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VERGE Energy

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019

8:30am to 12:00pm

Future Cities Carbon Action Challenge

Tutorial

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

This action challenge is designed for high-impact leaders to align on most critical problems confronting cities committed to delivering on their bold 2050 carbon neutrality goals. Diverse stakeholders will propose 12-month solutions through collaborative, competitive dialogue to best address these urgent obstacles while ensuring greater resiliency and overall social equity.

Keynote speakers will be challenged to align stakeholders around the most pressing issues and essential solutions/initiatives necessary to reach carbon neutrality2050. Stakeholder participants will be challenged to collaborate, prioritize and propose winning 12-month solutions with measurable milestones. Come ready to roll up your sleeves; this is an interactive session that contains decision-making, debate and accountability.

Scaling Zero Carbon Real Estate Portfolios

Tutorial

Junior Ballroom 4

A quarter of all energy in the U.S. is used to power the commercial sector’s buildings. Any company looking for ways to reach deep decarbonization goals must take a look at its building portfolio. This interactive tutorial covers why addressing energy use in buildings is smart for operations and your bottom line, and the tools available to help transform where you work. It will cover:

Resources and tools available to renters to work with landlords on energy efficiency and clean energy
The perspective of leading real estate developers aiming to build smart, efficient buildings
How to incorporate smart energy and financing decisions in new builds
How to include your buildings in your energy strategy, and how to get internal buy-in

How to Develop an Integrated, Forward-Thinking Energy Strategy

Tutorial

Junior Ballroom 1

Energy technology is transforming rapidly, and corporate energy management priorities need to keep up and look ahead. Companies have more options and data available than ever – which also makes the job of an energy manager more complicated than ever.

This tutorial walks through how to develop a strategic, comprehensive approach to achieve a company’s energy-related financial and environmental objectives. Following the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) guidelines, we’ll cover the six dimensions that make up an integrated energy strategy:

Vision and Goals: How to set a clear vision that is supported by credible targets that make sense of how your company operates in your supply chain
Energy Strategy Governance: Clarify accountability on who is leading and who is delivering on each goal
Data Collection and Management: Select tools to collect and understand data
Mandatory and Voluntary Reporting: How to develop a reporting program that provides action-oriented insight into the status of the integrated energy strategy to internal and external stakeholders.
Internal and External Engagement: Get internal buy-in and engage employees to see maximum benefits
Solutions: How to develop a roadmap of measures that improve energy efficiency, increase the use of low-carbon energy and fuel, and enable natural climate solutions – in your operations and together with your value chain.

In advance of the tutorial, participants are encouraged to read WBCSD’s guidelines on how to develop an Integrated Energy Strategy: https://wbcsdpublications.org/integrated-energy-strategy/

Carbon Credentials Logo

WBCSD Logo Cropped

4:00pm to 5:00pm

The Next Big Thing to Be Electrified

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

As cities consider gas bans and companies work towards deep decarbonization goals, commercial and industrial applications need electric alternatives for their traditionally gas-powered appliances. This session brings together a trailblazing investor, innovator and policymaker who are thinking about an all-electric future. Join us to hear about opportunities and challenges as we electrify everything.

How Utilities and Regulators Stopped Pointing Fingers and Got Clean Energy on the Grid

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

This session features a regulator, utility and customer from the same service area in Michigan to talk about how they worked together on green tariffs, rate design to integrate more renewables, and electric vehicle infrastructure. Experts will offer insights into how companies can navigate complex dynamics and think through the systems needed to bring more clean energy to the grid.

The Corporation as Clean Energy Activist

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

As more companies set ambitious energy and climate targets, there’s a need for policymakers to send clear market signals that will inspire the private sector to take big, collective steps forward. What role should businesses play in influencing clean-energy policy? How can companies advance new markets and technologies, all while addressing their SDG commitments? This session will explore the growing body of organizations emerging to help unify voices from corporations, the power of private sector to inspire change, the reputational opportunities and risks and how to navigate the tough issues, such as setting an internal policy agenda and getting C-suite buy-in.

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019

8:30am to 9:30am

Aligning Clean Energy and Carbon Reduction Targets

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

This session looks at how energy and sustainability managers are balancing competing agendas to reduce costs and carbon. Corporate leaders will talk about how to engage stakeholders to get buy-in for ambitious initiatives, the tools and technologies available to measure and reduce emissions, and lessons learned from past programs.

The Movement To Integrate Electric Buildings & EVs

Breakout

OCC 210/11

Companies, universities and even cities are beginning to embrace the “electrify everything” movement for heating and cooling buildings, as well as for powering on-campus, employee-owned and corporate fleet electric vehicles. This session will explain how these electric building and electric vehicle systems interconnect, how they can be powered cleanly, how EVs can be used as grid services, and the first steps organizations can take to deploy these dual electric programs.

