VX2016 Program

VX2016 Program

 

Click here to view the conference guide, organized by track

 

Monday, January 25, 2016

7:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast

7:45 AM

VX2016 Welcome (B1)

David Abel, Chair, VerdeXchange
Bill Allen, President and CEO, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 2nd District

8:10 AM

-MORNING PLENARY-

Where's The Money: Financing the Green Economy (B1)

Moderator: 
Kathleen Brown, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Panel:
John Chiang, California State Treasurer
Teveia Barnes, Executive Director, California IBank

Governments and utilities across the nation face the challenges of aging infrastructure, climate change, increased costs, and limited funding. Solutions such as green infrastructure and renewable energy projects are addressing these issues while enhancing the quality of life in our communities. Funding them, however, is a major challenge. At the same time, new approaches are dramatically changing the investment markets for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Learn about the potential for innovative ideas currently being implemented, which promise to increase access to capital. What are the best opportunities for financial partnerships and collaborative ventures in the coming decade?

8:50 AM

Will the Future Look Like the Past? Climate Decision-Makers Shaping the Future: The Central Role of Public Policy in Promoting Sustainable Development and Managing Climate Change (B1)

Moderator:
David Abel, Chair, VerdeXchange

Panel:
Bob HertzbergCalifornia State Senator, 18th District
Steve Westly, Founder and Managing Partner, The Westly Group
Earl BlumenauerUS Congressmember, Oregon

-FOSSIL ENERGY-

Roundtable: Future of Fossil Fuels - Oil and Gas (A)

Moderator:
Dennis Luna, Managing Partner, Luna & Glushon

Panel:
George MinterRegional Vice President for External Affairs and Environmental Strategy, SoCalGas
Tim O'Connor, California Director, Oil and Gas, Environmental Defense Fund
Donald Paul, Executive Director, USC Energy Institute

Though much of the nation has found natural gas a valuable resource in addressing their climate goals, California regulators incent alternatives. And the governor now has a goal to reduce petroleum use in the transportation sector. What are the right approaches? How do oil and gas fit in California’s energy future? This panel brings together company executives, leading environmentalists, and energy experts to discuss what the oil and gas contribution to our economy is and ought to be; and, what industry is doing to respond to environmental concerns—and whether it will be enough to ensure the future of the industry in the state and North America.

9:45 AM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-WATER-

Addressing Drought: Conservation/Efficiency, Infrastructure Investment, Redesign, and Financing (B3)

Moderator:
Felicia Marcus, Chair, California State Water Resources Board

Panel:
Gary Breaux, Chief Financial Officer, Metropolitan Water District

Martin Adams, Senior Assistant General Manager, Water Systems, LADWP
Harlan KellyGeneral Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Martha Davis, Executive Manager, Policy Development, Inland Empire Utilities Agency

This panel brings together top strategists of large water agencies in California to share how they are diversifying their supply portfolios and integrating efficiency and conservation measures to create more resilience in the face of population growth and climate change. Panelists will also address actions taken in the current drought, infrastructure investment, and funding.

-ENERGY-

Well Stimulation in California: Is There a California Consensus on Fracking Post-SB 4? (P2)

Moderator:
Robert PowellProfessor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and of Food Science and Technology, UC Davis

Panel:
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association
Jens Birkholzer, Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Donald Paul, Executive Director, USC Energy Institute

California Senate Bill 4 provided the framework for regulating oil and gas well stimulation in California. Besides the regulations promulgated as a result of SB 4, it also stipulated that a scientific study would be undertaken that would provide the backdrop for how we consider well stimulation in California. Both the regulations and the science study are now complete and California has entered a new era in its oil and gas industry. This panel will discuss the principal findings of the science study, especially as applied to California, the response of industry and the future direction that the oil and gas industry in California is likely to take.

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Internet of Things Investment (P3)

Moderators:
Abby Stoller, Onshore Strategic Marketing Leader, GE Renewable Energy

Panel (In Formation):
Dennis McGinnAssistant Secretary, Energy, Installations & Environment, US Navy
Tom Soto, Managing Director, TCW
Allan Emkin, Founder and Managing Director, Pension Consulting Alliance

Steve Westly, Founder and Managing Partner, The Westly Group

The Internet of Things (IoT) is about using data & analytics from connected equipment – wind turbines, street lighting, buildings & cars – to deliver new insights.  These insights can be used to create value in the form of efficiency gains, increased productivity and altogether new solutions for customers.  Where do investors see the growth opportunities in IoT and how will these developments change the way we live & operate our businesses?  What new breakthroughs and challenges arise? The Internet of Things Investment Panel invites experts from venture capital, fund management & the military to explore these questions.

10:45 AMCONCURRENT PANELS

-ENERGY-

Solar and Energy-Efficiency Financing: Revolutionizing How Homeowners Adopt Efficient Home Energy Products (P1)

Moderator:
Eliot Abel, Senior Business Development Manager, Renovate America

Panel:
Evan BirenbaumCOO, Chai Energy
David JacotDirector of Energy Solutions, LADWP
Sanjay Ranchod, Vice President, Policy & Electricity Markets and Regulatory Counsel, SolarCity
Walker Wright, Director of Public Policy, SunRun

Innovative financial structures, including PACE, the PPA lease model, tax equity financing, and demand response programs, have been critical to the recent rapid growth of the solar and energy efficiency sectors. What opportunities & challenges have emerged as a result and what are the next wave of financing models fueling tomorrow’s growth in this space? Furthermore, will connected home technologies encourage consumer behavior change? Or will the economically disadvantaged be further disadvantaged? Lastly, are connected home smart-technologies a better way to effect customer conservation?

