Monday, June 17
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Opening Networking Reception
The Gallery – InterContinental New York Barclay
Tuesday, June 18 – Day 1
9:00 – 9:45 AM
Keynotes
John Rhodes, New York State Public Service Commission
9:45 – 10:45 AM
Increasing Capital Flows During the Energy Transition
Our opening session will examine capital flows to renewable projects in an era of ongoing transition in the power sector. A panel of senior officials with leading financial institutions will share their observations on the continued attractiveness of renewable energy and offer insights on how to successfully manage the next few years as tax credits begin to phase out.
- How quickly will other sources of capital replace tax equity in capital stacks and how will this affect project returns?
- Lowering the overall cost of capital
- The role of new investors entering U.S. markets
Speakers:
Keith Martin, Co-Head of Projects, United States, Norton Rose Fulbright (moderator)
Ted Brandt, Chief Executive Officer, Marathon Capital
Pooja Goyal, Partner and Head of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Team, The Carlyle Group
Andy Redinger, Managing Director-Group Head, Keybanc Capital Markets
Himanshu Saxena, Chief Executive Officer, Starwood Energy Group
10:45 – 11:15 AM
Break
11:15 – 12:15 PM
The State of the Tax Equity Market
Tax equity remains an important source of project finance in 2019. Prominent providers will offer commentary on the market’s trajectory as the sector increases reliance on alternative sources of capital.
- Securing tax equity prior to the phasedown of tax credits
- Bonus depreciation with lowered tax rates
- Continued effects of the BEAT provision
Speakers:
Frank Palladino, Managing Director, CohnReznick Capital (moderator)
Gary Blitz, Senior Managing Director and Co-Practice Leader, AON
Mit Buchanan, Managing Director, Energy Investments, J.P. Morgan
David Levy, Vice President, Tax Advantaged Investments, State Street
Gaurav Raniwala, Global Renewable Energy Leader, GE Energy Financial Services
Dan Siegel, Vice President, Director of Business Development – Renewable Energy Investments, U.S. Bank
12:15 – 1:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Getting to $1 Trillion by 2030: How Markets and Structures Will Need to Adapt
Grounded in a survey of financial institutions, ACORE has launched a campaign to secure $1 trillion in additional U.S. renewable energy and enabling grid technology investment between 2018 and 2030. However, policy, regulatory and market barriers may pose challenges for this ambitious target. A fireside chat with strategic players will consider solutions to these hurdles, reflecting on the following questions:
- How important are mandates and policies for continued market momentum?
- What should we look for in climate policy?
- How are states pushing past barriers?
- How can we leverage market incentives to increase demand?
Speakers:
David Giordano, Managing Director, Global Head – Renewable Power, BlackRock (moderator)
Ray Wood, Managing Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
2:15 – 3:00 PM
A Deep Dive on Power Pricing
This presentation and discussion will offer a detailed look into the trajectory of power prices and the growing competitiveness of renewable energy.
- What can we learn from countries without tax credits? Why are markets like Mexico and Alberta seeing lower pricing?
- Where do we see power pricing in the context of grid modernization and new technologies?
- How will shorter and more discrete contracts affect power pricing?
- Will renewables become competitive in merchant markets?
- How will tariffs affect power pricing?
Speakers:
Steve Vavrik, Chief Commercial Officer, Apex Clean Energy (moderator)
Steven Batchelder, Director, Origination, NRG Energy, Inc.
William Nelson, Head of Power, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Harry Singh, Vice President, Goldman Sachs
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Break
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Evolving Demand from the C&I Sector: New Contracts and Market Incentives
As renewable energy use grows in prevalence throughout the corporate and industrial sector, the profile of offtakers is quickly diversifying. With this growth has come a shift in demand toward renewable energy options that meet the needs of energy users with smaller loads and different appetites. This panel will consider new contracting options and market incentives to accommodate these new players.
- The shifting form of C&I PPAs: shorter tenures, smaller offtake agreements and multi-client contracts
- The use of proxy generation PPAs to reduce complexity and help manage risks
- Scope 3 emissions reduction efforts and renewable value chain initiatives
Speakers:
Ed Zaelke, Partner, Head of Energy, Project Finance Practice, McDermott Will & Emery (moderator)
Amanda Peterson Corio, Prinicipal, Energy & Global Infrastructure, Google
Chelsea Mozen, Sustainability Lead, Etsy
Jason Tundermann, Vice President, Business Development, LevelTen Energy
Emily Williams, Senior Director of Energy Markets and Sustainability, Edison Energy
4:30 – 5:15 PM
The Value of Renewable Energy in ESG Scoring
Corporate and industrial buyers, financial institutions and other publicly traded companies are seeking methods to better align Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scoring with their decarbonization strategies. Panelists will examine new efforts to promote standardized and transparent metrics for climate disclosure and renewable energy use, and identify how improved ESG scoring metrics can help grow demand for renewables.
