Imagining a Just Recovery. What would that look like for the grid?

On July 30th the Hawaii Energy Conference went virtual for a robust discussion of how the energy sector can and should respond to our current challenges by creating a “just” electrical grid.

The Hawaiʻi Energy Conference understands our energy systems do not exist in a vacuum.  COVID-19 has laid bare the stark reality of pre-existing inequalities in our society. The elderly, the poor, and minorities have suffered tremendously in the pandemic’s wake.  Peaceful, sometimes violent, forms of protest make it painfully evident that an equitable or just recovery is the only path forward to heal our communities.

Not everything is bad news. The planet experienced an unexpected respite from air pollution, and a slowdown in carbon loading to the atmosphere. But the lessened impact to our ecosystem came at an extraordinary economic cost. As we move forward, what strategies will policy makers and regulators use to achieve results that benefit broad swaths of society?  How will utilities and companies in the energy sector contribute?

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Featured Speakers

Learn more about the program

Scott Seu President & CEO, Hawaiian Electric Company		Doug McLeod Chair, Hawaii Energy Conference Program Committee	Frank De Rego, Jr Vice Chair, Hawaii Energy Conference Program Committee
Jennifer Potter Commissioner, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission	Clifford Rechtschaffen Commissioner California Public Utilities Commission	Mark Kolesar Former Chair, Alberta Utilities Commission	Mark Thompson Commissioner, Oregon Public Utility Commission
Will Giese Executive Director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association	Dawn Lippert CEO, Elemental Excelerator	Scott Glenn Chief Energy Officer, Hawaii State Energy Office	Odette Mucha Regulatory Director, Southeast, Vote Solar
Rachel James Attorney, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission	Alvaro Sanchez Director, Environmental Equity, Greenlining Institute	Ali Andrews Co-Founder and CEO of Shake Energy Collaborative
Jonathan Koehn Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, City of Boulder	Destinie Nock Assistant Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University	Kathryn Wright Program Director, Building Energy, Urban Sustainability	Carlos Martin Senior Fellow, The Urban Institute