2023 Conference Program

Presented by Jay Sadler (Duke Energy Corporation), Dan Clark (Arizona Public Service), Paul Hayes (Hiller Co.), and Grant Davis (Southern California Edison)

Battery energy storage is an evolving market and the fire safety aspect of this technology has become an emergent, hot topic in the utility industry. Over the past several years, Duke Energy has constructed, operated, and owns 9 Lithium-Ion battery energy storage D-Tied assets totaling 40Mw with additional sites coming online in 2022. During our operations experience, we have learned a lot about storage container design, fire safety specifications, and best practices of fire safety trainings. In turn, we applied those learnings to develop industry-leading fire safety systems and training programs. This presentation will cover the dangers of Li-ion batteries, lessons learned from industry fire safety events, safety systems Duke Energy has deployed at current battery sites, and the Duke Energy First Responder Training program.

Presented by Jeff Gleeson (Google)

With many Americans looking to make the switch to clean energy and save money on their energy bills, smart technology paired with utility demand response programs has become an effective way to advance decarbonization goals and lower household energy usage.

For this presentation, expert panelists will discuss the effect of demand response programs, like Nest Renew, which automatically adjusts energy usage to help homeowners balance affordability and comfort. Panelists will also explain how smart home technologies help utilities manage peak demand, while advancing environmental justice and equity goals.

Presented by Karen Glitman (Center for Sustainable Energy), Sergio Carrillo (Connecticut Green Bank), and Gary Morrissett C.E.M. (MCAGCC 29 Palms)

Battery energy storage is an evolving market and the fire safety aspect of this technology has become an emergent, hot topic in the utility industry. Over the past several years, Duke Energy has constructed, operated, and owns 9 Lithium-Ion battery energy storage D-Tied assets totaling 40Mw with additional sites coming online in 2022. During our operations experience, we have learned a lot about storage container design, fire safety specifications, and best practices of fire safety trainings. In turn, we applied those learnings to develop industry-leading fire safety systems and training programs. This presentation will cover the dangers of Li-ion batteries, lessons learned from industry fire safety events, safety systems Duke Energy has deployed at current battery sites, and the Duke Energy First Responder Training program.

Presented by Nick Chaset (East Bay Community Energy)

There are several powerful dynamics influencing California’s energy storage market today. With both headwinds and tailwinds, many evolving over time, it has become increasingly difficult to predict what the future of California’s energy storage system (ESS) market holds.

The Energy Toolbase team has compiled data from both internal and external sources to provide a state of the union on California’s energy storage market, unpacking the direct impacts of the most influential factors, including:

• NEM-3 the landmark policy proceeding is expected to get a final decision in 2022 and go into effect in 2023. With solar grid exports expected to get devalued this creates a stronger price signal and savings opportunity for ESS, leading to more deployments.
• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), authorizing the 10-year extension of both solar and energy storage Investment Tax Credits (ITC) is a huge tailwind for the market.
• Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) energy storage budgets, specifically the large-scale budget is nearing its end. SCE and PG&E ran out of funds in 2022, and SDG&E is expected to exhaust its budget soon, which is a market headwind.  
• Rising retail electric rates, the ETB team recently authored a whitepaper showing the rapidly escalating rate of inflation of retail electric rates in both the residential and C&I sectors, which is a market tailwind for both solar and storage.
• ESS Supply Chain disruptions caused by Covid shutdowns, raw material price inflation, and EV demand are causing longer lead times and cost increases, which has created a challenging environment and been a market headwind.
• ETB Sourced Data our platform data shows strong growth in ESS proposals, attachment rates, and the number of accounts modeling ESS. Our developer survey showed optimism for more deployments.  
  
  Overall, we are bullish and optimistic about the future growth of the energy storage market in California. Our ETB Developer platform data, which is a leading indicator, continues to show strong and consistent growth for ESS modeling activity across all metrics. The extension of the ITC via the IRA, the NEM-3 outcome creating a stronger price signal for ESS, retail electric rates continuing to inflate, and developers becoming more experienced. We fully expect ESS deployments and attachment rates to continue rising. That said, there are still looming headwinds that must be considered with the sunsetting of the SGIP incentive program, along with current ESS supply chain challenges.