-WATER-

MET Water, The Delta, and Reuse (P2)

Moderator:
Kathleen Brown, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Panel:
Michael George, Delta Watermaster
Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District
Adel Hagekhalil, Assistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Mark Gold, Associate Vice Chancellor for Environment and Sustainability, UCLA

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta serves as a vital hub in California’s water system, with much of Southern California and Central Valley agriculture heavily dependent upon it for exported water, Delta residents and farmers relying on it, and fish and wildlife lifecycles dependent upon it. But with so many competitors for a supply that is increasingly limited—as Southern California’s population increases and climate change diminishes normal levels of replenishment—state and local bodies are reconsidering traditional sources of supply. How will authorities at the local, regional, and state levels need to adapt in order to continue providing residents with water? What efforts toward conservation and efficiency are underway to address this? What role will local uses play?

-TRANSPORTATION-

NextGen Passenger Cars: Will They Be Zero-Emitting, Connected, and Eventually Autonomous? (B3)

Moderator:
Mary NicholsChair, CARB

Panel:
Frank Breust, Vice President, Governmental Affairs, BMW Group
Diarmuid O'Connell, Vice President, Business Development, Tesla Motors
Dennis McGinn, Assistant Secretary, Energy, Installations and Environment, US Navy
Jeff Joyner, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, E4 Mobility Alliance

Responder:
Ashley Hand, Transportation Technology Strategist Fellow, LADOT

The transportation sector is the largest source of air pollution, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gas emissions in California. At the same time, as vehicle technology continues to improve, policymakers recognize the opportunities to reduce emissions inherent in an interconnected, autonomous fleet. State air, energy, and transportation agencies are converging on integrated solutions to incent and align investments in infrastructure, as well as regulatory policy and incentives that will meet 2050 air and climate goals. Can we all agree what the future of mobility in Southern California should include? What should power personal vehicles in the near term and into the future? What opportunities are there, really, for driverless cars?

-INFRASTRUCTURE-

Upgrading Regional Transportation Agencies' Electrical Infrastructure and Investment in Resiliency (P3)

Moderator:
Val Menotti, Chief Planning & Development Officer, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District

Panel:
Anthony Bruzzone, Associate Principal, Transport Planning, Arup
Janea A. ScottCommissioner, California Energy Commission
Dan Cohee, Vice President, PDE Total Energy Solutions
Cris Liban, PE, Executive Officer, Environmental Compliance and Sustainability, Metro

In the case of BART's electrical system capacity- and that of transport in Los Angeles, as well as Japan - the challenges of reliability, cost and safety are enormous and only more so given operation within seismically active geographies. How transport is powered has recently become an issue for BART. Its board has expressed concern that, with aging infrastructure, electrical problems can cause delays in service and closures. This panel will address: What infrastructure upgrades of electrical supply are needed to accommodate expanding transit networks? How can transportation agencies collaborate with electric utilities and outside providers to ensure sufficient peak period? How ought resiliency be better incorporated into each system’s infrastructure? 

11:40 AMCONCURRENT PANELS

-ENERGY STORAGE-

California's New Energy Storage Roadmap (P1)

Moderator:
Jim Kelly, Senior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Edward Randolph, Director, Energy Division, CPUC
Mateo Jaramillo, Vice President, Products and Programs, Tesla Motors
Erica He, Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Sumitomo Electronics
Mark Irwin, Director, Technology Development, Advanced Technology, Southern California Edison

Commissioner Peterman was the chief architect of a truly historic step for the energy ecosystem – the release of her landmark Decision (D. 10-03-040) mandating that California’s investor-owned utilities procure 1,325 MW of energy storage by 2020.  This decision has clearly changed the game not only in California, but across the nation. Utilities are looking at storage very seriously, and innovators are developing a myriad of new technologies, new applications, and new ways of packaging hardware, software and customers to provide different kinds of energy storage. So where are we today? Are there valuable lessons from our early steps toward broad deployment of energy storage? Is the utility implementation of the policy bringing enough of the right resources to market? How will this policy impact utility customers? Is D.10-03-040 the “PURPA of energy storage”, that will forever change the landscape – or a blip on the energy radar?

-WATER-

El Niño and Resiliency: When It Rains, It Pours (P2)

Moderator:
Sue Minterformer Vermont Secretary of Transportation; former member, White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience

Panel (In Formation):
Andy Lipkis, Founder, TreePeople
Mark Pestrella, Chief Deputy Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Hayato Nakazono, Deputy Manager, Water Peipeline Division, JFE Engineering

Like many other jurisdictions across the globe, Southern California must ready itself for the storms and floods brought by El Niño and climate change. Public infrastructure and engineered resiliency surely will be tested. At the same time, federal, state and local initiatives have, in response to years of drought, focused on the need for water supply and retention capacity. What investments and innovations are being made today to prepare for El Niño events and climate disruption? Are the newest clean technologies and sustainable practices being incorporated within new investments?  What are some of the newest proven technologies? How are municipalities adopting these technologies? Learn about the challenges cities and nations face to address the challenges of climate change. And hear how Japanese innovators are developing technologies to ensure long-term resilience. Join our discussion on infrastructure technologies and resilience to ensure safety and sustainability into the future.

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

Financing Transportation Infrastructure (B3)

Moderator:
David Narefsky, Partner, Mayer Brown

Panel:
Jeff Morales, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Joshua Schank, Chief Innovation Officer, Metro
Robert Griffin, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Program Office, US Department of the Navy
Yasutake Kojima, Director of Administration and Treasurer, East Japan Railway Company

America’s infrastructure is woefully underfunded and its condition is too often severely degraded. Forecasts suggest that our nation’s infrastructure investment shortfall will be $1.1 trillion by 2020, increasing to $4.7 trillion by 2040. Managing in this tight fiscal climate is one of our metropolitan, state and our nation’s military's greatest challenges. This distinguished panel of operators, procurers, and finance & information management experts will explore innovative ways that regional and state leaders have navigated this difficult environment to finance the building of new, as well as the repair of existing, critical transportation systems. 


