Agenda

The energy landscape in America is rapidly changing, with generation and transmission decisions being made today that will have far reaching impacts on the price of electricity in the coming decades. This moderated discussion will examine how states and regions are negotiating policy decisions related to clean energy, and measures Alaska’s leaders should take to ensure a secure energy future for the state.

Moderator

Elizabeth Arnold, Former NPR National Political Correspondent & Assistant Professor of Journalism, UAA

Panelists

• Amanda Ormond, Managing Director, Western Grid Group, Tempe, AZ
• Gene Therriault, Deputy Director Statewide Energy Policy Development, Alaska Energy Authority, Fairbanks, AK
• Alice Madden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Intergovernmental & External Affairs, US Department of Energy, Washington DC

The climate in the Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on Earth. As polar ice melts a host of countries are jockeying for position to harvest the region’s vast fossil fuel energy resources and utilize new sea routes to transport goods across the planet. As the only Arctic state in America, Alaska is at the center of these changes. This moderated panel will discuss clean energy opportunities that may present themselves to Alaska as development in the Arctic moves forward.

Moderator

Elizabeth Arnold, Former NPR National Political Correspondent & Assistant Professor of Journalism, UAA

Panelists

• Christopher Henderson, President, Lomos Energy, Author, Aboriginal Power, Ottowa, ON
• Brian Hirsch, Senior Project Leader – Alaska, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Anchorage, Alaska
• Denise MIchels, Mayor, City of Nome, Nome, Alaska

Denis Hayes is CEO of the Bullitt Center, a 50,000 square foot commercial building in Seattle that expects to be net-zero-positive energy and water. Formerly the director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, adjunct professor of engineering at Stanford, regents professor of human ecology at UC Santa Cruz, and Silicon Valley attorney, Hayes also chairs the international Earth Day Network – now active in 180 nations. He and his wife are jointly authoring a new book for W.W. Norton titled COWED.

Learn what’s going on right here in our state. These breakout sessions are an opportunity to learn about clean energy projects and programs across Alaska.

• Breakout #1 – Biomass Heating Across Alaska
• Breakout #2 – Tidal, Wave & River Hydrokinetics
• Breakout #3 – Building an Energy Education Network in Alaska

Energy efficiency has become big business, with a host of Silicon Valley start ups beginning to invest in this smart technology. It’s no wonder. Saving energy is always less expensive than generating it in the first place. This moderated panel will feature industry and NGO experts discussing the latest trends, and opportunities for Alaska.

Moderator

Elizabeth Arnold, Former NPR National Political Correspondent & Assistant Professor of Journalism, UAA

Panelists

• Denis Hayes, CEO, The Bullitt Center, Seattle, WA
• Dave Fergus, Senior Principal, Rice Fergus Miller Architecture & Planning, Bremerton, WA
• John Hickey, PE, LEED AP, CEM, Jacobs Engineering, Bainbridge Island, WA

Join us for some light hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and Alaska’s first Clean Energy Awards to honor leaders from across the state who are working to promote this emerging industry.

A number of new investment vehicles are being used to finance renewable energy generation around the world. This moderated panel will examine the innovative ways developers are capitalizing these projects, and discuss how such funding mechanisms could be applied in Alaska.

Moderator

Elizabeth Arnold, Former NPR National Political Correspondent & Assistant Professor of Journalism, UAA

Panelists

• Jeffrey Schub, VP, The Coalition for Green Capital, Washington DC
• Dan Reicher, Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy & Finance, Stanford University, Piedmont, CA
• Michael Catsi, Business Development and Communications Officer, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, Anchorage, Alaska

Be a part of the dialogue. These breakout sessions are an opportunity to learn about clean energy projects and programs across Alaska and take part in a discussion after presentations are made.

• Breakout #4 – Southeast Regional Discussion
• Breakout #5 – Rural Regional Discussion
• Breakout #6 – Railbelt Regional Discussion

Dan Reicher is Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, a joint center of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he also holds faculty positions. Reicher came to Stanford in 2011 from Google, where he served since 2007 as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives.

Reicher has more than 25 years of experience in energy and environmental policy, finance, and technology. He has served three Presidents including in the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Department of Energy Chief of Staff, as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team and Co-chair of the Energy and Environment Team for Obama, and as a staff member of President Carter’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.

Be a part of the dialogue. These breakout sessions are an opportunity to learn about clean energy projects and programs across Alaska and take part in a discussion after presentations are made.

• Breakout #7 – Southeast Regional Discussion
• Breakout #8 – Rural Regional Discussion
• Breakout #9 – Railbelt Regional Discussion

Alaska’s remote micro grid villages, compact road systems and vast renewable energy resources give it first mover advantage in technology development that the rest of the world is beginning to notice. This moderated panel will explore ways that Alaskans can apply our experiences to a much larger world market that is demanding resilient distributed energy systems.

Moderator

Elizabeth Arnold, Former NPR National Political Correspondent & Assistant Professor of Journalism, UAA

Panelists

• Gwen Holdman, Director, Alaska Center for Energy & Power, Fairbanks, AK
• Peter Lilienthal, Ph.D., CEO, HOMER Energy, Boulder, CO
• Dr. Dane Boysen, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Washington DC