Presented by Eric Dresselhuys (ESS), Gabe Murtaugh (CAISO), Vann Gupta (Brookfield Renewables), and Steve Pullins (Alphastruxure)

It is now widely recognized that solar + energy storage, including long-duration energy storage, will be critical to achieve deep decarbonization. California already leads the nation in solar deployment and is establishing a lead in long-duration storage with the recent approval of $140 million for energy storage projects in the 2022-2023 state budget. However, even with significant funding, obstacles to the deployment of storage projects and decarbonization persist. This panel will explore the perspectives of regulators, developers, utilities and large commercial energy users on what is needed to unlock rapid deployment of energy storage and deliver the decarbonized energy future.

Presented by Joe Goodenbery (Strategen), Tim Aldinger (Foundation for California Community Colleges), Bernice Diaz (Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP), and Gia Vacin (Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development)

Supply chain challenges and federal funding are reinforcing the value of reinvest in America’s clean energy workforce. This panel brings together perspectives from labor, industry, and leading labor economists to discuss the transition of the clean energy workforce, and key steps needed to realize this transition, including community engagement, training programs, and partnerships.

Presented by Adam Gerza (Energy Toolbase)

Community engagement and demonstration of community benefits are key to unlocking many buckets of federal funding. This panel will cover steps that renewable and storage developers can take to improve their community engagement capabilities, compete successfully in federal opportunities that require community outreach, and turn these requirements into a competitive advantage.

Presented by Rod Eckhardt (Seminole Financial Services), Jonathan Roberts (Soltage, LLC), and Daniela Pangallo (Nautilus Solar)

With the development of decarbonization goals from federal and state governments to utility goals, effective clean energy programs are needed to achieve them. Community Solar offers one option to reach more communities that previously may have been neglected in the past. With the recent passage of community solar legislation in California, this session will examine what makes the California program along with Illinois and New Mexico effective and areas where further improvement is needed.

Presented by Gabe Murtaugh (CAISO), Jackson Salovaara (SB Energy), Justin Boose (Holland & Knight), and Andrew Gilligan (Fluence)

By examining in detail the Gridbooster concept in Germany – using energy storage to provide contingency back up for the transmission grid, thus expanding the transfer capacity of existing and new transmission lines – this presentation will explore how this concept can be applied in different regulatory structures (nodal energy markets and vertically integrated markets). Additionally, this presentation will examine how these assets can stack multiple value streams without compromising system security to provide the high economic value to the grid and end customers.

Presented by Ed Burgess (Vehicle-Grid Integration Council (VGIC)), Gregory Poilanse (Nuvve Holding Corp.), Rachel McMahon (Sun Run), and John Wheeler (fermata Energy)

As the grid becomes more electrified, electric vehicles will have a role to play in storing and releasing excess energy to the grid. We have already seen the use of time-of-use rates for EV charging to help shave demand peaks on the grid, but how else can we utilize EVs for the grid of the future. This panel will discuss the existing policy and technical landscape around EVs as a storage resource before delving into how we can better utilize EVs as a way to handle additional demands on the grid, addressing:

• How Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) is increasingly being recognized for the huge value proposition and range of potential benefits it can offer
• Opportunities for VGI within the federal infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act, and key action items needed to continue advancing VGI
• The VGI value proposition for enhancing grid reliability services, electrifying transportation and the grid, and other value stream opportunities for consumers, EV operators, utilities, and society at large
• The current landscape of VGI in a variety of regional and state jurisdictions, highlighting where VGI advancements and progress is being made, and evaluating key considerations related to interconnection, rate design , and wholesale market reforms
• Status of V2X Interconnection policies and practices across the country

Presented by Jan Rippingale (Blu Banyan)

It is now established that SolarAPP+ can help solar installers get more projects done faster by expediting compliance checks and building permit approvals for eligible rooftop solar systems. However, the big question from solar installers is how they could seamlessly utilize the capabilities of SolarAPP+ by integrating it with their business management software to minimize errors and maximize throughput.

In this presentation, we will present how solar installers can leverage the DOE Orange Button Data Standard to simplify the exchange of solar project data with their business management software, and the key benefits of this integration.

