Senator Chuck Schumer and Bank of America Vice Chairman Anne Finucane join CLEANPOWER Speaker Lineup

Schumer and Finucane join all-star lineup of speakers including John Kerry, Gina McCarthy, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Richard Glick, and Andrew Steer

WASHINGTON DC – Following last week’s exciting speaker announcements, the American Clean Power Association (ACP) is thrilled to add Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Bank of America Vice Chairman Anne Finucane to the list of VIP speakers at the CLEANPOWER 2021 Virtual Summit. ACP also just announced additional CLEANPOWER panels on 100% Clean Power by 2035, Unlocking Hybrid Project Opportunities, Maximizing Transmission Lines, and more.

Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY

Senator Schumer is the current Senate majority leader, and the senior United States senator from New York, a seat he has held since 1999. Schumer chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2005 to 2009, served as Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate from 2007 to 2017 and chaired the Senate Democratic Policy Committee from 2011 to 2017. During his time in the Senate, Schumer has long supported clean energy and the jobs, economic and climate benefits that come with it. Recently, he unveiled a “Clean Transit for America Plan” as a companion to his “Clean Cars for America” proposal, both of which would decarbonize key parts of the American transportation sector, invest in good paying union jobs, and promote manufacturing here at home.

Anne Finucane, Bank of America Vice Chairman

Anne Finucane is Vice Chairman at Bank of America and also serves as Chairman of the board of Bank of America Europe. As a member of the executive management team, Finucane is responsible for the strategic positioning of Bank of America and leads the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG), sustainable finance, capital deployment and public policy efforts. She stewards Bank of America’s $1 trillion by 2030 environmental business initiative, oversees the company’s $1.8 billion Community Development Financial Institution portfolio and chairs the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

Session Highlights 

100% Clean Power by 2035
Monday, June 7, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

Clean energy leaders are enthusiastic about President Biden’s ambitious goal to reach 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035. The future is promising, both long and near term, as projects will have another year to qualify for the PTC or ITC, with the potential for further extensions; offshore wind is poised to take off and corporate and utility demand for clean energy continues to grow. Panelists will discuss what additional policies, regulations, or market shifts will be needed to reach this lofty goal.

• Moderator: John Hensley, VP, Research & Analytics, ACP
• Hal Harvey, CEO,  Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC
• Dan Shreve, Head of Global Wind Energy Research, Wood Mackenzie
• Dr. Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor, UC Santa Barbara
• Brent Wanner, Lead, Power Generation Analysis for the World Energy Outlook, IEA

Unlocking Hybrid Project Opportunities & Bringing them to Scale
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

As wind, solar and storage reach meaningful scale, there has been a lot of discussion around hybrid projects, which involve a combination of wind and solar in the same project, potentially also with storage. However, there has been relatively little deployment in the field of significant projects of this type. This panel will examine the reasons behind this and discuss what might need to change in the market or in regulatory policy to bring a hybrid product to significant scale. Panelists will explore key questions, such as, what factors make a good location for a hybrid project? Who are the types of buyers who might be interested in this product? Is the generation profile really the perfect pairing?

• Moderator: Laura Caspari, VP of Renewables Origination, North America, ENGIE North America
• Jennifer Goodwillie, Senior Director, Development, Ørsted Onshore North America
• Will Gorman, B.S., M.S., Researcher, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
• Rocio Herrera, Project Manager, Wind Independent Engineering, DNV

Maximizing Transmission Lines through Grid Enhancing Technologies
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) are a suite of technologies and software that can maximize the use of existing transmission lines and are one of the most exciting developments in the transmission world today. Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) devices specifically allow for an increase in the carrying capacity of transmission lines by calculating ratings based on real time measurements of line temperature, wind speed, tension, and sag rather than relying on fixed, worst-case assumptions. FERC recently issued a proposed rule which would require RTOs to be prepared to implement DLR, which could potentially spur broad adoption within the next few years. Additionally, FERC is planning discussions this fall to consider incentives to promote the use of GETs, including DLR. DLR continues to be deployed worldwide and in pilot projects in several U.S. regions including PJM, New York, Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas. Experts in this session will discuss how GETs are helping to lower congestion costs and decrease curtailment of renewables and are impacting regulatory policy in the United States.

• Moderator: Jeff St. John, Editor-in-Chief, Canary Media
• Jay Caspary, Vice President, Grid Strategies LLC
• Mark Freyman, General Manager, Americas Smart Wires
• Terron Hill, Director, Asset Development & Policy, US Transmission, National Grid
• Amanda King, Director, Strategic Transmission Planning, Xcel Energy

Texas Winter Storm Aftermath – What’s Next?
Thursday, June 10, 2021 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

The renewable energy industry began this legislative session in January with a goal of extending economic development incentives set to expire and getting a transmission bill passed to address congestion and jump start transmission approvals stalled in recent years. But no one expected the crushing February freeze that completely changed the political dynamic in Texas. When the lights came back on, legislators and stakeholders added proposals for market and infrastructure reforms – some that would damage existing renewable energy projects and hinder new development. This panel will explore the aftermath of the legislative session and the storm, with an eye to what is next for renewables in Texas.

• Moderator: Kevin Gresham, SVP, Government Relations & External Affairs, RWE Renewables Americas, LLC
• Jeff Clark, President and CEO, Advanced Power Alliance
• Mark Stover, Director of State Affairs, ERCOT/SPP Apex Clean Energy
• Lynnae Willette, Director Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, EDF Renewables
• Susan Williams Sloan, VP, State Affairs, ACP

About CLEANPOWER: CLEANPOWER’s mission is to not only bring together the different technologies that make up the renewables mix; onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, storage, and transmission, but also the different segments within the industries; manufacturers, construction firms, owner operators, utilities, financial firms, corporate buyers, and more. These technologies and industries will all converge at CLEANPOWER 2021. Registration is now open for both the CLEANPOWER Virtual Conference in June and CLEANPOWER Salt Lake City on December 7-8. More details can be found here.

Media Note: Reporters and editors can request credentialing to participate in and cover the CLEANPOWER conference June 7-10. Accredited media interested in attending must register for free online. Any additional questions please reach out to Sam Brock at sbrock@cleanpower.org.