by HEC Team | Mar 2, 2018 | 2018, News
Alice Madden, Executive Director, Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
The Maui Energy Conference returns to the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on March 14-15, celebrating its Fifth Anniversary.
Alice Madden, Executive Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment at Colorado Law and keynote speaker at the first Maui Energy Conference in 2014, will open this year’s second day with a reflection on the tremendous changes that have occurred in Hawaii and the nation’s energy landscape over the last five years.
Alice started her distinguished career as a lawyer, specializing in employment, civil rights and anti-discrimination law. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2000, she served as Majority Leader from 2005 – 2008. Her legislative priorities included helping build the foundation for a sustainable energy economy.
Subsequently, Alice served as Climate Change Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and later held the Timothy E. Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development at CU Denver. In 2013, she accepted an appointment to the U.S. Department of Energy where she served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental & External Affairs.
Her current priorities at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment include bridging the gap between research and practice by drawing on the perspectives of diverse stakeholders.
The Maui Energy Conference is presented by Maui Economic Development Board Inc. (MEDB) and supported by the Maui County Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. The in-depth conference sessions and ample networking opportunities aim to provide valuable resources for participants. As Hawaii’s leading homegrown energy conference, it attracts more than 300 energy industry leaders from Hawaii, the Continental U.S., Asia, and Europe.
The 2018 Conference theme is Decarbonization: A Business Opportunity for Innovative Communities.
Session topics include exploring technical innovations in energy storage, an economic analysis of utility PV customers as they respond to new policies on distributed energy, the future of ground and maritime transportation, and the potential of carbon farming techniques in agriculture.
“The challenges that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere present to our environment also provide innovative communities, from Hawaii to New York, with new business opportunities,” remarked Frank De Rego Jr, Director of Business Development Projects at MEDB and Vice-Chair of the Program Committee. “The key is to seize those opportunities and make them work.”
The 2018 Maui Energy Conference sponsors include Ulupono Initiative, a Hawaii-focused impact investing firm that uses investments to improve the quality of life for Island residents and Hitachi, Ltd., a company who has conducted important research in Hawaii to improve the stability of the electric grid through a system that employs electric vehicles.
The full list of conference sponsors include: Ulupono Initiative, Hitachi, County of Maui, Hawaii Energy/Leidos, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaiian Electric Companies, Sempra Renewables, Amber Kinetics, Ameresco, Gridworks, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Kevala, Ohm Energy Technologies, Steffes, and Tabuchi Electric.
by HEC Team | Feb 23, 2018 | 2018, News
In March, the Maui Energy Conference will be discussing the business opportunities created by efforts to decarbonize. An extraordinary decision on February 6, 2018 by the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission (PUC) shows why you need to attend if you are interested in the Hawaii energy scene. According to the Hawaii PUC the issues relevant to a review of projects by the local gas utility now include:
…whether the commission should disallow as unreasonable…costs due to the effect …of imported LNG on the State’s reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.” Docket No 2017-0150.
This looks like a fundamental shift in how the Commission assesses the environmental impacts of producing energy in Hawaii. According to Conference Chair Doug McLeod: “The question is now whether the traditional ‘reasonable and prudent standard’ drives one to the conclusion that prudent people don’t want to make electricity in ways that might speed up climate change”. Sea change, game change, whatever type of change analogy you like – from a regulatory standpoint this is very different than where we were a few years ago.
Don’t miss the first organized discussion of this important issue in Hawaii and its possible implications nationwide. The Maui Energy Conference, March 14-15th, will be held at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.
The Maui Energy Conference is Hawaii’s leading energy conference featuring invited keynote speakers, panel sessions, case studies, exhibits and networking. It attracts more than 300 energy industry leaders from Hawaii, the Mainland, Japan and Europe to exchange ideas on how to better serve customers in today’s rapidly changing power generation and delivery environment.
by HEC Team | Feb 15, 2018 | 2018
Diane Moss, founder and Director of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute
Diane Moss, Founding Director of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute, will be the keynote speaker for the Fifth Annual Maui Energy Conference held at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on March 14-15, 2018.
The theme for this year’s conference is Decarbonization: A Business Opportunity for Innovative Communities.
Moss will also participate on a panel entitled “International Lessons in Carbon Reduction”. With other global experts, she will discuss the technical, political, and social challenges of reducing carbon emissions.
Moss’s distinguished career in the public and private sector includes being Environment Deputy to former U.S. Representative Jane Harman (D, CA). Currently, she is an independent consultant focused on energy policy, government relations, and sustainability related communications and campaigns. Moss has also served as a consultant to a broad range of entities from the non-profit, clean tech, and utility sectors, among others. She has published articles on a broad variety of renewable energy related issues in prestigious media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Today’s Facility Manager, and Cleantechnica.
