Making Energy Work: Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast

Making Energy Work: 
Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast 

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina

AUDIO & PRESENTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

 
The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, along with our valuable sponsors and partners, was pleased to present Making Energy Work: Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast on February 3, 2009 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

In an effort to build upon and continue the important discussions and debates that occurred at the "Making Energy Work" forum, NCSEA is making available all presentations and audio from the entire day, including the three Plenary Sessions and 10 Breakout Sessions, which you can access below.

This "first-of-its-kind" forum brought together many of the nation's top energy and economic experts with close to 600 leaders from across the region and nation to discuss the Southeast’s emerging new energy economy and developing sustainable energy resources.

NCSEA would like to thank ConEdison Solutions, Vanir Energy and our other valuable Sponsors and Partners who helped to make this forum a huge success!

Click here to view the forum program, which includes the agenda, speaker biographies, information about NCSEA and our Sponsors and Partners, and other helpful resources.
 

AGENDA


PowerPoint presentations and remarks (audio file) by Speakers can be found below. You can access the session's audio by clicking on the (Audio) target and download each speaker's PowerPoint presentation by clicking on their name. 

If you would like to download the audio presentation for future listening or for you IPOD, please click the download link  in the audio player and choose "save as" then save to your computer.

Depending on your computer, it may take several minutes to download certain large-sized files. If you have problems, please email julie@energync.org. 
 


8.30am – 10.15am     Morning Plenary Session
Audio Player
         Overview of the Emerging New Energy Economy in the Southeast
         Ivan Urlaub, Executive Director, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association

         Alexander Leon, President, Vanir Energy
         Preview of the Southern Bioenergy Roadmap (major study to be released Spring '09)
         Dr. Liam Leightly, Executive Director, The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research & Co-Chair Southeast  
         Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance
         Energy Efficiency in the Southeast
         Neal Elliot & Maggie Eldridge, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

10.30am – 12.00pm     Morning Breakout Sessions
Track 1: Workforce Training – National Perspectives & Best Practices
Audio Player
The Southeast could generate a significant number of jobs centered on renewable energy, energy efficiency and high performance building.  This session will discuss public policies that encourage these jobs, the importance of assessing workforce needs, steps to develop workforce training program programs, resources and outcomes from national dialogues, and examples of workforce training programs from across the country.
Moderator: Willa Dickens, Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, NC Community College System

Presenters:
Katie Bolcar, Solar Technologies Program, US Department of Energy
Jerry Ventre, Ph.D., P.E., Engineering Consultant
Melonee Docherty, Energy Resources Coordinator, Advanced
Technology Environmental and Energy Center
 
 
Track 2: Renewable Energy Portfolio and Reliability
Audio Player
The portfolio mix reliability session focuses on how renewable energy contributes to reliability in other regional portfolios.  The objective of the session is to support an informed dialogue about how solar, wind and biomass resources contribute to a reliable portfolio mix.  The presenters will capture a variety of operational aspects of grid reliability and planning.
 
Moderator: Tamica Shipman, Regional Market Developer, General Electric

Presenters:
Elizabeth Doris, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Henry Durrwachter, Director - ERCOT Market Services, Luminant Energy Company
Julia Souder, Director of Inter-Governmental Relations, North American Electric Reliability Corporation
 
 
Track 3: Energy Productivity of Southeast Economies
Audio Player
The Southeast maintains the lowest economic energy productivity in the country. As a result, our region must consume significantly more electricity in order to produce $1 million in gross state product relative to other states and regions.  This session will explore the energy characteristics of the Southeast and discuss how they can be turned into economic opportunities.

Moderator: Paul Quinlan, Director of Economic Research and Development, NC Sustainable Energy Association

Presenters:
Aaron Rittenhouse, Mid-Atlantic Region Director, ConEdison Solutions
Paul Quinlan, Director of Economic Research and Development, NC Sustainable Energy Association
Ben Taube, Executive Director, Southern Energy Efficiency Alliance
 
 
Track 4: Green Buildings and State Building Codes
Audio Player
Southeastern states are facing rapid population growth which will increase our demand for electricity. Incorporating energy efficiency into our built environment will reduce our electric demand and provide significant long-term economic savings. This session will discuss how states and communities may improve efficiency and performance through the built environment.

Moderator: Chris Mathis, President, MC2 Mathis Consulting Company

Presenters:
Karen Butler,Energy Star - Commercial Building Design, US Environmental Protection Agency
Mike Nicklas, President, Innovative Design
Kym Willock, Senior Program Associate, Building Codes Assistance Project
 
 
Track 5: Local Perspectives - Reflections on Sustainable Energy Implementation
Audio Player
State-level policies may encourage the adoption of sustainable energy, but in many cases, local communities must ensure successful and responsible implementation of technologies and programs. Local leaders from the Southeast will share their experiences and lessons learned from implementing sustainable energy solutions.