Presented by Wendy Prabhu (Mercom Capital Group), Sean Burke (Enteligent), Salvatore Minopoli (On.Energy), and Nishant Sharma (CellCube INC)

There has never been a better time to start a business serving the rapidly growing renewable energy marketplace. Globally, private sector investment totaled $226 billion during the first half 2022 alone, and government public expenditures to accelerate the energy transition topped $1.2 trillion USD.

Despite the robust market, early-stage companies still face many challenges. Come hear directly from our panel of renewable energy leaders who successfully transitioned their businesses from startup to commercialization as they talk about how they got their concepts off the ground, raised necessary funds, entered new markets and took their business to the next level.

Presented by Mark Gies (S-5!), Bronte Payne (Sunpower), R. Steven Jones (UL Solutions), Paul Zacher (PZSE), and Josh Kunkel (New Energy Equity LLC)

States are enacting regulations and building codes mandating the installation of solar PV or solar-ready design on new building construction. This will result in an accelerated growth of rooftop solar, with the intent also to reduce costs and maximize the energy output of solar installations. The key to complying with solar mandates is upfront planning and design, considering non-traditional design elements focused on the anticipation of rooftop solar installations.

Our panel will explore the impact of solar installation and solar-ready mandates on the future of new building and roof designs, materials, electrical infrastructure, technological innovations and the design process.

Presented by Gary Dorris (Ascend Analytics), Hamza Zaidan (Morgan Stanley), Jatin Khanna (DOE Loans Program Office), and Joseph Santo (Arevon Energy)

Competitive power markets offer a unique opportunity to utilize storage as a physical hedge to serve financial firm obligations of a power hedge. On both a stand-alone basis or in conjunction with renewable generation, storage serves as a physical hedge that can secure the equivalent of a contracted revenue stream using over-the-counter hedges. This presentation provides a case study for operating margins and risk of renewable plus storage projects hedged with market forward contracts and compares the outcome relative to a long-term power purchase agreement. The analysis examines the optimal hedge ratio, reduction in risk, and the added premium of flexible storage serving as a physical hedge against spot market prices for both standalone storage and renewables plus storage. The comparison to PPA’s will be based on utility procurements.

Presented by Gigio Sakota (Avantus), Lindsay Cherry (Qcells), Matt Walz (Invinity Energy Systems), Ryan Roberts (Sheppard Mullin LLP), and Ariel Debin (Sheppard Mullin)

The IRA provides an increased credit rate for PTC and ITC projects that satisfy domestic content requirements, representing millions of dollars in value to project developers and investors. This session will review the domestic requirements and highlight the experience of manufacturers who have committed to bringing production back into the US along with developers who are domestically sourcing inputs.

Presented by Keith Martin (Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP)

The federal government has establish unprecedented levels of incentives for clean energy technologies, many of which will be accessed through tax breaks or tax incentives. These new regulations are complex, and include new eligibility requirements relating to labor and energy communities. This panel will help developers to understand how to maximize potential tax opportunities on upcoming projects.

Presented by Jeff Cook (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL))

This session covers NREL’s work evaluating residential PV adoption timelines and permitting/interconnection processes. The work utilizes project-level data covering 10-25% of U.S. installs each year 2017-2021, along with surveys of jurisdictions and installers. Questions of interest include: which challenges impact adoption timelines, how have timelines changed over the last 5 years (especially during COVID-19), and which processes offer “best practices” for widescale improvements. Initial results from NREL’s collaborative development of the SolarAPP+ automated permitting platform will also be presented.

Presented by Astrid Atkinson (Camus Energy)

Renewable resources for the generation of electricity (e.g., wind, solar, geothermal, etc.) are typically most abundant and practical for development in rural areas, making these communities well-positioned to generate and use renewable electric power. This presents a unique opportunity for rural electricity providers to adopt renewable energy technologies, as they face the challenges of rising energy costs and increasing demand as well as state and federal renewable energy mandates.

Presented by William P. Acker (New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST))

Supply chain challenges have represented a significant roadblock for timely and effective project development. This discussion will give participants insights into how developers and businesses can work to meet project deadlines while also avoiding many of the challenges created by the global supply chain crisis. Panelists will share their own personal experiences in this climate and what steps are needed to reduce the supply chain crisis.