-POLICY/FINANCE-

Cap-and-Trade Auction Revenue Expenditure Funding and Implementation of SB 375 (P3)

Moderator:
Gail GoldbergExecutive Director, ULI-Los Angeles

Panel:
Ken AlexDirector, California Governor's Office of Planning and Research
Randall Winston, Director, California Strategic Growth Council
Lauren Faber, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles
Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director, Climate Resolve

Passed in 2008, SB 375 directed the Air Resources Board to set regional targets aligned with the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for cars and light trucks under AB 32. In the current fiscal year, the market has generated about $2.2 billion in revenues, which will fund projects ranging from transit, to high-speed rail, to affordable housing. How are these revenues going to be spent within California’s MPOs? Will these policy-guided financial incentives significantly guide private investments toward land uses and development projects that will support greenhouse gas reduction? Will these development projects result in long lasting public private partnerships?

12:25 PM

-LUNCHEON PLENARY-

Pricing Carbon to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (B1)

Remarks:
Mary NicholsChair, CARB
Robert Fleming, Assistant Deputy Minister, Climate Change and Environmental Policy Division, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Ontario
Jonathan Weisgall, Vice President, Government Relations, Berkshire Hathaway

Around the world, nearly 40 nations, including the 28-member European Union, and many smaller jurisdictions, are engaged in some form of carbon pricing. In North America, British Columbia, Quebec, California and nine northeastern states have raised the cost of burning fossil fuels without damaging the economy. Alberta, Canada’s biggest oil and gas producer, and Ontario have said they will adopt similar policies. Jurisdictions using the cap-and-trade approach include California. The nine Northeastern states and Quebec are investing the revenue generated by auctioning emission permits in mass transit, energy efficiency, renewable energy and other strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Some of the revenue is also dedicated to helping low-income families cope with higher energy costs. But carbon pricing comes in two forms: a direct tax on emissions or a cap on emissions. British Columbia, for instance, has levied a tax on emissions from fuels like gasoline, natural gas and heating oil. Which pricing regime is likely, if any are, to become the world’s template? 

1:35 PM

-POST-LUNCH PLENARY-

California Resets Climate Change Policy (SB 350): Leadership Assesses State and Global Market Implementation (B1)

Moderator:
Jim KellySenior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Robert WeisenmillerChair, California Energy Commission
Steve Berberich, President and CEO, California ISO
Mary NicholsChair, CARB

And:
Kazuo Furukawa, Chair, NEDO

SB 350 was undoubtedly historic. In simple terms, it mandated an increase in California’s RPS from 33% in 2020 to 50% by the end of 2030. It also set an objective to “double the energy efficiency savings in electricity and natural gas final end uses of retail customers through energy efficiency and conservation.”  Finally, it set in place a framework to allow the CaISO to move toward a multi-state, regional organization. SB350 has most certainly not been without controversy. Many have hailed it as the most significant state energy policy pronouncement in years - a milestone that will lead other states (and perhaps other countries) to finally begin the long path toward a new environmental sensibility. Others have argued that the negative consequences for California will be dire: Higher electric rates. Higher prices for good and services. Blackouts. The loss of thousands of jobs. And on and on… Now the leaders on this panel face the real challenge: Implementing this historic change in the course of our state with fairness, common sense, and resolve. 

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-

Roundtable: Designing for Density: Developing Resilient, Affordable, Transit-Centric, Digital Cities (A)

Moderator:
Cecilia Estolano, Co-Founder, ELP Partners

Panel:
Charles BovetUS West Coast Vice President, Operations, BONE Structure
David Kramer, President, Hudson Companies
Steve GlennCEO, LivingHomes
Frank Bush, Executive Officer, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
Gwynne Pugh, FAIA, Principal, Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio
Chris Pak, Founder and Principal, Archeon Group
Jill Stewart, Campaign Director for the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, Coalition to Preserve LA
Vaughan Davies, Director of Urban Design, AECOM
Gail Kennard, President, KDG Architects

Los Angeles, historically a sprawling metropolitan area, is undergoing a transformation toward a denser metropolis centered around public transportation infrastructure. These shifts include growing pains, from concerns about traffic congestion and affordability to issues of aesthetics in the built environment. Hear from those implementing these shifts on the ground—architects, developers, policymakers, and activists—about the future they envision and the challenges it may pose. 

2:35 PM CONCURRENT PANELS

-ENERGY-

The Changing Face of the Western Grid: EIM and Regional Power Markets (P3)

Moderator:
Bob Foster, former Chair, California ISO

Panel:
Jonathan Weisgall, Vice President, Government Relations, Berkshire Hathaway
Steve Berberich, President and CEO, California ISO
Walter Spansel, Vice President, NV Energy
Ruth Cox, Vice President of Power Marketing, Centauri Energy

One of the more interesting energy market developments of the decade, the Energy Imbalance Market, extends the CAISO real-time electricity market to other balancing authorities in the west. In simplest terms, bigger and more diverse electricity markets give more opportunities to balance demand and supply efficiently — simply because bigger markets have more diversity in weather, renewable generation patterns, even different time zones that impact when peaks hit the grid. For instance, resources such as wind and solar power fluctuate depending on the weather, which can be calm and sunny in one area, and cloudy and windy in another. By capturing a wider portfolio of resources, an EIM optimizes available regional resources to ensure electricity can be dispatched where and when it is needed. That should reduce costs and enhance reliability. How will the EIM unfold for California and the Southwest? What have we learned so far? And will customers really see tangible benefits?  How does this concept grow in the future? Will we – or should we – see an interconnected national electricity market someday?

