Session Summaries
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Opening Remarks Garry Brown, Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission and Chair of the NARUC Committee on Electricity, opened the 2009 National Electricity Delivery Forum (Forum) and welcomed everyone to the fourth Forum that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) has co-sponsored. He explained that this year's National Electricity Delivery Forum would be different from previous Forums. "There has been more involvement and news on the energy front lately than there has been in the last 10 years," said Brown. |
Keynote Speaker The Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, delivered the keynote address to open the National Electricity Delivery Forum. Secretary Chu explained that energy can help restart the U.S. economy and he additionally recognized the gravity of the issues that the nation faces. Secretary acknowledged that the issue of renewable energy integration, particularly in regards to transmission, requires a new update to the system. He explained that the President's stimulus bill will invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. In addition, the bill will help weatherize over one million residential units a year and it will provide tax incentives for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). |
Keynote Panel Bruce Upbin, the Managing Editor for Forbes Magazine moderated the keynote panel. The panel discussed the stimulus funding, and what role the government can play in grid modernization. The panel seemed to agree that the stimulus bill would help develop a grid that would be more reliable and encompasses real-time pricing. However, they warned that just because the government mandates something does not mean it will necessarily work. |
Electricity Policies The Honorable Erin O'Connell-Diaz, a Commissioner with the Illinois Commerce Commission and Co-Vice Chair of the NARUC Committee on Electricity was the moderated the Electricity Policies panel. The panel discussed what approaches the government should take when considering electricity policies. |
Financing in the Electric Power Delivery System in an Uncertain Energy World Ellen Lapson, Managing Director of Fitch Ratings, was the moderator of this panel. The panel focused on the financial markets and the future effects on investment for the energy sector. Ms. Lapson commenced the session by asking the audience a series of questions. When Ms. Lapson posed the question to the audience of whether or not they anticipated investment changes in 2009, and an overwhelming 81% of the audience indicated that they anticipated investment changes. This set the platform for the panel's discussion. |
Skilled and Innovative Workforce for the Electric Power Industry Wanda Reder, the President of the IEEE Power & Energy Society and Vice President of Power Systems Services of S&C Electric Company, was the moderator of this panel. The panel discussed the upcoming challenges for the industry to attract a new workforce, particularly considering the large percentage of current employees that were reaching retirement age. |
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Deploying Innovative Technologies The Honorable Katrina McMurrian, Commissioner of the Florida Public Service Commission, served as moderator for this session, which focused on evaluating U.S. efforts to deploy innovative technologies that will transform the U.S. electric power delivery system. |
System Operations Anne George, Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communications for the New England Independent System Operator, moderated this session on future operational challenges and opportunities associated with various policy and technological developments in the electric power system. |
Transmission Planning The Honorable Dian Grueneich, Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, served as moderator for this session on regional transmission planning and modernization solutions for the integrated electric power system of tomorrow. |
Integrating Generation Resources Ashley Brown, Executive Director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, moderated this session on deployment and integration of generation resources. |
Closing Keynote Session John Norris, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and former Chairman of the Iowa Utilities Board, provided the closing keynote address. He first spoke with regard to utilities, stating that "there are many pieces to this puzzle and...the Rural Utility Service [RUS] is one of them." Last year, the RUS hit a record $7.1 billion, illustrating that it will continue to be a player in the upcoming years. Mr. Norris mentioned a growing trend toward pairing with private developers for generation and transmission for renewable energy. Mr. Norris said that USDA will "help change the culture in this country of how we view energy" by looking at energy use in its facilities; promoting energy efficiency and lowering the carbon footprint, especially in programs in the agriculture sector; and running rural water, housing, and business assistance programs. USDA also has ethanol and biomass programs, but recognizes the significant energy consumption that occurs during the fuel conversion. |