Making Corporate Renewable Options Better, Faster, Stronger

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

Renewable power purchase agreements aren’t the only option to transform how buildings and operations are powered. As the renewables market matures, new options are emerging for buyers — ones that increase flexibility and ease the contracting process. This session looks at options to help companies meet their clean energy goals, from conventional PPAs to emerging project aggregation models and other business-model innovations.

Decarbonizing Industrial Thermal Energy

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

Natural gas is becoming the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. energy sector. This session takes a realistic — but urgent — look at addressing those emissions, and at market-ready solutions for these hard-to-reach emission sources, including renewable thermal energy technologies, where and how to use renewable natural gas, and how to decarbonize industry, including the steel and concrete sectors.

Building the ‘Energy Cloud’

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

Distributed energy resources have transformed power generation and consumption from one-way power systems to a complex, two-way "energy cloud." That means energy consumers have more considerations than ever before – including offsite and onsite renewables, energy storage and microgrids, energy efficiency and demand response. This session looks at innovations that are advancing the emerging energy cloud, and what that means for energy procurement and company operations.

12:15pm to 1:15pm

Roundtable Lunch: The State of Play: Solutions for Industry Decarbonization

Lunch

10th Street

“Industry” makes up a sizable part of the emissions pie chart, but the term is a catch-all. Over lunch, we’ll dive deep into the challenges in reducing those emissions across plants, factories and processes. We will discuss how industry decarbonization is unique relative to other sectors, and how this varies by types of industrial businesses. Furthermore, we will explore: What is the state of play for solutions to zero out emissions in industry, and the outlook for meeting science-based targets?

About Roundtable Lunches: Join interactive lunch discussions, moderated by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants. All roundtable lunches do not have advanced sign-up — participation is first-come, first-served.

Roundtable Lunch: Community Solar: Opportunities and Challenges in 2019

Lunch

10th Street

You might be surprised to learn that community solar is the fastest-growing segment of the solar industry today. But the incentives and timing mean that residents are interested and adopting faster than ever before. It’s also presenting a major opportunity for companies to get more involved in the space. Learn more about how leading businesses are benefiting from community solar programs at this roundtable lunch.

Roundtable Lunch: Creating a New Paradigm in International Development with Clean Energy Access and Empowerment

Lunch

10th Street

Over one billion people on the planet do not have access to electricity. However, enabling access to renewable energy for globally underserved communities on the frontlines of climate change could rapidly realize regenerative progress for these communities and for the world. This is a massive opportunity to create a new paradigm for international development. Join our conversation to talk about the Global Goals, clean energy, gender empowerment, reversing climate change and creating a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and the planet.

INVITE ONLY – Roundtable Lunch: Clean Energy Equity Showcase Honoree Roundtable

Lunch

10th Street

INVITE ONLY

This roundtable lunch is open exclusively to GreenBiz’s Clean Energy Equity Showcase honorees, representatives from 10 organizations across the country that are dedicated to making clean energy accessible to all. All honorees are invited to lunch with Danny Kennedy, entrepreneur, thought leader and CEO at New Energy Nexus, the global network of clean energy incubators, accelerators and funds. Kennedy has a long track record of supporting and launching innovative startups, with a deep knowledge of the collaborations and finance available to help organizations thrive. Invitations will be extended beforehand.

1:15pm to 2:15pm

Building a Corporate Renewables Procurement Strategy

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

Hear from clean energy leader Google and software company VMWare about selecting where, when and what renewables to meet energy needs and goals. This discussion will include lessons learned from over a decade in clean energy procurement to help you develop a goal and identify and pursue assets to achieve your objectives.

How to Build & Scale Smart, Profitable & Sustainable EV Infrastructure

Breakout

OCC 210/11

In this session attendees will learn what it takes to plan, build and operate high demand charging infrastructure that will not only create cleaner, livable cities, but is scalable, sustainable and profitable. Join technology innovators as they discuss how e-mobility models are changing the way we move within cities, and the practical realities of creating a new economy around this effort – built on a foundation of open-standards, powered by renewable energy sources, dynamically optimized and reinforced by the grid – and paving the way for the imminent electric transportation wave.

Going Global Workshop: International Deals & Supply Chains (Part 1)

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

This workshop brings together leading companies – including Walmart, Cargill, Firmenich, Microsoft, GM, WeWork, Hewlett Packard Enterprise – and NGOs to help you promote clean energy as you navigate international markets. The session is divided into two parts:

Part 1: Tips for Doing International Deals (1:15 - 2:25)

Expanding international operations doesn’t mean you have to compromise clean energy goals. Hear how multinational leaders navigate international markets without losing sight of their organization’s clean energy or Sustainable Development Goal commitments. This interactive workshop will help companies understand the surge of renewables internationally, navigate international policy environments and leverage influence to stay on track with internal goals.