-WATER-

Unleashing Water Innovation: Reliability, Supply, and Security (P1)

Moderator:
Barbara Romero, Deputy Mayor of City Services, City of Los Angeles

Panel:
John Simpson, Program Director, Water Resources Division, Marine Corps Installation West/Marine Corps Base
Jocelyn Boudreau, Co-Founder and CEO, Hortau
Richard VanSant, President and CEO, UV Pure
Jacob Lipa, CEO, Micropolitan

As regions from California to South Africa experience worsening drought, municipalities around the world are looking to adopt new technologies that can increase the security of their water supply by reusing stormwater, grey water, and wastewater. What technologies have proven most valuable? Where is there most room for innovation? And as rainfall and groundwater dwindle, can integrating these technologies into city infrastructure ensure we’ll always have plenty of water?  Panelists from the city, the private sector, and the military will weigh in.

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

21st Century Transit Portals: Investment and Innovation (P2)

Moderator:
Renata Simril, CEO, LA84 Foundation

Panel:
Phil WashingtonCEO, Metro
Deborah Flint, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports
Jeff Morales, California High-Speed Rail Authority

Even without the challenge of hosting an Olympics, Metro Los Angeles presently is investing many tens of billions in public transit and portals like LAX and Union Station. The mandate: to mitigate suffocating congestion, air quality pollution and uneconomic energy consumption. Hear from three regional Los Angeles transportation leaders who not only have assumed responsibility for managing the daunting challenges of systems operation, but who also fully embrace livability and the climate change policies and sustainable practices that are the law of California, the city and county.

-POLICY/FINANCE-

DOD and Sustainability: Modeling and Driving Domestic Energy-Efficiency Markets (B3)

Moderator:
Earl BlumenauerUS Congressmember, Oregon

Panel (In Formation):
Dennis McGinn, Assistant Secretary, Energy, Installations and Environment, US Navy
Dan Cohee, Vice President, PDE Total Energy Solutions
Edward Randolph, Director, Energy Division, CPUC

The Department of Defense has developed strong relationships and collaborated with Western states over many years and shares many similar goals, including promoting energy security, energy efficiency, alternative transportation technologies, and environmental stewardship. An example of this collaboration is the Western Regional Partnership (WRP), an organization of federal, state, tribal and military partners in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Through the WRP, agencies are working collaboratively to protect natural resources and promote sustainability, homeland security, and military readiness in the West. This panel includes not only the Assistant Secretary of the Navy over Installations and Environmental, but also a leading private sector designer and implementer of advanced energy storage and DG, and the CPUC’s energy division director. They will explore how the Department of Defense is working on groundbreaking projects with state agencies and private companies to ensure their missions and bases operate sustainably.

3:30 PM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-ENERGY-

Smart Metering: Is the Promised Being Fulfilled? (P3)

Moderator:
Ken Devore, Managing Director (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel (In Formation):
Emil Abdelshehid, LADWP
Tim Wolf, Director of Marketing, Smart Grid Solutions, Itron
Josh Roper, Vice President, Advanced Metering, Silver Spring Networks
David Buczkowski, Senior Director, Major Projects, SoCalGas
Alan Jones, PG&E
Percy Haralson, Principal Manager, Advanced Technology, Field Technologies, Southern California Edison

The smart grid was delivered with a promise to customers for a smarter, safer and more reliable energy future. What impact are traditional utilities seeing as a result of smart metering? How will customers adopt and interact with these advanced technologies? How will utilities serve customers better and achieve an appropriate balance between energy policy, technology, energy reliability and affordability? Join this discussion to find out how. 

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Evolution of Sustainable Agriculture: Optimizing the Distribution of Healthy Food (P1)

Moderator:
Paula Daniels, Executive Director, California Central

Panel:
Justin Siegel, Interim Faculty Director, Innovation Institute for Food and Health
Earl Blumenauer, US Congressmember, Oregon
Sam Polk, Co-Founder and CEO, Harvest; Founder and Executive Director, Groceryships

Food, from farm to fork to the future: this panel will discuss the need for and types of economic drivers for sustainable agriculture, as well as new models of food retail and food production that aim to make healthy and sustainable food more widely affordable.  

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

The Path to Renewable Ports: The San Pedro Bay Story Unfolds (A)

Moderator:
Jim Kelly, Senior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Janea A. Scott, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Rick Cameron, Director of Environmental Planning, Port of Long Beach
Joseph Lyou, Board Member, AQMD
Jerilyn López MendozaManager, Environmental Affairs, SoCalGas

Ships, trains and trucks – they bring the items we need to every corner of our nation. From food and clothing to cars and machinery. Ports and the infrastructure that supports them are critical (some would say indispensable) to our quality of life. However, this same infrastructure has historically been a significant global contributor to pollution and greenhouse gases. How is – and should – the next generation of infrastructure be built to accommodate growth while decreasing the impacts on our environment? What do sustainable ports, sustainable fleets, and sustainable supporting infrastructure look like?

-ENERGY-

Conversion Technologies: Waste-to-Energy Initiatives (P2)

Moderator:
Coby Skye, Engineer, LA County Department of Public Works

Panel:
Hector De La Torre, Commissioner, CARB
Alex Helou, Assistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Paul Relis, Senior Vice President, CR&R Waste Services
Jim Lucas, Market Development Manager, SoCalGas
Nurit Katz, Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA
David McConnell, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Enerkem Inc.

Recent developments in waste management have brought many jurisdictions closer to realizing a truly sustainable waste management system – one that maximizes recovery of materials currently sent to landfills in order to create new products, generate renewable energy, and even produce negative carbon fuel. New laws are further driving this shift in the waste management paradigm, creating both mandates and incentives to divert materials from the waste stream and place them back into the economic stream. With proper planning and the right structures, there are significant benefits to a more sustainable approach, including conservation of resources, reducing pollution, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, spurring economic development, and managing long-term costs. What do local solutions from around the world teach us about the challenges and promises of a sustainable waste management future? This new vision for the future is at the nexus of sustainability, climate change, renewable energy and waste management.

