Avoiding a Regional Resource Shortfall
- Empowering Customers in New Utility Partnerships
- Toward a More Resilient Energy Future
Keep an eye on the CUB Blog in the coming weeks for a series of features on each of these breakout topics and the panelists who will be participating.
CUB plans to apply for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits from the OR and WA State Bars. You can keep up with by-the-minute conference news by joining our email list, and on Twitter using the hashtag #CUBCon19.
We are grateful to our Polar Bear Sponsors for their generous support of this event: NW Natural, Pacific Power, and Portland General Electric, as well as our Media Sponsor: Energy NewsData’s Clearing Up. Sponsor packages are available at a variety of levels; contact Janice Thompson at 503-227-1984 x24 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information on sponsorship opportunities.
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07/19/19 | 0 Comments | Register Today for Clean Energy Communities / Reliable Systems