*Participants must be registered for an All-Access, Tutorial-Only or One-Day Tuesday pass.

This interactive workshop will show businesses, utilities, and building owners that they no longer have to guess which energy-efficient products, services, and offers will work best. Better data and new tools for understanding both consumer behavior and energy use take out much of that guesswork. They also improve the customer experience. Case studies of successful partnerships will provide constructive lessons on leveraging real-time customer data to improve business offerings and enhance customer relationships. 

Developed in partnership with Jennifer Amann, buildings program director, ACEEE.

*Participants must be registered for an All-Access, Tutorial-Only or One-Day Tuesday pass.

Regeneration is a fundamentally different paradigm, but is not practical to most people yet. Experience three perspectives of a Regenerative paradigm and how the paradigm we use, effects how we lead businesses and industries—includes results for business and effects in the world. 

We look at the history of thinking paradigms we use, unconsciously for the most part, making us blind to many of our “choices” over the centuries. Next is engagement in a practical application to business in general and in the world of design and construction in particular.  This four hour practicum will result in a more explicit understanding of what is a thinking paradigm and how it drives our thinking; generally these drivers are outside our awareness. We will explore how alternative worldviews can lead to profoundly different choices and outcomes; in both our ability to effect the world around us and our business outcomes.

We introduce a mix of ideas coupled with frameworks that will allow attendees to test these ideas on their own business. Three interest area groups will break out in the middle of the session (general paradigms; effects of paradigms on businesses of all types; and specifically, businesses addressing the built environment). We will end with an process designed for all attendees to carry the work home and engage others in their organization.

The list of companies committing to source 100 percent renewable energy as a means of reducing carbon emissions is growing rapidly, and in 2015, corporate buyers overtook electric utilities in procuring clean power. On the surface, this is an inspiring story, powerful and simple. But the process is anything but simple. The options are many, can be complex and can have varying levels of reported and real carbon reduction. This two-part workshop unpacks what it really means to  “procure” renewable energy as a strategy to help achieve the ultimate goal of reducing the grid's greenhouse gas emissions.

In this session (Part 1 of 2) you will learn from those in-the-trenches about essential aspects of renewable energy procurement including:

• A history of corporate renewable energy targets and procurement (who is involved, why and how)

• The basics of power generation, electricity grids and regulated versus deregulated markets

• The use of renewable energy certificates (RECs) and guarantees of origin (GO) as a mechanism for tracking renewable energy production, “ownership” and the right to make zero carbon claims (compared to carbon offsets)

The Cascading Materials Vision seeks to ignite an evolution in materials development and management to capture the untapped opportunity of an integrated approach to waste management that will extend the life of our natural resources. This interactive workshop invites VERGE attendees to learn more about the Cascading Materials Vision, and join the conversation around creating shared value through increased material recovery. Participants will be encouraged to think differently about their own sustainability goals around materials, packaging design and recovery and will learn how to leverage the newly launched Cascading Materials Vision to do so. The discussion will cover the necessity of collaboration and how to create an integrated approach to waste management that considers the entire system from production to trash. Together, all invitees will have the opportunity to brainstorm and receive feedback on how the principles in the Cascading Materials Vision might be adapted to bring solutions to scale.

There are now three commercial fuel cell vehicles on the market in California and by the end of 2017, there will be 50 retail hydrogen stations online. This session will discuss the commercial developments of fuel cell vehicles and provide an in-depth exploration on best practices from the initial hydrogen station developments in California, including successful policies, regulatory activities, education and community outreach, and hydrogen station deployment and location engineering.

The blockchain, the software used for managing and verifying transactions in digital currencies such as bitcoin, has the potential to disrupt global industries. In the energy market alone there are already at least 100 application experiments under way. This panel discussion will bring together perspectives on where this much-hyped technology can play a significant role in shaping the peer-to-peer and transactive energy markets, Internet of Things (IoT) and beyond. In addition, experts will provide insights from a legal/regulatory background and from the venture capital perspective. 

Over the next decade, as much as 80 percent of the energy load from the California investor-owned utilities could depart in favor of Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs). Nationally, utilities in the regulated and deregulated markets are looking to improve customer options by creating new offerings. Meanwhile, corporate energy buyers are increasing their large-scale renewable procurement efforts and utilities continue to address their renewable portfolio standard goals. How can policymakers, utilities and customers work together to ensure both grid reliability and clean, affordable energy options?