4:25 PM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-ENERGY-

CPUC's Landmark Distribution Resource Planning Proceeding: What Does It Really Mean? (P3)

Moderator:
Jim KellySenior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel (In Formation):
Edward Randolph, Director, Energy Division, CPUC
Tom Doughty, Director of Customer Service and Stakeholder Affairs, California ISO
Pierre Sacre, Director, Schneider Electric
Heather Sanders, Principal Manager, Integrated Grid Strategy & Engagement, Southern California Edison

Public Utilities Code Section 769, enacted by AB 327, required the California investor-owned utilities to file, “distribution resources plan proposals to identify optimal locations for the deployment of distributed resources” – including, “distributed renewable generation resources, energy efficiency, energy storage, electric vehicles, and demand response technologies”. This has been a massive and complex undertaking for the utilities, the CPUC, and many other involved parties. The proceeding has had many filings, workshops, rulings, webinars…and still has a long way to go. The questions from the public are pretty simple: What will this mean to me – to my home and my business? Is it going to get easier or harder to “go solar” or adopt other new technologies? Will I end up paying more? What does this do to benefit California? What are the positions of the key voices in this important space?

-BY INVITATION ONLY-

LA World Trade Center: Annual Consular Corps Briefing: Opportunities Arising from Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal and COP21 (P1)

Introductions:
Bill Allen, President and CEO, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Stephen Cheung, President, World Trade Center-Los Angeles

Speaker:
Lisa GritznerPresident, Cerrell

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

Sustainable Freight (A)

Moderator:
Hector De La TorreCommissioner, CARB

Panel:
Joseph Lyou, Board Member, AQMD
Peter PeytonILWU
Jerilyn López MendozaManager, Environmental Affairs, SoCalGas

In July Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-32-15, which directs state agencies and departments to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness of California’s freight system. The integrated action plan, the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan, will also identify policies, programs, and investments to achieve these targets. What role is the state playing in changing the freight practices with trucking, rail, shipping, and other port technologies? What progress have the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach made in improving air quality while growing business?

-ENERGY-

Financing and Procurement of Renewables and Sustainable Infrastructure (P2)

Moderator:
Ron Galperin, City Controller, City of Los Angeles

Panel:
Peter Luchetti, Board Member, California IBank
Thomas CainCEO, GSV Sustainability Partners
Robert Griffin, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Program Office, US Department of the Navy
Nancy Sutley, Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer, LADWP

Our cities, schools, hospitals, public works, and park facilities face a trillion-dollar problem: The infrastructure inside these facilities and the systems that support them are increasingly obsolete. Add to this deficit the reality that our taxes and capital are scarce and must too often go to other priorities, and the result: we continue to "make do" with public assets that are old, inefficient, and wastefully consume too much energy and water simply because they’re old. For years many environmental entrepreneurs & economic stewards have complained about lengthy public procurement practices that have proven to be inadequate to the challenge - too costly and inconsistent to achieve state of the art replacement, and with a result that fails to respect our environmental aspirations.  How do public institutions do better? How do we more economically finance and sustainably replace the old with the new?

-SPONSOR SHOWCASE-

**Note: This panel begins at 4:00.

Opportunities for California and Japan: Deregulating Japan's Electricity Market (B3)

Moderator:
Woodrow Clark, Founder, Clark Strategic Partners

Panel:
Tatsuya ShinkawaDirector, Market Surveillance Division, Electricity Market Surveillance Commission, Japan Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry
Louis Stewart, Deputy Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iHubs), Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

 

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

7:15 AM

Registration

7:45 AM

VX2016 Day Two Welcome (B1)

David Abel, Chair, VerdeXchange
Gail Goldberg, Executive Director, ULI-Los Angeles
Wayne Ratkovich, President, The Ratkovich Company

7:55 AM

"A River Runs Through It": Reimagining LA's Waterway (B1)

Remarks:
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

Following Panel:

Moderator:
David Abel, Chair, VerdeXchange

Panel:
Frank Gehry, Partner, Gehry Partners
Tensho Takemori, Partner, Gehry Partners
Joe EdmistonExecutive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Barbara Romero, Deputy Mayor of City Services, City of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles River has taken center-stage in the region, with plans for its revitalization promising a civic centerpiece for the county. Today, those charting the rivers’ future engage in discussion—including leadership from the City of Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and Gehry Partners. They share their visions for the waterway’s future—from habitat revitalization to recreation space and beyond—as well as considering ways to achieve them. What are the implications of a “reimagined” LA River for Los Angeles?

9:10 AM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-ULI FUTUREBUILD-

The Most Sustainable Buildings in the World (P2)

Moderator:
Frances Anderton, Host, "DnA: Design and Architecture," KCRW

Panel:
David Martin, FAIA, Design Principal, AC Martin
David KramerPresident, Hudson Companies
Harlan Kelly, General Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Three truly state-of-the-art buildings - one residential, one commercial and a public headquarters - are the focus of this panel. Each project showcased is/has set the bar very, very high. Harlan Kelly’s new SFPUC Headquarters is Platinum LEED; NY City’s Hudson Company is building what may be the tallest, greenest residential tower in the world for Cornell; and Los Angeles’ David Martin has designed for his Korean client what will be one of the tallest, most sustainable buildings in the western US.  Hear from our panelists about each project and how they are driving development through design and investments in cutting edge technologies and materials.

