Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Women in Power Generation
Please join the McCombs Energy Initiative as it presents its 2nd Annual Women in Power Generation Event. We will be joined by female panelists who have had successful careers in the energy industry.
This year's panelists include: Barbara Clemenhagen - Vice President of Market Intelligence at Customized Energy Solutions, Rebecca Klein - Principal of Klein Energy, LLC, Cheryl A. LaFleur - Board of Directors, Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE), and Stephanie Potter - Partner, Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, PLLC. Moderated by Professor David Spence - Baker Botts Chair in Law at the University of Texas School of Law and Professor of Business Government & Society at the McCombs School of Business.
All students who are interested in learning about a career in the energy industry are welcome to attend.
McCombs Energy Initiative Women in Power Generation Panel
Wednesday, March 4, 2020, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Guadalupe Classroom, 4th Floor, Rowling Hall
300 West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Austin, TX 78705
Dress: Business Attire
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast - Classroom 203
9:45 a.m. – Panel 1 - Classroom 203
Impacts of Low-Carbon Technologies on Resource Adequacy; Moderated by Ross Baldick
This panel will discuss the technical capabilities of grid-scale, low carbon technologies to address resource needs affordably. Stated differently, it will examine whether, as a matter of technical capacity and affordability, natural gas (or natural gas and green gases) will remain an essential generation source as renewable deployment expands or whether other technologies, such as large-scale batteries and compressed-air energy storage, will dominate to cover net load. If the system shifts away from thermal generation, how will issues such as inertia (synthetic or otherwise) and demand response affect the outcomes.
Panelists: Arne Olson, Bethany Frew, Colin Meehan, Yonghong Chen
12:15 p.m. – Lunch with Keynote Cheryl LaFleur - Conference Room 301
1:45 p.m. – Panel 2 - Classroom 203
The Benefits of Distributed Generation for Resource Adequacy; Moderated by David Spence
How do the growth in distributed energy resources, including distributed generation, demand response and behind-the-meter storage, and microgrids influence resource adequacy? Do they improve resilience for their owners? For others on the grid? Why or why not? How should, or shouldn’t, policymakers encourage the growth of Distributed energy resources to enhance resource adequacy, and why?
Panelists: Lorenzo Kristov, Clayton Stice, Shelley Welton, Bill Muston
4:30 p.m. – Networking Reception – Tejas Dining Room
Friday, March 6, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast - Classroom 203
9:00 a.m. – Panel 3 - Classroom 203
Capacity Markets and the Energy Transition; Moderated by Shelley Welton
FERC and RTOs have struggled lately with the question of whether state supports for renewable energy (or other generation technologies) creates unjust and unreasonable capacity market prices by disrupting the efficient operation of the market—and if so, what to do about it. Some of their proposed policy responses to this question tend to disadvantage renewable generation technologies to the benefit of traditional technologies. This in turn implicates long simmering jurisdictional dispute between the FERC and the states. This panel will take a closer look at how RTOs procure capacity and whether reliability needs can (or must, under the Federal Power Act) be satisfied in better ways.
Panelists: Jennie Chen, Joshua Macey, Jacob Mays
11:30 a.m. – Lunch with Keynote – Beth Garza, Former ERCOT Director - Conference Room 301
1:00 p.m. – Panel 4 - Classroom 203
Resource Adequacy and the Emerging Business Models for Low-Carbon Technologies; Moderated by Shalini Ramanathan
Over the past few years the cost of wind has dropped below that of combined-cycle gas plants, the cost of solar panels has dropped below 40 cents/watt and balance of system costs have plummeted, and prices for storage appear to be falling below $100/watt. The rates of technological change and cost reductions have been stunning, even after a decade of historic change in the utility sector. These developments are creating new business opportunities and fueling new business models throughout the country. This panel will examine emerging business models and the potential they have to impact resource adequacy and grid reliability.
Panelists: Mark Egan, Steven Hendricks, Kellie Metcalf
3:30 p.m. – Wrap Up/Closing Remarks
Panels
PANEL 1: Impacts of Low-Carbon Technologies on Resource Adequacy; Moderated by Ross Baldick
This panel will discuss the technical capabilities of grid-scale, low carbon technologies to address resource needs affordably. Stated differently, it will examine whether, as a matter of technical capacity and affordability, natural gas (or natural gas and green gases) will remain an essential generation source as renewable deployment expands or whether other technologies, such as large-scale batteries and compressed-air energy storage, will dominate to cover net load. If the system shifts away from thermal generation, how will issues such as inertia (synthetic or otherwise) and demand response affect the outcomes.
Panelists: Arne Olson, Bethany Frew, Colin Meehan, Yonghong Chen
PANEL 2: The Benefits of Distributed Generation for Resource Adequacy; Moderated by David Spence
How do the growth in distributed energy resources, including distributed generation, demand response and behind-the-meter storage, and microgrids influence resource adequacy? Do they improve resilience for their owners? For others on the grid? Why or why not? How should, or shouldn’t, policymakers encourage the growth of Distributed energy resources to enhance resource adequacy, and why?
Panelists: Lorenzo Kristov, Clayton Stice, Shelley Welton, Bill Muston
PANEL 3: Capacity Markets and the Energy Transition; Moderated by Shelley Welton
FERC and RTOs have struggled lately with the question of whether state supports for renewable energy (or other generation technologies) creates unjust and unreasonable capacity market prices by disrupting the efficient operation of the market—and if so, what to do about it. Some of their proposed policy responses to this question tend to disadvantage renewable generation technologies to the benefit of traditional technologies. This in turn implicates long simmering jurisdictional dispute between the FERC and the states. This panel will take a closer look at how RTOs procure capacity and whether reliability needs can (or must, under the Federal Power Act) be satisfied in better ways.
Panelists: Jennie Chen, Joshua Macey, Jacob Mays
PANEL 4: Resource Adequacy and the Emerging Business Models for Low-Carbon Technologies; Moderated by Shalini Ramanathan
Over the past few years the cost of wind has dropped below that of combined-cycle gas plants, the cost of solar panels has dropped below 40 cents/watt and balance of system costs have plummeted, and prices for storage appear to be falling below $100/watt. The rates of technological change and cost reductions have been stunning, even after a decade of historic change in the utility sector. These developments are creating new business opportunities and fueling new business models throughout the country. This panel will examine emerging business models and the potential they have to impact resource adequacy and grid reliability.
Panelists: Mark Egan, Steven Hendricks, Kellie Metcalf
Presentations from the Panelists are available here.
Conference Organizers
David Adelman
UT School of Law
dadelman@law.utexas.edu
Ross Baldick
Cockrell School of Engineering
baldick@mail.utexas.edu
Varun Rai
Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs & Cockrell School of Engineering
raivarun@gmail.com
David Spence
Red McCombs School of Business and UT School of Law
David.Spence@McCombs.utexas.edu
John C. Butler
Red McCombs School of Business
john.butler2@mccombs.utexas.edu
Logistics
McKenzie Jackson
McCombs Energy Initiative
512.232.7077
austinelectricityconference@gmail.com
Accommodations
Accommodations for the 2020 Conference
We have secured a special room block rate of $189.00 per night at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center.
You may book your room by calling the hotel at 877-744-8822. You may reference either the reservation code AUSELE0419 and/or the group name 2020 Austin Electricity Conference when you call to book. The room block rate expires February 3, 2020