by jeffbennett | Apr 18, 2014 | 2014, News
Below are videos of the recent energy conference, “Electric Utilities: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be” held March 26 and 27, 2014, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Thanks to Akaku Maui Community TV.
Electric Utilities Conference – Opening Welcome and Keynote
The Electric Utilities Conference – Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Blessing & Opening
Kaponoʻai Molitau, Kumu Hula, Nā Hanona Kulike O Piʻilani
Welcoming Remarks
Teena Rasmussen, Economic Development Director, Maui County
Jeanne Unemori Skog, President and CEO, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.
Our Community Urgently Needs Your Ideas
Alan Arakawa, Mayor, Maui County
Keynote Remarks
Alice Madden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and External Affaris, U.S. Department of Energy
Julia Hamm, President & CEO, Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA)
L. Hunter Lovins, President, Natural Capitalism Solutions
Electric Utilities Conference – Opening Welcome and Keynote from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 2
Electric Utilities Conference – Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Session 2 – The Shifting Landscape of the Utility Business Model: What are the Key Drivers of Change?
Jonathan Koehn, Regional Sustainability Coordinator, City of Boulder
Hermina Morita, Chair, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
William “Bill” Parks, Senior Technical Advisor, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy
Lauren Azar, Former Commissioner, Wisconsin Public Service
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 2 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Parts 3 & 4
Electric Utilities Conference – Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Session 3 – Expectations of Tomorrowʻs Utility Customers
Maurice Kaya, Program Director, PICHTR, former head of the State Energy Office
Dawn Weisz, Executive Officer, Marin Clean Energy
Michael Mount, Vice President, Pace Global, a Siemens Business
Tom Plant, Vice President, State Policy at Advanced Energy Economy
Will Rolston, Energy Coordinator, County of Hawaii
Session 4 – The Evolving Energy Mix in a 21st Century Utility
Jay Griffin, Policy and Research Director, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Jennifer DeCesaro, Special Advisor, Office of the Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Ken Geisler, Vice President of Strategy, Siemens Smart Grid, North America
Jonathan Koehn, Regional Sustainability Coordinator, City of Boulder
David Bissell, President and CEO, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
Electric Utilities Conference – Parts 3 & 4 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Parts 5 & 6
Electric Utilities Conference – Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Session 5 – The Regulation of Electric Utilities in Japan Post Fukushima
Kazuhiko Ogimoto, Project Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Session 6 – What Role will Technology Play in Transforming to a 21st Century Utility?
Doug McLeod, Energy Commissioner, Maui County
Kazuhiko Ogimoto, Project Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Kazuyuki Takada, Deputy Director, Smart Community Department, NEDO
Fumitoshi Emura, Department Manager, Smart City Project Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
Mark Glick, Administrator, Hawaii State Energy Office, DBEDT
Michael Reiley, President, HNU Energy
Electric Utilities Conference – Parts 5 & 6 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 7
Electric Utilities Conference – Thursday, March 27, 2014
Session 7 – Redefining the Customerʻs Role in the Utility of the Future
Lorraine Akiba, Commissioner, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Neil “Dutch” Kuyper, Chief Executive Officer, Parker Ranch
H. Ray Starling, Program Director, Hawaii Energy
Bob Lachenmayer, Smart Cities Manager, Schneider Electric
Ben Springer, Senior Associate, Energy Futures Coalition
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 7 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 8
Electric Utilities Conference – Thursday, March 27, 2014
Session 8 – How Will the Electric System Change in the Future
Bob Lachenmayer, Smart Cities Manager, Schneider Electric
Ron Binz, Former Chair, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
L. Hunter Lovins, President, Natural Capitalism Solutions
Richard Rosenblum, Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Electric
Ben York, Sr. Project Engineer, Electric Power Research Institute
Kyle Datta, General Partner, Ulupono Initiative
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 8 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 9
Electric Utilities Conference – Thursday, March 27, 2014
Session 9 – Hawaiiʻs Unique Place in the Emerging Energy Transformation
Contance Lau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.
Closing Remarks
Hermina Morita, Chair, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Electric Utilities Conference – Part 9 from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
Electric Utilities Conference – Maui Topics Discussion
Electric Utilities Conference – Thursday March 27, 2014
Maui Topics Discussion
Sebastian “Bash” Nola, Energy Consultant
Carl Freedman, Owner, Haiku Design and Analysis
Mathew McNeff, Engineering Department Manager, Maui Electric Company
Matias Besasso, Owner, Rising Sun Solar + Electric
Bob King, Founder, Pacific Biodiesel
Don Guzman, Council Member, Maui County
Electric Utilities Conference – Maui Topics Discussion from Akaku Maui Community TV on Vimeo.
by jeffbennett | Apr 11, 2014 | 2014, News
The eyes of the nation are on Hawai‘i as a living laboratory.
At the end of March, Maui hosted a conference–“Electric Utilities: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be.”