-ULI FUTUREBUILD-

The Sharing Economy's Promise and Challenges (P1)

Moderator:
Jon Healey, Deputy Editor, Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times

Panel
Jacob Lieb, Sustainability Policy Manager, Metro
Vince BertoniDirector of Planning (nominated), City of Los Angeles
Ronen Olshansky, Co-Founder and CEO, Cross Campus
Bill Rouse, President, Taxicab Paratransit Association of California

How are sharing economy services disrupting established providers of, for example, ground transportation and live/work space? Here in Los Angeles, the continued growth of carsharing services such as Uber and Lyft (which has expanded service to LAX) are winning market share throughout the city. Likewise Cross Campus and WeWork are challenging successfully traditional markets for rentable space. How are planners and policymakers responding, and how ought they? Should parking and zoning codes change? Should our investment in public transit reflect growth in the sharing economy? And what improvements can be made to local jurisdictions' regulatory frameworks?
 

-WATER-

Water Desalination: Technologies and Financing (B3)

Moderator:
Cathy Green, President, Orange County Water District

Panel:
Andrew Kingman, Executive Vice President - Development, Poseidon Water
Dan Cohee, Vice President, PDE Energy Solutions
Hiromu Nishimura, Infrastructure Systems Department Manager, Business Development Department, Global Water Systems, Hitachi

December 2015 press headlines read: "The newest weapon in the war on drought in California has arrived, an engineering marvel that will harvest drinking water from the ocean on a scale never before seen in the Western Hemisphere." This groundbreaking project is located in Carlsbad and produces 50 million gallons of fresh water every day, meeting 7 to 10 percent of San Diego Water Authority's demands and buffering the region against supply shortages for decades to come. Besides Carlsbad, there are very few desalination projects in the United States and most of those are small, inland facilities that clean up brackish groundwater.  Yet, this technology is flourishing in other parts of the world, including Israel, Japan and Australia. Cost has been a factor in moving desal projects forward in the U.S., but as water shortages continue to worsen, policymakers and ratepayers are seriously reevaluating the importance of diversifying water portfolios and the value of water reliability. Come hear first-hand from a leading expert involved in developing the Carlsbad project, as well as leading international experts who have developed cutting-edge and energy-efficient technologies that are helping to make ocean desalination a reality in California and around the globe. Learn how these innovative ideas were financed and about the great potential that is still waiting to be tapped. 

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Innovation & Investment in Climate Mitigation Technologies: How Public Policy and Universities Interact With Enterprise (P3)

Moderator:
David FransenChair, Waterloo Innovation Summit

Panel:
Dean WibergManager, Commercial Technology Partnership Office, NASA JPL
Peter Marx, Chief Innovation Technology Officer, City of Los Angeles
Paul Krekorian, City Councilmember, City of Los Angeles
Paul Bunje, Principal and Senior Scientist, Energy and Environment, XPRIZE

A host of strategic economic & political forces seems arrayed against the successful implementation of clean technologies. Yet other credible sources suggest the global green economy is going to scale facilitated by apps and innovative technology coming to market. What is the reality? What are the technologies and sectors that are demonstrating the greatest potential- garnering the most research dollars and equity investment? What role do universities play? How does policy drive these processes? This panel will assess the impact of strategic and market forces on the possibility of clean technologies making it successfully to the marketplace.

10:10 AM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-ULI FUTUREBUILD-

Made to Last: Resiliency, Public Policy, and ROI (P2)

Moderator:
Ann Gray, FAIA, FRICS, Principal, GRAY Real Estate Advisors

Panel (In Formation):
Marissa Aho, Chief Resiliency Officer, City of Los Angeles
Rick Cole, Santa Monica City Manager
Catherine Nuezca Gaba, Building Civil Engineer, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety

A city in distress. What do you need? More resilience. It sounds so easy. Urban resilience is a relatively recent policy concept – the ability of a city to recover from chronic or sudden upheaval – that is rarely teased out in media reports of urban disasters. This panel will help define exactly what resilience is, what components of physical and social infrastructure are critical to urban recovery, who pays for it, and how resilience is measured before and after upheaval. Join these front-line practitioners for a lively discussion of resilience in action.

-ULI FUTUREBUILD-

Intelligent Buildings - Water, Power, Light: The New Infrastructure (P1)

Moderator:
Robert Greene, Writer, Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times

Panel:
Mike DeNamur, Director of Sales and Marketing, Intelligent Building Technologies (Americas), UTC
David JacotDirector of Energy Solutions, LADWP
Dan Cohee, Vice President, PDE Total Energy Solutions
David Kramer, Principal, Hudson Companies

Four innovators who have helped reinvent the built environment continue to raise excitement, and expectations, about what buildings can do. They will discuss their current projects and how they, and projects like them, can conserve energy, save money and otherwise serve their human owners and occupants. They will discuss what incentives are needed to allow further innovation.

-ENERGY STORAGE-

Storage Comes in Many Flavors: Alternatives to Battery Storage (P3)

Moderator:
Steve Sullivan, Managing Director (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Mike HopkinsCEO, Ice Energy
Jim KellySenior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison
Mark Stout, Vice President, Project Development, Amber Kinetics
Jeffrey Reed, Director of Emerging Technologies, Sempra Utilities
Stephen Jones, Managing Director, ITM Power

If you listen to the press, “energy storage” is synonymous with batteries. Make no mistake, batteries are the subject of huge global investment, and will play an important part of our energy storage future. But there are several exciting non-electrochemical energy storage technologies that have hit the marketplace and are quickly garnering supporters. Our panelists will introduce and discuss some of these remarkable approaches, and explain how they differ from battery storage – and why they must be considered as part of our green future.

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-

The Future Is Being Built Today: Inglewood's Investment in Livability and Mobility (B3)

Moderator:
Brian Watt, Business Reporter, KPCC

Speaker:
James ButtsMayor of Inglewood, CA

Responders:
Gail GoldbergExecutive Director, ULI-Los Angeles
Catherine Burke, Associate Professor Emerita, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

The City of Inglewood made headlines this month when owners of the Rams voted to relocate the NFL team there. Mayor James Butts comments today on the plans underway for the Rams’ arrival, including preparations for a major stadium. How will Los Angeles County transport fans to and from the site, and what implications do these investments in infrastructure mean for Inglewood? Looking more broadly, what impact can sports facilities have on growing cities and quality of life for communities?