The Maui Energy Conference is presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) with support from the County of Maui through the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. This event will explore within a global context a wide range of topics related to the state’s goal of clean, reliable, and affordable sources of energy. The specific focus will be on the challenges of reducing Hawaii’s carbon footprint through developing and supporting effective policies, technologies, and best practices.
“The Maui Energy Conference is current, timely and explores the issues facing all energy related sectors,” offers Sebastian “Bash” Nola, Program Committee member and Renewable Energy/Utility Consultant. “Here is an opportunity for attendees to network with others concerning the near term and future perspective of energy related challenges and opportunities facing Hawaii and our global community. The program should appeal to those that are serious about achieving 100% renewable penetration and the opportunities that present themselves to achieve this goal.”
Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative 10th Anniversary
This year the State of Hawaii celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI). The conference will begin by discussing the motivations and accomplishments of this landmark effort, while the rest of the conference will be devoted to exploring the challenges that remain.
Energy technology will feature at the conference with topics such as Storage Technologies, Carbon Farming, and Decarbonizing Transportation. Case studies will provide field studies on particular technologies and data-driven reports on the economic impacts of carbon reduction strategies.
The Maui Energy Conference attracts more than 300 energy leaders from the electric utility industry, the environmental community, power generation providers, investors, entrepreneurs and more. These leaders from Hawaii, the Mainland, Asia, and Europe are all here to exchange ideas on how to provide optimal service to energy customers, while preserving our precious environment.
by HEC Team | Jan 8, 2018 | 2018, News
Creating a Resilient Energy Economy Panel L to R Cheryl Roberto, Kush Patel, Aki Marceau and Moderator Luis Salaveria of DBEDT.
KIHEI, Maui, Hawaii – Jan 8, 2017 – The 2018 Maui Energy Conference returns to the Maui Arts Cultural Center March 14-15, celebrating its 5th Anniversary and the 10th Anniversary of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. The event, presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and supported by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, is Hawaii’s leading energy conference and will explore the theme ‘Decarbonization: A Business Opportunity for Innovative Communities.’
“Hawaii led the way in setting a 100% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) but did we set the right targets if we define renewable energy in a way that does not include carbon?” queries Conference Program Committee Chair Doug McLeod. “We will be looking at what we can learn from energy leaders across the nation and from around the globe.”
The Annual Maui Energy Conference attracts more than 300 energy industry leaders from Hawaii, the Mainland, Japan and Europe to exchange ideas on how to better serve customers in today’s rapidly changing power generation and delivery environment.
The conference program features invited Keynote speakers, panel sessions, case studies, exhibits and networking. With the 10-year anniversary of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), speakers will be answering the questions on its limits. whether it addresses carbon and whether there is a worthy successor.
Ever heard of Carbon Farming? A panel will discuss what the Carbon Farming Task force has been up to and the implications for Maui and Hawaii.
“Decarbonization presents innovative communities, from Hawaii to New York, with new business opportunities,” added Frank De Rego Jr, Director of Business Development Projects at MEDB and Vice-Chair of the Program Committee. “We want to know if there is a viable market for carbon and how do we maximize innovation and investment in the pursuit of a carbon-free environment.”
Session topics explore the theme at a policy and regulatory level as well as business with a session on Convergence looking at how it all comes together for a shared solution that benefits all stakeholders. Other topics include: Decarbonizing Transportation; Regulating Carbon: The Best Solutions; Storage Technologies……and More.
The Program Committee includes energy experts from Maui, Oahu, Colorado, and California and welcomes new member Frederick Redell, Energy Commissioner, Maui County Office of Economic Development.
by HEC Team | Dec 20, 2017 | 2018, News
With the program for the 2018 Maui Energy Conference taking shape, we can share some more details with you.
Here are some of the topics to be explored at the 5th Annual Maui Energy Conference March 14 – 15, 2018 as we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.
The Limits of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative
The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) has made claims to be a catalyst for significant strides in renewable energy, but there are lingering questions. What exactly is HCEI? What are its limits? Does it address carbon? Is there a worthy successor?
Business Opportunities Created by HCEI
What have we learned about nurturing business opportunities in the renewable energy sector? What are the hit and misses involving utility scale and distributed renewable resources? Is there a viable market for carbon?
The Entrepreneur Investor Relationship
How do we maximize innovation and investment in the pursuit of a carbon-free environment? What opportunities exist to connect investors and entrepreneurs in the pursuit of a common goal for decarbonization? What disruptive technologies are on the horizon that provide an opportunity for investment (e.g. data technology, hydrogen, storage technologies)?
And Much More!
The Maui Energy Conference provides an opportunity to learn from thought leaders about key issues in the energy industry and to connect, collaborate and forge new partnerships.
