Reliability & Resilience: How to Have the Best of Both Worlds
April 5 | 11:30 pm - 11: 15 pm 

Moderator:
Lynnae Willette, Director of Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, EDF Renewables

Speakers:
Darren Schauer, CEO, Guadalupe Valley Electric Coop
Wen Zhang , Deputy Director, ERCOT IMM
Steffanie Dohn, Director of State and Regulatory Affairs, SOLV Energy

Climate risk has increased the number and type of circumstances that can impact the ability to deliver power safely and reliably to consumers. How should stakeholders get prepared for extreme weather? What role should weatherization play in the conversation? This session will explore the various aspects of planning electric,  how some utilities are incorporating additional criteria to build resilience into their system, and the industry's role in contributing resiliency and reliability.

Part 1: The Generation Mix is Changing: Is the Texas Grid Ready?
April 5 | 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm

Speaker:
Reena Bhatt, Transmission Planning Manager, Electric Power Engineers

Texas continues to see strong demand growth due to the increased population as well as the increased presence of large flexible loads such as data centers, bitcoin mining, and hydrogen electrolyzers. Is the Texas grid ready? What opportunities are there to address Texas' electric system constraints and needs?

Part 2: The Generation Mix is Changing: Is the Texas Grid Ready?
April 5 | 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Moderator:
Tonya Miller, Executive Director, Texas Solar Power Association

Speaker:
Kurt Lyell, Solar Program Lead, HDR
Sterling Clifford, Manager, Government Affairs, Sunnova
Shelly Botkin, Executive Director, Texas Public Power Association

Market research and ERCOT’s interconnection queue indicate the potential for the robust growth of solar, wind, energy storage, and other dispatchable generation resources. How can the industry work together to achieve greater transparency and collaboration between solar developers, integrators, and authority-having jurisdictions?

DER Integration and Program Design
April 5 | 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Moderator:
Tiffany Wu, Advisor, PUCT

Speakers:
Jason Ryan, EVP, Regulatory Services & Government Affairs, CenterPoint
Courtney Welch, Senior Manager, Policy and Strategy, Sunpower

This session will focus on a variety of perspectives on Tariff integration and program design, including impacts to homeowners, TDUs (Transmission and Distribution Utilities), REPs (Retail Energy Providers), solar business, and the community solar industry. Join this conversation to learn about the current landscape of DER integration and participate in a breakout session with your colleagues to discuss barriers and solutions.

In the Driver’s Seat: How Texas is Boosting Electric Vehicle Adoption
April 6 | 10:15 am - 11:00 am

Moderator:
Laura Morrison, Executive Director, Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance Education Fund

Speakers:
Amy Atchley, Sr. Lead, EV Equity Program, Austin Energy
Scott Hinson, Chief Technology Officer, Pecan Street
Brittany Blair, Analyst, Research and Industry Strategy, SEPA

As the transportation and building sector now account for upwards of 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, funding and policies are being focused to electrify these sectors at an unprecedented rate. This session will explore what is happening in Texas with electric vehicles, building innovation, the intersection with electric grid planning and operation, opportunities for local and system level optimization, and equity and customer engagement.