11:10 AM

-ULI FUTUREBUILD-

Disruption on Wheels: New Mobility Models for Cities (P2)

Moderator:
Rick Cole, Santa Monica City Manager

Panel:
Seleta Reynolds, General Manager, LADOT
Emily Castor, Director of Transportation Policy, Lyft
Michael KeatingFounder and CEO, Scoot Networks
Marc Fenigstein, Co-Founder and CEO, Alta Motors

New technologies are transforming mobility and our cities. Electric-drive that allows fueling at home, mobile applications and services, driverless cars, and more are even altering business models. Manufacturing companies like BMW are transitioning into service providers, and utilities and other energy companies are investing or proposing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into electric charging infrastructure in Southern California alone. Taken together, the future of our cities may be cleaner, quieter, and more efficient if these technology transformations work… but will they?
 
-ULI FUTUREBUILD-
 

Moderator:
Doug Campbell, Principal Advisor (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Jacob Atalla, Vice President, Sustainability, KB Homes
Evan Birenbaum, COO, Chai Energy
Doug Kim, Director of Advanced Technology, SCE

From investor-owned and municipal utilities, to private sector companies, billions of dollars are being invested in the “smart grid” or “grid of the future.”  What does this mean to the average homeowner?  Manufacturers and utilities each have their own agendas, but what about the customer side of the equation?  This panel will examine this topic and the following questions: Most homeowners have little interest in “geeking out” on their energy use, so how will they interface with and realize benefits from the new technologies offered by the smart grid? What will the tangible benefits be for the average consumer? Will low-income consumers be able to participate – and how?  How will the role of the utility change moving forward, and what will this mean to consumers? What products are manufacturers bringing to market to aid consumers in understanding managing their energy usage and cost?

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

NextGen Vehicle Service Infrastructure: Electricity, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, and Petroleum (B3)

Moderator:
Mike Levin, Director of Government Affairs, FuelCell Energy

Panel:
Terry O'Day, Vice President, eVgo/NRG
Ashley Hand, Transportation Technology Strategist Fellow, LADOT
Bill Van Amburg, Senior Vice President, CALSTART
Alejandro Zamorano, Clean Energy and Advanced Transport Specialist, Bloomberg New Energy Finance

However regulators and vehicle manufacturers aligned, perhaps when all is said and done and the dust has settled, it may be the fueling infrastructure that determines which alternative fuel powers the cars and trucks of the future. Now, most especially in California, there’s a growing need to energize vehicles with something other than petroleum. Will it be possible to build such a fueling network in far less than the 100 years it took to build the present network? Could it be done in as little as 10? And whether the vehicle service infrastructure is electricity, hydrogen, national gas or petroleum, key questions remain. What is the least costly with the smallest environmental impact? And regarding consumer choice: how many consumers will buy and lease all electric or new fuel cell vehicles? Lastly, will low cost fueling infrastructure for electric vehicles result in this alternative vehicle choice dominating the future?

-POLICY/FINANCE-

Modern Due Diligence: How Financial Markets are Rewarding Sustainability (P3)

Moderator:
Mike Wallace, Managing Director, BrownFlynn

Panel:
Evan HarveyDirector of Corporate Resopnsibility, NASDAQ; Chair, World Federation of Exchange's Sustainability Working Group
Thomas Van Dyck, Managing Director, RBC Wealth Management
Lee O'Dwyer, CFA, Equity Market Specialist, Bloomberg LP

A rapidly increasing number of shareholders are expressing their interest in the non-financial performance (i.e., sustainability) of publicly traded companies. This type of performance often falls under the umbrella of corporate responsibility (CR), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and/or environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Investors from all over the world and all across the market are now engaged, from sovereign wealth funds, to public pension plans, institutional investors, asset managers, and intermediaries like the ratings industry and the research providers. These shareholders are seeking greater transparency on issues ranging from annual energy use and the associated emissions, water consumption, minorities in the workforce and supply chain, human rights policies, and diversity of the board of directors.  Learn about how this demand is rapidly changing the market and impacting all players in the markets, from stock exchanges to IPOs.

-BY INVITATION ONLY-

**This session continues until the closing reception at 3:30 PM.

Addressing Los Angeles's Changing Future for Water Supply: The Devil's in the Details (B4)

Moderator:
Jack Baylis, President and CEO, The Baylis Group

Panel:
Matt Petersen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles
Martin Adams, Senior Assistant General Manager, Water Systems, LADWP
Adel HagekhalilAssistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Liz CrossonWater Policy Advisor, City of Los Angeles
Mark Pestrella, Chief Deputy Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Deven Upadhyay, Manager, Water Resources Management Group, Metropolitan Water District
Heather Repenning, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works
William Funderburk, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Water and Power

12:00 PM

-LUNCHEON PLENARY-

The Distributed Energy World: Does This Change Everything? (B1)

Moderator:
Jim Kelly, Senior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel (In Formation):
Pedro Pizarro, President, Southern California Edison
Marcie Edwards, General Manager, LADWP
Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission

We are told in the press, almost daily, that the world of energy has changed in remarkable ways in the last few years. Solar PV has continued to decline in price and increase in efficiency. Home energy storage has become, arguably, a viable alternative for many. A new report by the Rocky Mountain Institute finds that the most economic scenario for electricity customers is to install combination solar-plus-battery systems, but remain on the grid.  According to the report, the solar-plus-battery systems will eventually provide the majority of customers’ electricity. In a “decoupled” regulatory model like the one we employ in California - where the investor-owned utilities’ revenues are not dependent on the quantity of product sold - the dynamics get even more complex and counter-intuitive. Add into this the notion that some have advanced that control of the utility distribution system should increasingly be handled not by the utilities, but by some independent overseer. So how do we separate the truth from the hyperbole? Will we all be “off the grid” in a few years? Are there new and even more disruptive technologies on the horizon? Do utilities have a new and very different business model in mind? Who are the winners and losers? 