Speakers:
Amanda Cimaglia, Assistant Vice President, Investor Relations & ESG Reporting, Hannon Armstrong (moderator)
Simon Fischweicher, Manager, Corporate Engagement, CDP
Katherine Neebe, Senior Director – ESG, Global Responsibility, Walmart
5:45 – 8:00 PM
Evening Reception
Wednesday, June 19 - Day 2
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Renewable Energy Owners Redefined: Disruption in the Utility Sector and the Growth of New Power Providers
The energy transition presents opportunities and challenges for both traditional and new owners of renewable projects. Utilities are increasingly adopting “steel for fuel” strategies and introducing new models for storage while confronting other market dynamics. Meanwhile, the emergence of new power providers, such as community choice aggregators, is fueling additional demand and changing regulatory environments. This panel will offer owners’ perspectives on the following questions:
- Are the phase outs of the PTC and ITC an opportunity for increased utility development?
- How are utilities changing how they treat renewable assets?
- What is the role for new power providers like CCAs, many of which do not have credit ratings, and how are they financing projects?
- How are tax reforms and lowered credit ratings affecting utility development?
Speakers:
Jam Attari, Chief Executive Officer, BayWa r.e. Solar Projects (moderator)
Matthew Fransen, Chief Operating Officer, AEP Renewables
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Insights from Top Developer CEOs
Senior executives from companies driving renewable energy’s expansion will share their evolving strategies in response to market shifts, regulatory dynamics and policy changes.
- The impacts of tax reform, tariffs and other federal policy shifts on development
- How the movement away from traditional 15-20 year offtake agreements is affecting business
- How dynamic regulatory climates across the country are creating unique environments for renewable development, with new opportunities and risks
Speakers:
Greg Wetstone, President & CEO, ACORE (moderator)
Tom Buttgenbach, Co-Founder, President & CEO, 8minutenergy
Ja Kao, President & CEO, Onyx Renewable Partners
Jim Murphy, President & Chief Operating Officer, Invenergy LLC
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Break
11:30 – 12:30 PM
Trends in Equity Markets
Speakers will discuss evolving strategies amongst equity providers, the entrance of new infrastructure investors and projections about the future of public and private equity markets.
Speakers:
Chris Gladbach, Partner, Orrick (moderator)
Skip Grow, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Susan Nickey, Managing Director, Hannon Armstrong
Chris Radtke, Co-Head of Power & Renewables – Americas, Credit Suisse
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 PM
Financing Infrastructure Development
Speakers will identify renewable industry priorities to build the infrastructure required to support higher levels of renewable energy in the nation’s power grid. The discussion will navigate both private and public solutions at the federal and state levels.
- Market structure reforms and other ways to support development of the sector
- Who should build it?
- The role of EV-charging infrastructure
- Public/private partnership arrangements
Speakers:
Mona Dajani, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (moderator)
Jon Bram, Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners
Nick Butcher, Senior Managing Director, Global Co-Head of Infrastructure & Energy Group, Macquarie
2:15 – 3:15 PM
A Closer Look at Energy Storage Investment
The energy storage sector is soon expected to mirror the fast growth of the renewable sector, but the lack of common approach for financing projects has hindered capital flows. Panelists will discuss their experience with storage products, detail how they identify potential revenue streams in different markets, address how the sector best approaches project finance, and identify prospects for increased investment.
Speakers:
George Hardie, Vice President & Director of Business Development, N.A., Pattern Energy Group
Daniela Shapiro, Senior Vice President, Engie
3:15 – 3:30 PM
Break
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Trends in Debt Markets
Debt lending is becoming more favorable for projects as the sector transitions away from tax equity. Senior lenders will offer perspectives on leveraging debt for project finance and growth.
Speakers:
Will Marder, Managing Director, Project Finance Agency Services, Wilmington Trust (moderator)
Andrew Joynt, Senior Director, Global Infrastructure and Project Finance, Fitch Ratings
Andrew Lin, Managing Director, Head of Energy and Project Finance, DBRS
Carl Morales, Managing Director, Group Head, SMBC