Part 2: Decarbonizing Strategies for Supply Chains (2:25 - 3:30)

How can companies leverage their procurement function to advance clean energy in their supply chain? In the second half of the “Going Global” workshop, we will looks at the structures and tools available to corporations to decarbonize suppliers and fully integrate clean energy performance into the supplier-customer relationships. Our experts will discuss their internal journey to integrate supply-chain sustainability into business processes, and share what your company can do today to align your supply chain with your energy goals.

Scaling (and Financing) Clean Energy for All

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

You can’t get to 100 percent clean energy without including everyone. This session will look at finance opportunities, innovations and markets to ensure that the clean economy will work for residents in all communities. From public-private partnerships to leveraging new financial structures, our experts look at the latest financial innovations that promote inclusivity.

The Future Is Now: Energy Blockchain and AI in Action (Part 1)

Workshop

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

Energy blockchain, artificial intelligence and the internet of things are no longer some-day technologies. These tools are already helping organizations automate operations, maximize energy savings and source clean energy. This session will demystify and highlight real-world applications of advanced technologies, including new options for hardware and software to optimize powering buildings and manufacturing. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.

2:30pm to 3:30pm

How 5G Will Change Transportation

Breakout

OCC 201

The next generation of blazing fast wireless broadband networks, called 5G, is being rolled out this year and will soon start connecting cities, vehicles, street infrastructure and the cloud. Autonomous vehicles, also now emerging, will need super-fast connections to create safer environments for riders and pedestrians. Street and road infrastructure sensors connected to 5G can reduce congestion and make transportation more efficient. This session will explain how 5G could fundamentally change how transportation networks operate.

The Second Life of EV Batteries

Breakout

OCC 210/11

As the first mainstream electric vehicles age, companies are beginning to explore circular systems for moving batteries from EVs to stationary storage systems to recycling. Though it's still early days for these supply chains, big battery and automakers, investors and materials suppliers are investigating the best ways to design and implement these systems.

Going Global Workshop: International Deals & Supply Chains (Part 2)

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

Part 1: Tips for Doing International Deals (1:15 - 2:25)

Part 2: Decarbonizing Strategies for Supply Chains (2:25 - 3:30)

The Future Is Now: Energy Blockchain and AI in Action (Part 2)

Workshop

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

2:30pm to 5:00pm

Evolving Electricity Markets in 3D: Decarbonization, Decentralization, Digitization

Workshop

Grand Ballroom Salon C

The world is in the early stages of a multi-trillion-dollar transformation of the power sector. This session examines the forces driving the rapid evolution of electric markets, and highlights examples of how and why these changes are occurring across power markets. We look at technologies, power markets, regulatory decisions and business models to understand the “how” and “why.” We also discuss the implications for both utilities and their customers, and suggest ways to effectively deal with this accelerating rate of change.

Customer-Utility Symposium

Workshop

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

Interested in learning how customers and utilities could better collaborate on clean energy? This two-hour roundtable workshop brings together leading minds to discuss key topics, including how to align on sustainability goals, how to drive transparency on emissions tracking, and how to collaborate on electric vehicle integration. Session includes lessons and thought-leadership from the Special Clean Power Council for Customers and Utilities, a two-year collaborative initiative that comes to a close this Fall.

4:00pm to 5:00pm

How to Ensure Your Landlord Doesn't Blow Your Clean Energy Goals

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

If you're a renter of office, retail or industrial space, you may not know a lot about the carbon intensity of your facilities. But that doesn't mean you can't do anything to decarbonize them. This session highlights the tools, contracts and technologies tenants are using to work with property managers to power their operations more cleanly and efficiently.

The Business Case for Microgrids

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

Microgrids have grown into a multibillion-dollar market, providing users flexible and reliable energy. Yet many companies that may be interested in building these projects have trouble making the finances pencil. This session covers companies that have pursued microgrids, and how and why it made sense for their operations.

Thursday, October 24th, 2019

8:30am to 9:30am

How Energy Storage Can Turbocharge Clean Energy

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

Energy storage has been the “next big thing” for years, but few businesses have deployed it at scale. In the past year, however, utilities have taken on massive energy storage projects and commitments. In this session, utilities that already are investing in storage share where they see value, when it makes sense and what opportunities are available for organizations that want to follow in their footsteps. It also provides an overview of the latest storage technologies and the business case for pairing energy storage and renewables to displace natural gas in grid operations.

