"It’s a critical moment for innovators and investors in the renewable energy space," says ACORE President Michael Eckhart. "A trifecta of explosive energy demand, tightened credit markets, and growing energy gap makes it imperative that newly supportive government policy makers, leading investors and passionate innovators come together to work on achievable solutions. REFF-West exists to make those connections possible."
The conference builds on the success of REFF-Wall Street, the industry’s leading financial conference held annually in New York since 2003 and which attracted over 700 participants in 2009, to bring Wall Street investing expertise to the innovation hub of the Silicon Valley.
Representatives from top investment institutions – Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch – will speak on project financing and opportunities in global financial markets that impact clean energy in the U.S. Featured speaker Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, will address current policy initiatives that drive investment in the clean energy sector at the federal level.
Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Initiatives at Google, will offer a corporate perspective and outline his company’s Clean Energy 2030 proposal for reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.
Other speakers will update attendees on renewable power generation, green buildings, energy efficiency, transmission and smart grid, and carbon finance. The lineup includes notables such as Nancy Floyd founder of Nth Power; Dan Adler, President of the California Clean Energy Fund; John Geesman, Former Commissioner of California Energy Commission; and Fong Wan, Vice President, Energy Procurement at PG&E.
As a special addition to the program, the National Venture Capital Association will highlight its Four Pillar Plan, which seeks to help VC-backed companies not just survive during this challenging economic market, but also expand businesses and increase market share.
The conference reprises the successful 2008 REFF West launch event in Seattle, which attracted over 350 attendees.
Program Print E-mail
Day 1: Tuesday, September 29, 2009
7:00am Registration & Coffee
7:30am Exhibition Opens
8:30am Welcome & Opening Remarks
* Gerard Strahan, Managing Director, Euromoney Energy Events
* Michael Eckhart, President, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
8:45-9:15am Session 1: Keynote Opening Address
The opening session will feature a keynote address from a senior level speaker, providing a backdrop for subsequent conference sessions.
9:15-10:30am Session 2: Government Initiatives & Policy Drivers
This session will examine the policy initiatives that drive investment in the clean energy sector at both federal and state level. What mechanisms are currently in place, how are these mechanisms being implemented, and what are the effects on investors and project developers?
Key topics
* Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
* National and State level Renewable Energy Standards
* The role of climate change legislation and carbon trading
Co-Chairs:
* Dan Adler, President, California Clean Energy Fund
* John Geesman, Co-Chair, ACORE Board of Directors
Featured Speaker:
* Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for the Recovery Act, Department of Energy
Speakers:
* John Bohn, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission
* Vic Fazio, Senior Advisor, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and former Congressman representing California’s 3rd District
* Tim Newell, Managing Director, U.S. Renewables Group
* Ryan Wiser, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
11:00-12:30pm Session 3: Global Financial Markets
A focus on developments in debt and equity markets in the US and abroad, and how these markets affect developers of renewable energy technologies and projects.
Key topics
* Developments in global financial markets and their effects on clean energy in the US
* Sources of capital for clean energy projects
* How are patterns of investment changing?
* Examining the interdependencies between debt and equity financing in today’s market
Chair:
* Michael Butler, CEO, Cascadia Capital
Speakers:
* John Cavalier, Managing Partner, Hudson Clean Energy Partners
* Kevin Genieser, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
* James Metcalfe, Global Head of Power & Utilities, UBS
* Parker Weil, Managing Director, Co-Head of Americas Energy & Power Group, Bank Of America Merrill Lynch
* Jonathan Yellen, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank
12:30-2:00pm Networking Lunch
2:00-3:30pm Session 4: Sources of Project Finance for Renewable Energy Initiatives
The contraction of debt markets that began in late 2007 has had significant effects on project finance for the renewable energy industry. However, financial and strategic investors remain active in renewable energy, driven by fundamental long-term drivers and government support. This session will provide cutting-edge insight into these markets.
Key topics:
* The role of Federal stimulus money: who is winning grants and why
* Tax equity and project finance – sources of capital and deal structures
* A lender’s perspective on the renewable energy sector
* How can project developers access financing in today’s market?
Chair:
* Keith Martin, Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Speakers:
* John Anderson, Head of Power & Project Finance, John Hancock
* John Eber, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan
* Jim McDermott, Managing Director, US Renewables
* Bruno Mejean, Managing Director, Nord/LB
* Jerome Peters, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Project Finance, TD Bank North America
3:45-4:30pm Session 5: Solar Finance
Chair:
* Mike Eckhart, President, ACORE
* Morten Lund, Member, Stoel Rives
Speakers:
* Denis Arriola, CFO, SunPower
* Matt Cheney, CEO, Renewable Ventures, a Fotowatio Company
* Craig Lewis, Founding Principal, Right Cycle Enterprises
* Paul Detering, CEO, Tioga Energy
* Greg Rosen, VP Project Finance, Helio Micro Utility
4:30-5:45pm Session 6: ‘ET meets IT’ – How technology will change the way we use and manage energy
The rich history of the IT industry in the Western US is now being translated into a new boom for tech companies in the energy sector, as the potential of energy management and other applications is starting to be understood. This session will examine that potential, asking what the key technologies will be, and how investors will enable these technologies to expand into the mainstream.
Key topics:
* Demand management and energy efficiency technologies
* The role of IT in managing energy use
* Utility scale applications – Large scale energy management
* Identifying opportunities for starts-ups, major companies and investors
Chair:
* Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, Google Inc.
* Laura Meadors, Vice Consul- Renewable Energy, Clean Technology & Financial Services, UK Trade & Investment
Speakers:
* Bryan Hannegan, Vice President Generation & Environment, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
* Allan Schurr, VP Strategy and Development, Global Energy and Utilities, IBM
* Scott Lang, President & CEO, Silver Spring
* Don Paul, Executive Director, University of Southern California Energy Institute
5:00–7:00pm Evening Networking Reception
Join fellow conference attendees and speakers, for an informal networking session where you can continue the day’s discussions.