Presented by Julia Souder (Long Duration Energy Storage Council), Hans Mikael Svanbom (Azelio AB), Alexander Schoenfeldt (CellCube Inc. & Enerox GmbH), and Matt Harper (Invinity Energy Systems)

Shorter duration storage is currently being installed to support today’s increasing amount of renewable energy generation and electrification. Increasing amounts of renewables will be deployed on the grid and building and vehicle electrification will continue to rise. Longer duration storage technologies are needed as the nation must increases access and availability of renewable energy sources. Long duration energy storage – defined as systems that can store energy for more than 10 hours at a time – would support a low-cost, reliable, carbon-free electric grid. Cheaper and more efficient storage will make it easier to capture and store clean energy for use when energy generation is unavailable or lower than demand. Cheaper, longer energy storage is needed to increase local control of the power system, build resilience for communities, minimize power grid disruptions, and help reach decarbonization goals.

How does LDES “fit” into a broader market landscape?

What are the policy gaps that create barriers for LDES?

What are the regulatory changes that need to be made?

How can the market properly compensate LDES so we can deploy at scale and get benefits?

Presented by Nehal Divekar (Customized Energy Solutions), and Ann Yu (Customized Energy Solutions)

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of decentralized, medium-scale power generating units as well as flexible power consumers and storage systems. VPPs are managed via aggregation software, offering functions meant to mimic those of a traditional power plant control room. Depending on the particular market environment, VPPs can accomplish a whole range of tasks. In general, the objective is to network distributed energy resources such as wind farms, solar parks, and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units, in order to monitor, forecast, optimize and trade their power. This way, fluctuations in the generation of renewables can be balanced by ramping up and down power generation and power consumption of controllable units. But the VPP not only helps stabilizing the power grids. It also creates the preconditions for integrating renewable energies into the markets. Individual small plants can in general not provide balancing services or offer their flexibility on the power exchanges. This is because their generation profile varies too strongly, or they simply do not meet the minimum bid size of the markets. By aggregating the power of several units, a VPP can deliver the same service and redundancy and subsequently trade on the same markets as large central power plants or industrial consumers.

This panel will cover the basics of what a virtual power plant is and how it can create value for both utilities and customers, with examples from real-world programs.

Presented by Wendy Prabhu (Mercom Capital Group), Julia Souder (Long Duration Energy Storage Council), Kim Getgen (Innovationforce), and Rashida Caraway (Texas RE)

As the renewable energy industry heads into 2023 with rapid transformation and increased demand, it presents an opportunity to achieve greater gender equality and inclusion. Today women make up one-third of the workforce in the energy sector in positions ranging from entry-level to C-Suite executives. Increasing these numbers and improving participation of women in the clean energy sector is critical.

Investments in the energy sector have the potential to contribute to direct economic benefits to women through formal sector employment and providing opportunities to improve livelihoods through small-scale enterprises, development of skills, and professional training. Meaningful gender inclusion in the energy section leads to increased benefits for companies, specifically improved access to talent and critical skills, broadened diversity, enhanced innovation and competitiveness, and improved retention.

This all-female panel of renewable energy leaders will discuss their experiences, challenges, accomplishments, and opportunities in the upcoming year.

Presented by Josh Kunkel (New Energy Equity LLC)

When it comes to Unlocking Community Solar Financing, there are two critical areas to consider: Program Risk and Development. Understanding which state programs have components that make it easier to finance, and which do not, along with how that affects risk, is key. When it comes to Development, it’s important to consider areas where financiers can take on risk, as well as the varied nuts and bolts of project development from engineering and permitting to credit worthiness. In this session, the audience will come away with a greater understanding of how to get a project ready for financing.

Presented by Bhaskar Ray (Qcells USA Corp.), Allison Auld-Hill (Southern California Edison), and Louis Ting, P.E. (Los Angeles Department of Water & Power)

Limited transmission capacity and overfull interconnection queues represent a significant challenge for continued scaled deployment of renewable energy resources like wind and solar. This panel will discuss solutions to address current congestion challenges, including long-term transmission planning, energy storage to manage congestion, and solutions to accelerate transmission deployment.