On Thursday, January 16th, RENEW Wisconsin will host its 2020 Renewable Energy Summit at the Monona Terrace from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The 9th Annual Renewable Energy Summit, with presenting sponsors Invenergy LLC, Zerology, and Arch Electric, is themed 2020 Vision: The Path to 100% Clean Energy, and will gather over 400 renewable energy industry experts, government officials, students, and advocates.
To register for the Summit, go to renewwisconsin.org/renewable-energy-summit/.
Clean, renewable energy is driving Wisconsin’s economy, strengthening national energy security, improving air quality, and supporting the overall quality of life for Wisconsinites. More than 40 expert speakers will discuss these clean energy opportunities and how we can work together to accelerate Wisconsin’s clean energy future.
New to the Summit this year, RENEW is offering two pre-Summit 101 sessions, one on Renewable Energy another on the Electric Grid, that will occur simultaneously beginning at 7:30 AM. As part of RENEW’s education mission, these events are free and open to non-Summit attendees as well as those attending the day-long Summit. However, individuals who wish to attend these 101 sessions must register here.
After a welcome at 8:30 a.m., policymakers will take center stage at 9 a.m. for a plenary panel titled, Policy and What’s Possible. Senator Robert Cowles, Representative Greta Neubauer, Representative Adam Neylon, and Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq will talk about how policy can help Wisconsin achieve a 100% carbon-free future.
At noon, Keynote Speaker Katherine Hamilton will address the audience to discuss her global perspective on clean energy before zeroing in on Wisconsin’s role, opportunity, and techniques for advancing this industry. Katherine is Chair of 38 North Solutions, a bipartisan clean energy consulting firm, and is well-known as one of the voices on The Energy Gang podcast produced by Greentech Media.
In addition to speaker sessions, the event will feature an industry exhibit with 48 organizations and an awards segment recognizing some of the most exciting and successful renewable energy projects of 2019.
RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Tyler Huebner said, “We are so excited to have our members and stakeholders at our Annual Renewable Energy Summit to talk about the key issues, and how working together we can continue to grow this industry and opportunity for Wisconsin.”
Regular registration rates apply through January 12th with special rates for students and elected officials. Members of the media are welcome to attend for free but need to register beforehand.
Agenda – January 16, 2020 – Monona Terrace
7:30 a.m. Renewable Energy 101 or Electrical Grid 101 – Two entry level seminars to help newcomers learn the basics of renewable energy or how the electric grid works and how will it handle more renewable energy technologies like solar power, batteries and charging lots of electric vehicles.
8:30 a.m. Welcome and 2019 Energy Achievements
9:00 a.m. Panel: Policy and What’s Possible
- Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq
- Senator Rob Cowles, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy
- Representative Greta Neubauer, Member, Assembly Committee on Environment
- Representative Adam Neylon, Member, Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities
9:45 a.m. Renewable Energy Stories
10:15 a.m. BREAK
10:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions
- Biogas in Wisconsin’s Carbon-Free Future
- Electric Vehicles Driving Renewable Energy Growth
- Energy Storage
- Transitioning from Coal to Renewable Energy
11:30 a.m. LUNCH
12:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker, Katherine Hamilton, Chair of 38 North Solutions, specializing in clean energy and innovation and one of the voices on The Energy Gang podcast.
12:45 p.m. Awards
1:00 p.m. BREAK
1:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions
- Educating Wisconsin’s Renewable Workforce
- Large Scale Wind and Solar
- Advancing Distributed Generation
- Community-Led Clean Energy
2:30 p.m. Panel: 2020 Vision, How Do We Get to 100% Clean Energy • It’s easy to talk about the transition to 100% clean energy, but how can Wisconsin ACTUALLY make this happen?
- Shree Kalluri, Zerology, Founder and CEO
- Russell Minick, Generac Power Systems, Chief Marketing Officer
- Nichol Toomire, Alliant Energy, Director – Resource Planning, Energy Markets & Fuel Supply
3:15 p.m. Closing Remarks
3:30 p.m. Social Hour