The concept of car ownership is being turned on its head around the world thanks to service providers such as Uber, Lyft and Didi. By the year 2030, some transportation experts envision a scenario in which a majority of the vehicles in the U.S. will be part of fleets rather than owned by individuals — as more people begin to rely on “transportation as a service” models for getting around cities, states and regions. That journey will be lined with plenty of potholes including regulatory roadblocks and safety concerns, especially when it comes to autonomous vehicle technologies; economic considerations, including how to set fair pricing and where to deploy EV charging infrastructure; and whether taxpayer money or private funds should pay for the roads and technology necessary to enable this transition. (Part 1 of 2 related sessions)

As states adopt and consider 100% Renewable Portfolio Standards, we must consider the feasibility of electrifying everything — including the electric grid, buildings, mass transportation, passenger vehicles and home equipment like heat pumps.This session will explore the need, challenges and opportunities for mass electrification from the perspective of a California state policymaker, car manufacturer, entrepreneur and local government environmental leader.

Cleantech innovators face unique challenges when attempting to bring their technology to scale. Organizations with aggressive climate or other environmental performance targets — including cities, businesses and utilities — are the ones most likely to deploy these innovative solutions broadly. Yet they often face multiple obstacles when working with startups: especially difficulty scouting the right technology and concerns over financial risk.

This session will explore programs that fill the gap between innovation and adoption, affectionately referred to as “the valley of death,” where many startups perish before they have the chance to succeed. A vibrant network of organizations has emerged nationally — as part of the Incubatenergy Network— to help innovators make that leap. These entities also support investors and corporate partners by providing critical de-risking services, and they assist communities by ensuring greater chances of success for entrepreneurs who are creating new jobs. The panelists represent three distinctly different models: Oregon BEST, which funds technology development and validation collaborations between startups and universities; Greentown Labs, which offers a high-tech "makerspace" and coworking environments for cleantech startups in greater Boston area; and Elemental Excelerator, which draws on Department of Defense funds to facilitate startups’ acceleration and demonstration projects with corporate partners in the Pacific Rim. The presenters will discuss the challenges faced by those seeking to deploy disruptive cleantech solutions, and illustrate the various ways they are working to facilitate technology adoption through case studies of companies from their portfolios.

Throughout the manufacturing space, multinationals as well as scrappier startups are struggling to evolve from mere data collection to smart, self-diagnosing infrastructure operations. Even the biggest industrials are left asking questions: How do we make sense of all the data we're gathering and leverage it to update our business model? This session will address critical quality & operational challenges — from energy management to water conservation — that various companies are using in real-time manufacturing data analysis in an IoT-enabled environment. 

It's far easier for corporates to buy electricity from solar and wind farms in deregulated markets than it was just two years ago, but negotiating power purchase agreements (PPAs) is not for the faint of heart. We'll cover the basics, such as how to evaluate contracts; consider subtle regional differences that could make a difference; and explore a fast-emerging model, aggregated deals that include more than one offtaker.

Smart building technologies can enhance the work environment by responding to the time of day, available daylight and occupancy — even down to a personal workspace. That fosters more comfortable, inspiring, healthful, productive environments. This session will reveal lessons from leading organizations deploying at scale today — engaging a corporate occupant, developer, architect and city perspectives.

If we all agree that smart and resilient cities, renewable energy, and other climate solutions are goals worth pursuing, why aren't cities deploying the technology solutions companies have on the shelf now? Cities from across the country discuss the ways they are each respectively addressing market challenges and how they are taking action. Come learn from cutting edge cities on how they rallied the internal troops and external partners to develop a strategic vision for incorporating new technology tools and big data in to their day to day work.  Specific strategics for success as well as pitfalls to avoid will be discussed.

As the economics of distributed energy resources such as energy storage technologies continue to improve, large corporate energy buyers, utilities and wholesale market providers are serving as a grid resource. At the same time, the needs of the electric grid are shifting towards more localized, dispatchable resources rather than at the system level. This session will explore what this evolution means for utilities, systems operators and corporates, and why it's critically important to engage communities in the planning and development process.

How can smarter, tech-enabled infrastructure (energy, water, transportation, etc) promote equity across typically disenfranchised communities? What are the opportunities in a digital infrastructure transition, and how can corporates and community leaders enable more equitable pathways?

Daily headlines abound with gushing predictions and cautionary tales about the potential of artificial intelligence to automate — and disrupt — a broad range of industries from health care to manufacturing. While applications related to corporate sustainability strategy are far more nascent, their potential impact could be profound. From automating energy efficiency processes to re-engineering product design to keeping far closer tabs on supply chain processes, systems infused with machine learning abilities and other AI characteristics could become one of your sustainability team's most important technological allies. Who stands to gain the most? And what are the potential downsides, especially when it comes to preparing today's workforce to collaborate with these cyber co-workers? This panel will debate potential applications, and how to prepare for the AI age.

There is still plenty of action in rooftop solar — according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association, the top 10 corporate solar users have installed panels at nearly 2,000 individual installations nationwide. This breakout will focus on why many companies are still prioritizing on-site energy projects, and why solar isn't the only game in town.