Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  August 12, 2024

Sessions Added to Net Zero Forum Fall Agenda

Smart Energy Decisions announces the addition of several new sessions for the upcoming Net Zero Forum Fall, set for September 16-18 at the Westminster Westin in Colorado. Registration for the event ends on Friday, August 16. 

In addition to individual 1:1 meetings between energy customers and suppliers, networking opportunities, and the DEI Impact Awards presentation; these sessions are designed to help energy customers develop their Net Zero and other energy and sustainability strategies. 

The program will include:

Destination: Net Zero Workshop
This bootcamp-style session, open only to a limited number of energy customers,  provides a comprehensive yet streamlined onboarding to fundamental Net Zero concepts, strategies, and tactics for professionals looking to support or lead change in their organization. The workshop will include “Getting to Yes,” as participants break into smaller groups to devise plans to implement hypothetical sustainability projects.

Keynote Session | Navigating Common Hurdles in Sustainability Planning
Procurement teams, sustainability teams and facility managers often face a range of challenges when trying to connect energy management practices to comprehensive sustainability planning.  During this session, The Constellation Navigator team will explore the most common challenges around digitization, sustainability and cost management.

General Session | Striking the Balance: Navigating Decarbonization and Business Objectives for Success
In this session, Becky Wacker, Trane’s Director of Energy Services Sales, will discuss how to seize decarbonization as an organizational opportunity and provide a framework for navigating complexity and prioritizing where to turn decarbonization into a competitive advantage.

Peer-to-Peer Conversations
Join us for essential peer-to-peer conversations, one for energy buyers and one for suppliers. Energy customers will start with an industry overview of PPAs and the latest decarbonization trends, presented by Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Principal of NorthBridge Energy Partners LLC. Following the overview, buyers will break out into smaller groups for Table Talks to discuss current industry challenges and explore potential solutions.

 Spotlight Session | DERs: Tangible “How-Tos” to Power Your Path to Net Zero
The urgency to achieve net zero emissions is driving significant change across the corporate, industrial and institutional energy procurement landscape. This session presented by Alex Crown, VP Origination, Onyx Renewables, will explore how Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) can be a powerful tool for organizations seeking to reduce their carbon footprint while achieving energy cost security.

Spotlight Session | Audit Proof Decarbonization: Use Financial Grade Data for Net Zero Operations
Join EnergyCAP’s Lalit Agarwal, VP, Energy Management and Sustainability, to explore the path to net zero operations through financial grade data. EnergyCAP will provide industry examples, outlining the pros and cons of different approaches. Discover how to measure and report on decarbonization efforts with financial-grade data for bulletproof audits. 

General Session | The Current State of Sustainability
More than halfway through the year, 2024 has already delivered some important developments and notable surprises.  The growth in EVs sales has slowed, the solar industry is roaring along, and batteries are elbowing their way onto the grid. Meanwhile, interconnection queues get increasingly sclerotic, even as AI-driven data centers threaten to gobble up every available megawatt hour. Then, there’s news in hydrogen, gas, and carbon offsets. We’ll explore all this and more, and what these recent developments mean to you and your organization. 

DEI Impact Awards Breakfast
Meet the winners of our 2024 DEI Impact Awards, which recognizes the company-wide efforts of large power users advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion while powering the energy transition. Sol Systems, the exclusive sponsor of the DEI Impact Awards, will provide opening remarks from exclusive sponsor Sol Systems on leveraging renewable energy procurement for DEI impact. 

General Session | From Basics to Impact: How Offsets Support Sustainability Programs
Join Bernie Kinsella, Director of Origination, Environmental Products at NRG, as he explores the role of carbon offsets within comprehensive sustainability programs, emphasizing the importance of identifying and investing in quality offsets. NRG will provide a special focus on the criteria that define high-quality, impactful offsets.

Spotlight Session | Anatomy of a Deal presented by Mat Elmore, SVP, Strategic Accounts, Pivot Energy

Spotlight Session | Utilizing Data for An Effective and Accelerated Energy Transition
This session explores the role of data in facilitating the energy transition, focusing on Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like onsite solar, storage, and microgrids. We will delve into the concepts of data inter-dependency and product complexity and share real-life use cases. By enhancing energy resolution, eliminating gaps, and identifying generation and usage opportunities, we can optimize DERs and simplify their management, enabling sophisticated energy strategies to accelerate the energy transformation of the future.

Spotlight Session | Using Circularity to Meet Sustainability Goals
Circularity is a term that applies to many businesses’ sustainability actions and has significant energy implications for industry and manufacturing. The session will cover the definition of circularity and how it can be implemented from conception to end-of-life; why circularity is gaining momentum in U.S. and global sustainability policy; and case studies from Reworld and Cemex that highlight sustainable energy practices that utilize the principles of a circular economy.

Spotlight Session | Lost in Translation: How to Affect Impactful Organizational Change in Sustainability
Where are your roadblocks when working on sustainability projects within your organization? Your end goal may not be the problem. What you may need to flex are your organizational influence muscles. In this session, Victoria Lopez Whitley, Director of ESG at Arcosa, will discuss successes and failures she has experienced as ESG Director at a North American infrastructure company striving to build a stronger, more sustainable future. 

Other features include Office Hours with SMEs, which are opportunities to engage with energy industry Subject Matter Experts. Whether you’ve got burning questions or just want to delve deeper into a topic, this is your chance to have a one-on-one conversation with a leading expert in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Finally, Net Zero Forum will feature Smart Energy Decisions; signature 1:1 meetings, which allow energy customers to engage in personalized pre-scheduled meetings with experienced energy suppliers who have been carefully pre-evaluated for their specialized expertise and availability. These discussions provide a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights, discuss tailored solutions, and build strategic partnerships.

Click here for more information on Net Zero Forum Fall program and registration.

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