Sessions

To register for the roundtables, click here!

These roundtable discussions provide excellent opportunities to network with peers while engaging with industry experts. Roundtables focused on specific industry topics are moderated by leading professionals in each field. The roundtables sell out quickly—don’t delay reserving your seat!

This session will explore the different financing mechanisms and capital structures that will be critical to enabling a more sustainable energy future and what actors will be key to making this a success. Alternative financing for medium sized players: Reconciliation, direct-pay tax credits What's next for Project Finance? CPPAs, VPPAs, and what about other options?

The safety of an energy storage system cannot be overemphasized. At the moment, in the US both manufacturers and installers refer to UL-rated systems and install to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Although energy storage standards from both organizations are relatively young (UL 9540 began in 2016; NFPA 855 in 2020), they received input from hundreds of stakeholders, including engineers, manufacturers, first-responders, and safety policymakers — all in an effort to prevent loss of life and property. There should be other standards for the rest of the world for example the EU. The panel section will discuss energy storage safety and across the world the standards being adopted. Many safety concerns, especially with lithium-based batteries, relate to thermal runaway — when a battery experiences an increase in temperature that eventually leads to cell short-circuiting or disintegration that can spark a fire. The panel discussion will address these thermal runaways and safety concerns regarding how to discard used battery systems safely.

Initiate is the hub at DISTRIBUTECH to hear about new technology, innovation, and up and coming talent in the energy sector. There will be 25 amazing startup companies pitching for a chance to win an award from Duke Energy and Clarion Energy Events. Stop by booth #3755 on the POWERGEN side to hear pitches and content centered around energy innovation.

Initiate is the hub at DISTRIBUTECH to hear about new technology, innovation, and up and coming talent in the energy sector. There will be 25 amazing startup companies pitching for a chance to win an award from Duke Energy and Clarion Energy Events. Stop by booth #3755 on the POWERGEN side to hear pitches and content centered around energy innovation.

The future of energy in Texas and the US is one of carbon-free promise, but numerous challenges face us in designing and operating an electricity system that does not emit greenhouse gasses. What is the best way to meet growing consumer demand for power while ensuring resiliency and reliability? How can we address potential disruptions to natural gas supply, given limited storage and transportation capacity? And how do we manage these challenges within a changing regulatory environment? Mario Azar, President of Power Business at Black & Veatch will kick off the Leadership Summit with a short introduction. Join us for a conversation with former US Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and Brad Jones, Acting CEO of ERCOT. They have tackled energy challenges throughout the country and will weigh in on the unique issues that lie ahead as we march toward the Net-Zero Future.

Dominion Energy Innovation Center's DEIC Accelerate program introduced 15 startups to dozens of business units across Dominion Energy in its first two years. In this session, Adam Sledd of DEIC and Michael Beiro of Linebird will discuss how the program creates value for both the utility and the startups.  They will cover how a startup can maximize its opportunity to quickly build customer relationships, and how the utility benefits from creating a formal framework to engage startup companies.

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Workplace diversity is becoming a more common conversation in the business world and placing a focus on diversity and inclusion should extend farther than the hiring department. Diversity is a range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values, national origin, veteran status, and political beliefs. Join us for a networking lunch to hear industry leaders speak on the topic of diversity in the workplace and share the best practices they have experienced in this space.

Whether we have more jobs or less is a debate only time will settle, but there is no doubt 100% of jobs will be reskilled. How we work and Why is being recalibrated, and society overall will take a radical shift as we head into what has been described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. How can we build the new capacities necessary? How will new tools shape new behaviors and drive new expectations? Which old practices to manage risk are actually now putting us at risk? And how will we measure we are doing it right?