February 2, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: VERDEXCHANGE 2017 CHARTS PATHWAY FOR CONTINUING PUSH TOWARDS RESILIENT GREEN ECONOMY
Los Angeles, Calif.— On January 30 – 31, more than 750 global and California market-makers gathered under one roof for the 10th annual VerdeXchange Conference in Downtown Los Angeles. VX2017 provided an unparalleled platform for leaders to share technology and policy successes that are propelling the growth of our trillion-dollar clean energy economy. From the President of Southern California Edison to the President of the California Public Utilities Commission, from Berkshire Hathaway Energy to the Natural Resources Defense Council, and from Goldman Sachs to Japan’s NEDO Research Institute, financial and policy decision-makers shared market knowledge and formed lasting partnerships to advance energy efficiency, smart water, microgrids, autonomous vehicles, and green infrastructure.
Highlights of VX2017 included:
- California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker announced the world’s largest deployment of grid-scale battery storage in Ontario, California. Southern California Edison, California Independent Service Operator, San Diego Gas & Electric, AES Energy Storage, and Tesla were coordinating partners on the energy storage project to support the reliability of Southern California’s electric grid, which was delivered in a record time of six months.
- An advanced look at Los Angeles’ 2024 Olympic Bid given by AECOM Vice President Bill Hanway, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Phil Washington, LA84 Foundation CEO Renata Simril, and LA 2024 Olympic bid leadership of Brence Culp and Gene Sykes regarding the $135 billion of investment in infrastructure as it hopes to host its third Olympic Games.
- Announcement by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl of a countywide stormwater fee proposal to increase water capture and reuse.
- Prioritization of regional water investments in Southern California by public water managers and 20 of the world’s top water infrastructure engineering firms.
- A briefing co-hosted by the World Trade Center-Los Angeles on Trade by recently returned U.S. Ambassador to Germany John Emerson, who was joined by former Ambassador Vilma Martinez and former United States Trade Representative Mickey Kantor.
- An expert panel on how Los Angeles intends to spend Measure A’s $93 million in annual parks and open space funding.
- An in-depth look at a completely new, high-tech city (Quay Valley) in Kings County, California that intends to integrate technologies and rely on smart city infrastructure.
Market-makers from Asia, Europe and the Americas found VX2017 a valuable venue to explore new business opportunities and evolve policy initiatives. VX2017 also hosted National Association of Clean Water Agencies leaders to share case examples on financing infrastructure investment to assist Los Angeles agencies in reducing water imports by 50% by 2024. Likewise, VX panels by example addressed: Southern California Regional Collaboration on Water, Cyber Security, the impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Cities, Zero Waste, and Energy Storage. Felicia Marcus, Chair of the California State Water Resources Board, commented, “There are people here who know what the cutting edge is. By investing a couple of days at VerdeXchange to see what the cutting edge is, you save yourself months, if not years, of wasted time.”
VX2017’s partnership with the Urban Land Institute-Los Angeles’ FutureBuild afforded leading developers and planners an opportunity to hear the latest on Sustainability, Resiliency, and Disruption. Delegations from Japan, Canada, and Germany, along with other nations, joined participants from California and across the US to discuss disruptive technologies that are optimizing the electric grid, its reliability, and the growth of distributed generation. California State Senator Bob Wieckowski reinforced the importance of the state in leading, remarked “California will continue to lead the world on innovation. If federal funding changes, we will get smarter. We really have to move quickly on removing the greenhouse gas emissions while increasing productivity and keeping our economy strong.”
More than 180 expert speakers contributed to VX2017, including: David Heurtel, Québec Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Fight Against Climate Change; Fran Pavley, former California State Senator; John Chiang, California State Treasurer; James Butts, Mayor of Inglewood; Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board; Steve Westly, Founder and Managing Director, The Westly Group; Kelli Bernard, Chief Executive-Los Angeles, AECOM; Bob Hertzberg, State Senator, California State Senate; Robert Weisenmiller, Chair, California Energy Commission; Kazuo Furukawa, Chairman, NEDO; Seleta Reynolds, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Transportation; Renata Simril, President and CEO, LA 84 Foundation; David Wright, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; Betty Yee, California State Controller; Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Supervisor; Liane Randolph, California Public Utilities Commissioner; and many more.
“Attendees of VerdeXchange over the last 10 years have turned an idea into an action.”
- Jim Wunderman, CEO, Bay Area Council
Browse additional speakers: http://www.verdexchange.org/speakers/vx2017
Review the program: http://www.verdexchange.org/vx2017-program
VX2017 sponsors include: AECOM, Southern California Edison, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Psomas, METRO, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, ARUP, World Trade Center-Los Angeles, Southern California Gas Company, Urban Land Institute–Los Angeles, NEDO, IBEW/NECA, California Energy Commission, JETRO, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, Province of Québec, Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, Black & Veatch, California Energy Commission, Nissan, Young Professionals in Energy–Los Angeles, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Consulate General of Canada–Los Angeles, Sustainability Partners, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Subaru, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, and Chai Energy. Media sponsors included: Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the Los Angeles Times.
Join us next year for the 2018 VerdeXchange Conference & Expo.
For press inquiries, contact:
Ross Zelen
Tel. 213.629.9019
ross@verdexchange.org