Financing the Clean Energy Revolution

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

Deep decarbonization targets are growing, as states, utilities and companies aim to reach 100% clean energy. Achieving these targets will require a massive mobilization of capital and the deployment of both existing and new technologies. Our experts discuss how corporations are helping finance the clean energy revolution through instruments like bonds, corporate venture capital funds and direct equity investments.

Electric Vehicles As Tomorrow's Grid Resource

Working Session

OCC 208

The role of the utility is changing how electric vehicle infrastructure is deployed and the opportunities that EVs can provide for the grid. In this session, leading utilities and service providers will explain how EVs and EV charging can make the grid more resilient and distributed.

The Forecast for Extreme Weather Technologies

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

What technologies are emerging to keep companies and people resilient amid growing storms droughts and other weather events? How can we make sure we're taking everyone along as we prep for more hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires and other calamitous events? This session looks at the emerging technologies designed to help communities and organizations be prepared and discusses how cities and companies can work together to identify and implement the tools needed to become more resilient.

Energy Efficiency: Don't Do It in the Dark

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon G,H

Artificial intelligence and the “internet of things” are enabling businesses to know more about their operations than ever before. How can energy and facility managers make sense of data, save energy and choose from among all these solutions? This session looks at the options to monitor and manage energy use in buildings, and how to implement technologies effectively.

12:00pm to 4:00pm

Grid Resilience Summit (RSVP Required)

Working Session

Skyline

Built in collaboration with the State of California, the VERGE 19 Grid Resilience Summit is a half-day, invitation-only working session exploring the technological, financial and policy innovations needed to ensure a resilient electricity grid to serve California and beyond. The Summit will convene more than 100 people, including leaders from energy utilities, public- and private-sector energy procurement, corporate sustainability and facility management, municipal governments and disaster preparedness agencies.

Refer to our Grid Resilience Summit page for more information and to request an invitation.

1:30pm to 2:30pm

Subscribing to Decarbonization: The Growing X-as-a-Service Energy Market

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon F

As companies work to reduce energy use throughout their operations, more innovations are providing energy efficiency and clean energy as a service. This session looks at the growing “X-as-a-service” model, and how companies can leverage these services to reduce risks in reaching their decarbonization goals.

Managing Solar Arrays to Draw Down Carbon and Benefit Pollinators

Breakout

OCC 205

As costs fall and solar power proliferates, ground-mounted PV arrays are expected to be sited on almost two million acres in the U.S. by 2030. The land under and around arrays is often covered by gravel or mown grass, but it can be managed to provide habitat for pollinators and to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while also cooling and improving the efficiency of the panels. Come to this session to hear from the entrepreneurs, researchers and sustainability experts who are working to stack even more benefits into solar development.

Amory Lovins on Integrative Design for Radical Energy Efficiency

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

Energy efficiency is often assumed to be a dwindling, rising-cost resource. But integrative design — optimizing buildings, vehicles, equipment and industrial processes or factories as whole systems for multiple benefits — can make efficiency an expanding, declining-cost resource. Thought leader Amory Lovins shares examples of integrative design from diverse sectors and applications to reach several-fold larger and cheaper savings than previously supposed, often with increasing returns, so that (as with modern renewables) the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. He explains why this has revolutionary implications for climate and many other challenges, is much more fun for the designers — and needs to become common practice.

How Community Energy Can Help Companies Get to 100 Percent

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

More than 100 cities across the country are committed to being powered entirely by clean energy. Here, we look at how community solar is helping cities, companies and utilities to partner to reach their 100-percent goals. Speakers include Groundswell, a startup that helps bring clean energy to low-income areas, and Walmart, which is leveraging community solar to reach its ambitious clean energy targets.

1:30pm to 4:00pm

Workshop: What Will It Take To Rapidly Scale EV Infrastructure?

Workshop

OCC 208

The dynamic and evolving marketplace for electric vehicle charging infrastructure involves disparate stakeholders across utilities, real estate, retailers, city planners, policy makers, tech providers and automakers. What is clear is that there will need to be a substantial infrastructure build-out to support a future for widespread electrified transportation. What's the state of play for EV infrastructure and where is it going?

3:00pm to 4:00pm

The Purpose of Corporations

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon A,B

Corporate America has more power than ever, and with that comes a rising movement for it to better serve employees, communities and the environment. This session features experts from leading companies about the importance of making clean energy and climate front and center to ensure a happy workforce, ethical sourcing practices, and relevance in a quickly-changing world.

What’s (Not) Inside NextGen Buildings

Breakout

Grand Ballroom Salon C

Hear from companies that are leveraging next-generation technologies to make buildings more efficient, comfortable and healthy. Experts from Google and Adobe will discuss their newest buildings, which tap into all-electric appliances and geothermal energy options to keep employees comfortable, and why transitioning away from natural gas made sense for their operations.