Moderator: Jennifer Roberts, Chairman, Mecklenburg County (NC) Board of Commission

Presenters:
Mandy Schmitt, Sustainability Director, City of Atlanta
The Honorable Otis Johnson, Mayor of Savannah, Georgia
Betty Huskins, Senior Vice President - External Relations, AdvantageWest North Carolina

 
12.00pm – 2.00pm     Lunch - Sponsored by ConEdison Solutions
Audio Player
           
         Welcome
         Jorge Lopez, President, ConEdison Solutions

         Energizing the Southeast: Balancing Short-Term Federal Stimulus with
         Long-Term Growth
         The Honorable Joe Hackney, President of the National Conference of State Legislatures & Speaker of the
         North Carolina House of Representatives

         Financial Role of States in the New Energy Economy
         The Honorable Janet Cowell, North Carolina Treasurer
 
2.00pm – 3.30pm       Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Technologies
Audio Player
The Southeast maintains a variety of renewable energy resources.  This session will explore technologies that harness the energy potential from wind, solar, and landfill gas resources.  An overview of each technology and their respective cost trends, economic and environmental benefits, and siting and operational challenges will be presented.
 
Moderator/Presenter:Tommy Cleveland, Building Energy Analyst, NC Solar Center

Presenters:
Tom Leyden, Managing Director, Sunpower Corporation
Glenn Mauney, Director of Business Development, Wind Energy Consulting and Contracting
Bill Brinker, President, Enerdyne Power Systems
 
 
Track 2: Energy Efficiency and Demand Response in Reliability and Resource Planning
Audio Player
This session focuses on how energy efficiency and demand response is treated in reliability and resource planning.  The objective of the session is to hear the national dialogue from stakeholders and NERC to establish a discussion about how energy efficiency and demand response can work in planning in the Southeast.
 
Moderator: Jim Dixon, VP of Energy Services, ConEdison Solutions

Presenters:
Dr. Dan York, Senior Research Associate - Utilities Program, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
John Moura, Technical Analyst for Reliability Assessments, North American Electric Reliability Corporation


Track 3: Generating Economic Opportunities for Low-Wealth & MinorityCommunities

Audio Player

Low-wealth and minority communities are often the last to benefit from job growth during economic shifts and new industry expansion.  This session will explore approaches to include low-wealth households and minority communities in workforce development and the growth of the new energy economy.

Moderator: Maria Kingery, Co-Owner, Southern Energy Management

Presenters:
Vien Troung, Senior Policy Associate, Green For All
Dr. Raquel Pinderhughes, Professor of Urban Studies, San Francisco State University
Joseph James, President, Corporation for Economic Opportunity


Track 4: Financing of Renewable Energy Projects and Companies

Audio Player

This session will explore the various facets of financing sustainable  energy projects and companies. Topics will explore how various equity capital categories address differing investment needs, global and U.S. trends in equity capital investment, and risks and opportunities associated with the developing U.S. carbon finance markets.

Moderator: Greg Montgomery, Managing Director, MCF Advisors

Presenters:
Ethan Zindler, Head of North American Research, New Energy Finance
Jigar Shah, Founder SunEdison
Rick Larson, Program Manager, Natural Capital Investment Fund
Larry Ostema, Special Counsel, Horack Talley


Track 5: Manufacturing & Sustainable Energy – An Overlooked Economic Driver

Audio Player

An industry census of sustainable energy jobs in North Carolina found over 70% of the existing jobs were at firms associated with manufacturing. This panel will explore the drivers behind sustainable energy manufacturing, the employment potential across the Southeast, and policies options that support and encourage manufacturing in this growing industry.

Moderator: Olee "Joel" Olsen, Director of Business Development, Sencera International Inc.

Presenters:
Jeff Mittelstadt, Vice President - Sustainable Manufacturing, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing
Matt Card, Director, Business Development, Suniva
Dr. Keith Debbage, Professor of Geography in Urban Devleopment, University of North Carolina at Greensboro


3.45pm – 4.30pm       Afternoon  Plenary Session

Audio Player

         Moving Forward: A Vision for the Southeast
         The Honorable Eva Clayton, Eva Clayton Associates International & Former 
         U.S. Congresswoman

          Closing Remarks
          Ivan Urlaub, Executive Director, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association 



Note: Opinions expressed by forum speakers or attendees are those of the speaker alone and do not necessarily reflect those of NCSEA.