Day 2: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
7:00am Morning coffee
7:30am Exhibition opens
8:30am Welcome and Opening Remarks
* Paul Clark, Conference Manager, Euromoney Energy Events
* Michael Eckhart, President, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
8:45-9:15am Session 7: Keynote Address
The second day of REFF West will open with a session looking at the rapidly changing IPO landscape.
IPOs and Boutique Investment Banks: How the new “Four Horsemen” can help your company price an IPO & why you want to be public
Introduction:
* Janice Moore, Partner, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Washington, DC Office
Keynotes:
* Pascal Levensohn, Board of Directors, NVCA
* Scott Livingston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Livingston Securities LLC
9:15-10:30am Session 8: Renewable Electricity
The companies enabling the shift to a clean energy economy range from small start-ups to large multinationals. This session will ask how companies across the energy and technology sectors will facilitate the expansion and diversification of clean technology across the US and internationally.
Key topics:
* The role of the energy majors in technology development and deployment
* Challenges for scaling existing technologies
* How can companies and investors work together to achieve large scale clean energy profitably?
* Opportunities for large-scale investment in the clean transport sector
Chair:
* Nancy Floyd, Founder & Managing Director, Nth Power
* Charles Robinson, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP
Speakers:
* Jeffrey Eckel, Chief Executive Officer, Hannon Armstrong
* Nancy Hartsoch, Vice President Marketing, SolFocus
* Diarmuid O’Connell, Vice President Government & Regulatory Affairs, Tesla
* Lyndon Rive, CEO, SolarCity
* Jim Walker, Vice Chairman of the Board, Enxco
* John Woolard, CEO, BrightSource Energy
12:15-1:45pm Networking Lunch
11:00-12:15pm Session 9: Venture Capital & Private Equity
Given the highly capital intensive nature of the energy sector, it can be difficult to draw comparisons with other VC sectors. Renewable energy has attracted considerable interest from Silicon Valley investors in recent years, performing well in spite of the difficulties faced by financial investors. This session will address the challenges faced by VC funds and portfolio companies in the current turbulent markets.
Key topics:
* Characterizing a successful cleantech VC company
* Investment trends and key milestones
* Sources of equity and debt capital – Overcoming investment challenges
Co-Chairs:
* Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners
* John J. Leonti, Associate, Troutman Sanders LLP
Speakers:
* Neil Auerbach, Managing Partner, Hudson Clean Energy Partners
* Stephan Dolezalek, Managing Director and Group Leader, CleanTech, VantagePoint Venture Partners
* Ajit Nazre, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
* Ravi Viswanathan, Partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
1:45-3:00pm Session 10: Utility & Energy Industries
Co-Chairs:
* Ted Brandt, Managing Director, Marathon Capital
* John Geesman, Writer, Green Energy War
Speakers:
* Rich Homich, CEO, Advantage for Analysts
* Fong Wan, Senior Vice President, Energy Procurement, PG&E
* Jonathan Weisgall, Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Affiars, MidAmerica Energy Holdings Company
* Michael Walsh, Group Finance Director, NTR plc.
3:15-4:45pm Session 11: CEO Roundtable – Outlining key elements for success
The final conference session will take the form of a discussion featuring leading executives from successful companies in the cleantech sector. Panelists will be asked to outline what they believe to be the key elements of their success, and to comment on how the sector is evolving for both large and small companies.
Questions for panelists:
* How have you responded to developments in the economy over the past 12 months?
* What are the major challenges facing your business right now?
* Where do you see the most significant opportunities for companies and investors over the next 12 months?
Chair:
* Bruce Pasternack, Venture Partner, CMEA Capital
Speakers:
* Michael Allman, CEO, Sempra Generation
* Arno Harris, CEO, Recurrent Energy
* Kirt Montague, CEO, Prometheus Energy
* Alan Shaw, CEO, Codexis
* Andy Cukurs, CEO, Suzlon USA
4:45pm Closing Remarks
* Gerard Strahan, Managing Director, Euromoney Energy Events
* Michael Eckhart, President, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
5:00pm Close of Conference
About REFF-West
REFF-West is the largest renewable energy finance conference focused on West Coast energy issues. It is hosted by ACORE, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, dedicated to raising the profile of renewable energy, and Euromoney Energy Events, a London-based wholly owned subsidiary of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and organizer of conferences to address topical issues in the energy sector.
REFF-West is a new 2-day event which builds on two high-profile financial and renewable energy industry events: REFF-Wall Street, an annual event hosted by the American Council On Renewable Energy and Euromoney Energy Events; and Cleantech Investing in the Pacific Northwest, an event which was hosted by Stoel Rives and Nth Power in 2005-2007. Leaders from these two event are key players in REFF-West: Stoel Rives’ Stephen Hall, and Nth Power’s Nancy Floyd, are co-chairs of the event, and Stoel Rives is the premier sponsor.
REFF-West will convene the Western leadership of the renewable energy industry, as REFF-Wall Street convenes the East. This event will bring a focus to regional issues, and will feature key regional investors and business leaders.
REFF-West will take place in different cities throughout the West each year, which will allow it to address different regional issues and to bring in international players which are important to those regions.
In past years, REFF-Wall Street and Cleantech have featured:
* evaluation of landmark deals in biofuels, biomass, solar and wind power
* high profile new deals
* review of private equity, project finance, and public & capital market participation in US renewable energy deals
* discussion of the latest policy drivers, and new opportunities in carbon finance and energy efficiency
* insight into strategic opportunities in renewable energy finance and investment
* extensive networking opportunities
