Monday
TIME
SESSION TITLE
SESSION DESCRIPTION
LOCATION
10:00 AM
Registration Opens
Palm Garden
12:00 - 1PM
Lunch & Networking
Palm Garden
1:00 – 3:00pm
Accelerator Session
Panel: 9.1% by 2030: How Data Centers Are Rapidly Reshaping the Utility Ecosystem
Bob Irvin
Executive Director, Joules Accelerartor (Moderator)
Tom Flaherty
Sr. Advisor, Parthenon- EY
Zak Kuznar
Managing Director of Grid Solutions, Duke Energy
Monty Prekeris
Co-Founder, Mercury Computing
Panel: Reducing the Barriers for Adoption: Navigating Innovation Hurdles with Utilities
Ryan Rutledge
VP Strategy & Innovation, Joules Accelerator (Moderator)
Adam Richins
Chief Operating Officer, Idaho Power
Adam Sledd
Executive Director, Dominion Energy Innovation Center
Jamie Ruben
Chief Investment Officer, Aligned Climate Capital
In this session we'll discuss:
Big Tech as a New Stakeholder; AI as the Next Game Changer; Accelerated Push for Decarbonization; Increased Electric Demand and more…
Main Keynote Hall
3:00 – 5:00PM
NETWORKING
Palm Garden
3:30 - 5:00PM
WORKING GROUP PLANNING SESSION & WORKSHOPS
Grid Modernization; Building Out Electric Networks; Integrated Energy Planning
Closed door session for National Grid and NGA members only. The purpose of this session is to align Working Group participants on the core challenge areas to address in future Working Group meetings.
Main Keynote Hall - Rooms H-K
5:00 - 5:30PM
BREAK & Transition to Closed Dinner
5:30 - 7:30PM
CLOSED Event - NGA Member/NGP Portfolio Dinner
TBP
Tuesday
TIME
SESSION TITLE
SESSION DESCRIPTION
LOCATION
7:30 - 8:25AM
Registration & Breakfast
Palm Garden
8:30 - 8:40AM
Welcome
Oli Barrett
Master of Ceremonies
Aaron Panzer
Head of NextGrid Alliance & Commericalization, National Grid Partners
Main Keynote Hall
8:40 - 8:50AM
Opening Remarks
Steve Smith
Interim Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer, National Grid and President, National Grid Partners
Main Keynote Hall
8:50 - 9:00AM
Welcome to Massachusetts
Yvonne Hao
Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development
Main Keynote Hall
9:00 - 9:30AM
Opening Keynote
Russell Gold
Author & Journalist, Senior Editor, Texas Monthly
The utility industry is at an inflection point. Climate change is accelerating, the need for clean energy supply deepens, and demand growth is exponential. The only way forward is to meet the moment by modernizing the grid, growing the electric network to meet demand, and defining and implementing integrated energy planning.
Russell Gold will lay out a vision for how this industry moves forward. The vision will define the challenge while telling a story of hope in how the startup community will create, implement, and grow the solutions that will enable us collectively to overcome the biggest challenges that lay ahead.
Main Keynote Hall
9:30 - 10:15AM
Fireside Chat
Utility Leaders: Achieving the Future
Julia Hamm
Partner, Ad Hoc Group (Moderator)
Lisa Wieland
President New England Jurisdiction, National Grid
Mari McClure
President & CEO, Green Mountain Power
In the push to transform the grid for the future, utility companies face common challenges, obstacles, and opportunities. While geography, regulation, and politics create distinction between certain utilities, the overarching math of climate change, supply and demand are generally the same.
Julia Hamm will lead a panel of utility leaders in a discussion of the monumental challenges each faces related to modernizing and building out the grid and the role each believes startups will play in supporting the transformation of their companies.
Main Keynote Hall
10:15 - 10:30AM
BREAK
Main Keynote Hall
10:30 - 11:15AM
Panel:
Founders Perspective: Breaking Through as a Cleantech Startup
Steve Smith
Interim Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer, National Grid and President, National Grid Partners (Moderator)
Greg Jackson
CEO, Octopus Energy
Eric Dresselhuys
Co-Founder, Silver Spring Networks
Tim Healy
Co-Founder, Former Chairman & CEO EnerNOC
Raghu Belur
Co-Founder, Enphase Energy
The barriers to entry for startups and innovative solutions in the utility sector are seemingly greater than most other industries. Due to heavy regulation, complexity of systems, and overall culture, making meaningful progress and growing successful businesses with scaled solutions is more outlier than common practice.
Steve Smith will lead a panel of startup founders that grew businesses within the energy industry from idea and inception to scaled and reliable businesses. This panel will discuss the largest challenges they faced along the way and provide lessons learned on how to persevere within this industry.
Main Keynote Hall
11:15 - 12:00PM
National Grid Partners' Portfolio Company Pitch Session 1
Main Keynote Hall
12:00 - 12:45PM
1:1 Meetings - Session 1
Main Keynote Hall
12:45 - 1:40PM
Lunch & Networking
Palm Garden
1:45 - 2:30PM
National Grid Partners' Portfolio Company Pitch Session 2
Main Keynote Hall
2:30 - 3:15PM
1:1 Meetings – Session 2
Main Keynote Hall
3:15 - 3:50PM
Breakout Session 1:
Taking the helm: Steering towards grid enhancing technologies
Breakout Session 2:
Reading the Currents: Energy Priorities and Investments in a Trump or Harris Administration
Breakout Session 3:
Opportunities and Challenges for Electric and Gas Utilities: Innovation to Drive Heat Electrification
Breakout Sessions with Coordinating Workshops
(Full Descriptions can be found on the Registration Site)
Main Keynote Hall - Rooms H-K
3:50 - 4:35PM
Coordinating Workshop 1:
Hidden treasures: Where are the biggest opportunities for grid modernization?
Coordinating Workshop 3:
Art of the Possible: Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Decarbonizing Heat
Main Keynote Hall - Rooms H-K
3:15 - 4:35PM
Breakout Session 4:
Steering Energy Demand: How Virtual Power Plants Can be Expanded to Help Customer Costs.
Coordinating Workshop 4:
Exploring Horizons: Choosing the next grid services to support with virtual power plants
Breakout Sessions with Coordinating Workshops
(Full Descriptions can be found on the Registration Site)
Palm Garden
4:35 - 4:45PM
BREAK
4:45 - 5:10PM
Fireside Chat
Ben Wilson
President, National Grid Ventures (Moderator)
Jigar Shah
Director, Loan Programs Office DOE
Jeff Marootian
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, DOE
As we look to address the challenges outlined throughout the day as in terms of transforming the grid for the future by modernizing it, growing the electric network to meet demand, and defining and implementing an integrated energy plan, Jeff Marootian and Jigar Shah will provide perspectives from the US Department of Energy pertaining to how we contextualize and meet the moment by investing in innovation.
Main Keynote Hall
5:10 - 5:35PM
Closing Keynote
Dr. Vanessa Chan
Chief Commercialization Officer, Director, Office of Technology Transitions, DOE
As we conclude a full day of discussion focused on transforming the grid for the future by modernizing it, growing the electric network to meet demand, and defining and implementing an integrated energy plan, Vanessa Chan will circle back to the original vision and outline a pathway of where we go from here in our journey. The outline will include a pathway for how utilities and startups will coalesce to meet the moment.
Main Keynote Hall
5:35 - 6:35PM
Transition to Aquarium & Networking Reception
5:35 - 9:30PM
Networking Reception
New England Aquarium
6:35 - 6:45PM
Closing Session
Steve Smith
Interim Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer, National Grid and President, National Grid Partners
New England Aquarium