Each month, the Energy Exchange rounds up a list of top clean energy conferences around the country. Our list includes conferences at which experts from the EDF Clean Energy Program will be speaking, plus additional events that we think our readers may benefit from marking on their calendars.
Top clean energy conferences featuring EDF experts in April:
April 4: Energy Power Dialog (Austin, TX)
Speaker: John Hall, Texas State Director, Clean Energy
- Participate in a national dialog on energy being hosted at universities across the United States. The Power Dialog will engage approximately 10,000 students in face-to-face conversation with state-level regulators and policy experts in all 50 states about the federal Clean Power Plan (CPP), which requires 32 percent cuts in global warming pollution by 2030. At the University of Texas at Austin, EDF’s John Hall will co-lead the dialog that helps students understand the positions for and against the Clean Power Plan: Why does Texas oppose the CPP? Why should Texas support it? This is not a lobbying or advocacy event, but rather a way to engage students in an important learning opportunity.
April 20: REV – Who Owns What? (New York, NY)
Speaker: Rory Christian, Director, New York Clean Energy
- In this panel discussion hosted by GridMarket and Hodgson Russ, industry experts looking at the New York market will discuss developing ownership and operating structures, pros and cons of utility ownership, and how Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) has the potential to democratize the market. Panelists will consider if it is realistic to suggest that greater competition will drive scale, or if investors will demand higher rates of return.
April 25-27: Water – Energy – Environment: Spring Specialty Conference of the American Water Resources Association (Anchorage, AK)
Speaker: Kate Zerrenner, Manager
- This conference will consider the interconnection between water, energy, and the environment. The fundamental question to be explored: Is there a best course of action to develop and manage these resources? The conference will also address topics including whether we’re running out of freshwater, the energy industry’s role in water conservation, the desirability of a holistic approach to energy and environmental management, whether sustainability is attainable, and whether we still need game-saving methodologies. The preconference offers a 2-day field trip, “Train to the Future” (a trip on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks, including the proposed Susitna hydroelectric project, coal mining, low temperature geothermal, and the Trans Alaskan Pipeline System).
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Other top clean energy conferences across the U.S. in April:
April 4-5: The Future of Energy Summit (New York, NY)
- “Cheap oil, cheap gas, cheap renewables. There is an abundance of supply that we have not had for decades and this is driving intense competition. It also gives us the theme of the 2016 Summit – the Age of Plenty, the Age of Competition,” writes Michael Liebreich, chairman of the advisory board for the conference’s host, Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Featured speakers include Secretary of State John Kerry; Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. James Gordon Carr; David Crane, former president and CEO of NRG Energy; and Irene Rummelhoff, executive vice president of New Energy Solutions at Norwegian oil and gas multinational, Statoil ASA.
April 11-14: Utility Solar Conference (Denver, CO)
- Utilities interested in improving, expanding, or developing a viable long-term solar and distributed energy strategy are invited to attend this forum, sponsored by the Solar Electric Power Association. The conference offers an opportunity to exchange ideas, strategies, and service solutions in an intimate environment, free from outside industry pressures and influences.
April 12-13: State Energy Conference (Raleigh, NC)
- More than 75 experts will speak during this conference and exhibition, designed to explore the impacts of technology, policy, and finance on energy customers at all market levels. Topics include vehicles, smart grids, storage, alternative fuels, research, solar, wind, and training. The conference includes extended breaks and receptions for networking and exploring more than 50 exhibits. Some professional continuing education credits are offered. Sponsors include Duke Energy, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, and NC Sustainable Energy Association.
April 20-22: Advanced Energy 2016 (New York, NY)
- The ninth conference in New York’s Advanced Energy series will again be held at New York City’s Javits Center, where it broke records for participation and attendance in 2013. Focusing on technologies, this conference attracts energy industry leaders and researchers from 22 countries. Advanced Energy provides opportunities to meet and network with energy leaders, business innovators, researchers, academics, and policy makers from across the globe.
April 26-27: Energy Storage Association 26th Annual Conference & Expo (Charlotte, NC)
- This conference focuses on energy storage technologies. It connects companies and customers with speakers, workshops, and an energy storage technology showcase. Hosts include Duke Energy and Alveo, and speakers include Mary Powell of Green Mountain Power Corporation, Michael O’Sullivan of Nextera Energy Resources, Praveer Sinha of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, and Eric Gebhardt of GE.
Photo source: Flickr/National Retail Federation