-BY INVITATION ONLY-

**This session continues until the closing reception at 3:30 PM.

Addressing Los Angeles's Changing Future for Water Supply: The Devil's in the Details (B4)

Moderator:
Jack Baylis, President and CEO, The Baylis Group

Panel:
Matt Petersen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles
Martin Adams, Senior Assistant General Manager, Water Systems, LADWP
Adel HagekhalilAssistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Liz Crosson, Water Policy Advisor, City of Los Angeles
Mark Pestrella, Chief Deputy Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Deven Upadhyay, Manager, Water Resources Management Group, Metropolitan Water District
Heather Repenning, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works
William Funderburk, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Water and Power

1:45 PM - CONCURRENT PANELS

-BUILT ENVIRONMENT-

Next Generation Sustainable Development: Pushing the Envelope (P3)

Moderator:
Richard Katz, Founder, Richard Katz Consulting, Inc.

Panel:
Quay Hays, CEO, GROW Holdings
Michael Dieden, Founder, Creative Housing Associates
Randall Lewis, Owner, Lewis Group of Companies

Three teams showcase their innovative approaches to building sustainable communities: GROW Holdings in the Central Valley, committed to renewable energy and organic farming; Creative Housing Associates, emphasizing transit oriented development; and Lewis Group Companies, focusing on creating healthy places.

-ENERGY-

Breakthrough Technologies and Model Sustainable Practices to Implement COP 21 (P2)

Moderator:
Linda Griego, Director, AECOM Board of Directors

Panel:
Nate Lewis, Scientific Director, CalTech Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis
Ron KentAdvanced Technologies Development Manager, SoCalGas

The success of COP21 in Paris at the end of 2015 marked a step forwards for developing global climate change solutions. Any targets pledged by nations, however, depends on climate solutions being developed at regional and local levels. How do local solutions to cut GHG fit into a larger global scheme? What innovations are necessary to make COP 21 goals a reality? 

-ENERGY-

Is Demand Response's Time Now? Customers, Grid Operators, and Stakeholders Assess (P1)

Moderator:
Gavin Purchas, Director, California Clean Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund

Panel (In Formation):
Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Cole HershkowitzCEO, Chai Energy
Austin Collins, Principal, Utility Consulting Services, Schneider Electric

Traditionally an opportunity only available to large C&I facilities, the laws and tactics around Demand Response are changing.  Entirely behavioral approaches are entering the market, the advent of smart devices is bringing automated Demand Response to the masses, and companies cannot bid innovate Demand Response directly into the electricity markets. Come learn about these developments and their implications.

-BY INVITATION ONLY-

(Continued) Addressing Los Angeles's Changing Future for Water Supply: The Devil's in the Details (B4)

**This session continues until the closing reception at 3:30 PM.

Moderator:
Jack Baylis, President and CEO, The Baylis Group

Panel:
Matt Petersen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles
Martin Adams, Senior Assistant General Manager, Water Systems, LADWP
Adel HagekhalilAssistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Liz Crosson, Water Policy Advisor, City of Los Angeles
Mark Pestrella, Chief Deputy Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Deven Upadhyay, Manager, Water Resources Management Group, Metropolitan Water District
Heather Repenning, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works
William Funderburk, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Water and Power

2:45 PM

-ENERGY-

Cleantech Innovators and Motivators: How LA's Top Cleantech Companies are Changing the Game (P2)

Moderator:
Evan BirenbaumCOO, Chai Energy

Panel:
David Nahai, President, David Nahai Consulting
Max Aram, Founder and CEO, Pick My Solar
Stan TomsicExecutive Director, PortTech
Chris Rico, Director of Innovation, 
Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Cole Hershkowitz, CEO, Chai Energy

Industry "makers" dive deep into the happenings around LA's Cleantech sector. Topics include game-changing technologies, monopolies and startups, local policy and regulation, infrastructure challenges and changes, economic development and redevelopment, project finance and support, local startups, NGO's, sustainability and the built environment, and, of course, VX recap. Join us for an engaging, innovative and interactive discussion. Audience participation wanted and most encouraged.

-TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE-

An Update on Urban Mobility: ATNs Coming of Age Around the World (P1)

Moderator:
Jim Kelly, Senior Vice President (retired), Southern California Edison

Panel:
Catherine Burke, Associate Professor Emerita, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Lin MidkiffAerospace Corporation
Peter Marx*, Chief Innovation Technology Officer, City of Los Angeles
Jeff JoynerCo-Founder and Co-Chair, E4 Mobility Alliance

Responder:
Robert Sipchen, Senior Editor, 
California Section, Los Angeles Times

Automated Transit Networks are finally starting to be developed and built globally, with new announcements coming quickly. What’s the promise of such networks? Can and should the US – and California – take a leadership position? What’s needed to move the ball forward?

-BY INVITATION ONLY-

(Continued) Addressing Los Angeles's Changing Future for Water Supply: The Devil's in the Details (B4)

Moderator:
Jack Baylis, President and CEO, The Baylis Group

Panel:
Matt Petersen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles
Martin Adams, Senior Assistant General Manager, Water Systems, LADWP
Adel HagekhalilAssistant Director, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation
Liz Crosson, Water Policy Advisor, City of Los Angeles
Mark Pestrella, Chief Deputy Director, LA County Department of Public Works
Deven Upadhyay, Manager, Water Resources Management Group, Metropolitan Water District
Heather Repenning, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works
William Funderburk, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Water and Power

3:30 PM

VX2016 Closing Reception & Press Conference