NCEW Look Ahead: Wednesday September, 23

Good morning,

National Clean Energy Week is proving to be the premier event for breaking energy and climate news!

This week we’ve given a tip of the hat to major commitments by Microsoft to become water positive by 2030, Morgan Stanley to reach net-zero by 2050, and PepsiCo to commit to 100% renewable electricity for global operations by 2030. And Elon Musk had exciting news at Tesla’s “Battery Day,” announcing plans to halve the cost per KW/h of the company’s battery packs!

Congratulations to the City of Houston and the Houston Innovation District for being selected as the site of (friend of NCEW) Greentown Labs’ newest cleantech startup incubator. (Stay tuned Thursday as the NCEW devotes a special networking hour to join Greentown Labs’ virtual “EnergyBar” event.) While over in the Peachtree State, Congressman Buddy Carter and staffers from Senators Loeffler and Perdue’s offices celebrated NCEW with the Conservatives for CleanEnergy touring Solar Array on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

And on the NCEW Policymakers Symposium mainstage, Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) announced the introduction of the Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, which will modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and reform its permitting process.

So, what newsworthy events are lined up for today? You’ll just have to see.
There is still time to register and see all of the remaining events and view archived events soon. You can also get live updates by following us @NCEWConf on Twitter.

Be sure to log on early, as heavy-hitting U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) will kick off the day at 10:00 AM. The two lawmakers are known for their bipartisanship and are coming off a once-in-a-generation legislative victory as they co-authored the Great American Outdoors Act that passed into law this summer.

The rest of the day will provide a little something for everyone, as our expert panelists will cover a wide range of topics, including rural renewables, more innovation, and new ideas for achieving net-zero emissions goals. We hope you will join us!

10:00 - 10:30 AM ET
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ranking Member, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

10:30 - 10:45 PM ET
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Member, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

10:45 - 11:45 AM ET
The New Cash Crop: Rural Renewables
Renewable energy projects are the new “cash crop” across many rural communities in America. Farmers and ranchers are diversifying their revenue streams by deploying renewables and these projects have been beneficial for regional economic development and local governments' tax base too. In this panel, leading academic researchers will discuss recent economic impact studies from Texas, Michigan, Colorado, and Indiana. Join us to hear how this clean energy sector has become an economic engine across rural America.

Josh Rhodes | University of Texas Energy Institute, and Founding Partner, IdeaSmiths, LLC
Greg Brophy | Colorado State Director, The Western Way
Sarah Mills | Senior Project Manager, Graham Sustainability Institute - Lecturer, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Russell Hillberry | Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
MODERATOR: Matt Welch | State Director, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation

12:00 - 1:00 PM ET
New Technology Is Growing the Clean Energy Economy
Innovation is changing the way we think about how we generate energy. Learn more about some of the future technologies that can make our planet cleaner and secure our energy supply for generations to come.

Dr. Laura Nelson | Executive Director, Green Hydrogen Coalition
Richard Sweetser | President, Exergy Partners Corp
Tony Giroti | Founder and Chairman, Energy Blockchain Coalition
Chris Colbert | Chief Strategy Officer, NuScale
MODERATOR: Landon Stevens, Director of Policy & Advocacy, Conservative Energy Network

1:15 - 2:15 PM ET
How the Fortune 500 Charts a Voluntary Path to Lower Emissions
Despite economic headwinds and a global pandemic, more and more U.S. companies and utilities are committing to science-based targets, or to reach net-zero emissions by a specific date. Panelists from these companies will discuss their decision-making process for emissions reduction and sustainability initiatives, the strategies they have designed to reach their goals, how shareholders and customers have responded, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Emma Cox | Manager of North American Sustainability, McDonald’s
Sara Neff | Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Kilroy Realty
Kevin Hagen | Vice President Environment, Social & Governance Strategy, Iron Mountain
Illina Frankiv | Global Energy Program Manager, WeWork
MODERATOR: Mark Porter | Director, Supply Chain & International Collaboration, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance

2:30 - 3:30 PM ET
Targets for Reaching Net Zero Emissions: How Do We Get There?
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations, in order to prevent the plant from warming more than 1.5° C by 2050 and avoid some of the more devastating impacts of climate change, the world must reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions levels by that year. Some local governments, and companies have announced more ambitious goals, aiming to reach net zero by 2045, 2035, or 2030. Panelists will discuss the reasoning behind different timelines, potential and realistic pathways to reach these goals, the economic costs, and the technological and policy innovations that would be necessary to achieve them.

Ric O’Connell | Executive Director, Gridlab
Jamil Farbes | Principal, Evolved Energy Research
Natalie M. Mahowald | Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University
Emily Fisher | General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Edison Electric Institute
MODERATOR: Kavya Balaraman, Energy Reporter, Utility Dive

3:35 - 3:45 PM ET
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

4:00 - 5:00 PM ET
Oil and Gas Industries: Looking Ahead at Low Carbon Investments, Energy Transition, and Net-Zero
Some industries are more difficult to decarbonize than others, which makes the net zero goals by oil majors and other fossil fuel companies even more significant. This discussion will dig deeper into why the petroleum industry is committing to net zero emissions, what technology pathways could lead to decarbonize operations, and what that means for the fuels and products that they produce.