As Mayor Alan Arakawa said in his welcome address, electricity has become an important issue for Maui, as utility bills average $250, even though the island has an abundance of natural resources.
Together with the wind farms, solar has replaced a quarter of diesel-generated electricity, placing Maui Electric Company (MECO) at the forefront of an epochal, nationwide change.
The two-day conference at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center was the brainchild of Kihei’s Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and the Mayor’s Office.
Read the full article at Maui Weekly
by jeffbennett | Apr 10, 2014 | 2014, News
Bob Lachenmayer’s presentation, Redefining the Customer’s Role in the Utility of the Future
Presentations from the recent energy conference, “Electric Utilities: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be” held March 26 and 27, 2014, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center are now available online for viewing and downloading.
The conference, presented by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Economic Development Board, featured more than 250 recognized policy-makers from state and federal government and the private sector. They talked openly and frankly about the country’s rapidly changing energy landscape and its implications for power utilities, policy-makers and consumers.
Presentation topics included:
- The Shifting Landscape of the Utility Business Model: What are the Key Drivers of Change?
- Expectations of Tomorrow’s Utility Customers
- The Evolving Energy Mix in a 21st Century Utility
- The Regulation of Electric Utilities in Japan Post Fukushima: An Overview
- Redefining the Customer’s Role in the Utility of the Future
- What Role Will Technology Play in Transforming to a 21st Century Utility?
- How Will the Electric System Change in the Future?
- Hawaii’s Unique Place in the Emerging Energy Transformation
Presentations are available on the Proceedings page.
by jeffbennett | Apr 5, 2014 | 2014, News
Energy leaders agree Hawaii can lead changes in energy landscape. Maui conference participants impressed by open and frank discussions.
Conference presenters (l-r): Julia Hamm, President & CEO, Solar Electric Power Association; Alice Madden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and External Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy; and L Hunter Lovins, President, Natural Capitalism Solutions
The buzz that came from the Maui energy conference was that the three-day conference of leading energy experts, industry leaders and activists was Hawaii’s “postcard to the future.”
“This doesn’t end here. It’s a beginning, not an end,” said Mayor Alan Arakawa, who delivered opening remarks. “We’re excited to see where all the conversations that began at this conference go, and how participants will take away what they’ve learned or shared and lead us into a bright, sustainable energy future.”
“The conference exceeded my expectations,” said Maui Economic Development Board President and Chief Executive Officer Jeanne Skog. “It’s now very clear that we all need to work together to find ways to overcome the challenges and make the most of opportunities available as our nation makes a transition from power generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”
“We thank all of our outstanding speakers, our co-sponsors, exhibitors and everyone behind the scenes that helped make this a very successful event,” Skog said.
“Electric Utilities: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be” was held March 26 and 27, 2014, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Many of the conference participants spent the event’s third day on Friday touring the Kaheawa Wind Farm, hosted by First Wind; orienting themselves on the topic of “Energy Through Agriculture” at the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company field and factory; and learning about the Smart Grid Demonstration Project called JumpSMARTMaui, led by Hitachi Ltd. and NEDO.
The conference, presented by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Economic Development Board, featured more than 250 recognized policy-makers from state and federal government and the private sector. They talked openly and frankly about the country’s rapidly changing energy landscape and its implications for power utilities, policy-makers and consumers. At least half of the conference participants reside on Maui, and the other half traveled from the U.S. Mainland, Canada and Japan.
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Hermina Morita delivered closing remarks.
Program Committee member Jonathan Koehn said he was “incredibly impressed” by the recognition of the transformation taking place in utilities and a focus on opportunity and vision for the future. “It doesn’t matter where we’re starting from, it’s the evolution of the energy business model that is essential and we all can explore the opportunities together,” he said.
“These are the visionaries,” he said about the participating policy-makers, government leaders, legislators and top executives of the utilities and renewable energy companies. “To me it’s a great partnership and spectrum that came here,” said Koehn, the Regional Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Boulder, Colo.
Molokai businesswoman Barbara Haliniak, who serves as president of the Molokai Professional Women’s League, said she was initially skeptical about the conference and concerned that speakers and conversations would be of technical nature.
“I’m so glad it wasn’t so technical that I couldn’t understand,” she said. Her takeaway from the conference: “In order for the utilities and renewable energies to move forward, the entire community needs to engage in dialogue. That’s the only way you are going to get where you want to go. … You can’t be one-sided.”
Arlan Chun, senior vice president of development and construction for Pulama Lanai, said the conference was helpful for him and his organization’s goals in seeking sustainability for the people of Lanai. “I think it opens our eyes to some of the issues we’re going to be facing,” Chun said.
Steffes Corporation, a manufacturer in the oil industry, was one of about 20 exhibitors at the conference. Al Takle of Steffes Heating System said he found networking with the top leaders in energy policy and outlook to be most helpful at the conference. As far as the prospects of the future in energy, Takle said: “The rest of the world is watching the Hawaiian energy market as they navigate this transformational change.”
