Policy - Projects - People

October 25-26, 2017 The Queensbury Hotel

Glens Falls, NY

Detailed Tentative Agenda

Plenary Sessions:

Wednesday 10/25 Adirondack Room

Panel I 10:00-10:30

Leaning In and Leading the Way:

NY State's Clean Energy Ethos and Involvement in the U.S. Climate Alliance

John Williams, NYSERDA

In these somewhat dark times, many who work in clean energy and climate-related fields feel that the leadership position that NYS has demonstrated, including the continued pursuit of significant clean energy goals and involvement in the US Climate Alliance, is a ray of sunshine. NY has been doing good work in these areas for some time now, but this feels quite different to many on the ground. This ethos - the stance articulated out of the Governor's Office - is really inspiring and makes the work feel more important as part of something bigger, something that can contribute to real change. And with comes pride in doing that work in NY. John Williams will speak to the WHY behind this "leaning in, leadership stance" adopted by NY, and whether those working at high levels within state government offices feel it, too. Some discussion on NY’s participation in the US Climate Alliance will be provided and the role of NYSERDA as a unique and important part of the energy landscape in NY – a role being amplified by the state leadership position on clean energy and climate change, particularly, in ensuring that effective programs can translate that lean in/leadership ethos into action with impact – will also be addressed.

Panel 2 11:00-12:00

Power-ful Partnerships: How Public-Private Partnerships Can be Leveraged to Enhance Our Clean Energy Future. Gillian Black, Senior Associate, CSArch—Moderator Rob Chapman, Director of Facilities and Operations, Queensbury Union Free School District Stan Dobert, CEO, Apex Solar Power Frank McCleneghen, President, Active Solar Development Jim Siplon, CEO, Just Water Jared Woodcock, Agriculture and Sustainability Programs Specialist, SUNY Adirondack

This panel will highlight a group of integrated projects in the Glens Falls area where collaborative and supportive interactions have led to intriguing direct and indirect benefits for participants (vs competitive). Speakers will address how and why they feel this is working, the types of interactions between partners that have been successful, decision-making structures, challenges, individual and group benefits, and recommendations for those looking to do something similar. The underlying topics that are encompassed by this particular case study are experimental systems design and the intersection with education, data analysis, workforce development, and direct engagement of students.

Thursday 10/26 Adirondack Room

Panel 3 11:30-12:30

Biomass Energy: A Critical Component of the North Country Clean Energy Economy

John Bartow, Executive Director, NY State Forest Products Association Charlie Niebling, Partner, Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC. Maura Adams, Program Director, Northern Forest Center

Here a series of interconnected presentations from industry leaders starting with John Bartow’s overview of a new report—Northern New York's Forests: Timber Supply, Workforce, Infrastructure & Markets (executive summary below)—that highlights the value of low grade wood to the forest products industry in Northern NY. Charlie Nieblingthen discuss the essential role biomass energy can play in supporting low grade wood markets, and all the ancillary benefits of sustainably managed forests, highlighting that: stable and economically viable markets for low grade/low value timber resources are vital to the practice of sustainable forestry; biomass energy – electric and thermal – has provided essential markets for forest landowners and a healthy forest products industry in New York, along with the vital pulp and paper industry; and these markets have seen declines due to several factors.

Maura Adams will round out the panel by placing the NY discussion back into the broader context of the Northern Forest, providing an overview of programs and incentives across Norther Forest states that have been successful in developing and supporting more robust biomass heating markets.

Breakout Session A, Wednesday 2:00-3:15 ROOM: Board

Clean Energy Communities Program: An Overview and Regional Success Stories

Robyn Reynolds, Clean Energy Coordinator, CDRPC; Jamie Rogers, Clean Energy Coordinator, ANCA; John Strough, Supervisor, Town of Queensbury; Matthew Ginter, Village Board Member, Village of Northville; Daniel Barusch, Director of Planning and Zoning, Town of Lake George; Megan Lefevre, Councilor, Town of Plattsburgh; Nancy Bernstein, Energy Circuit Rider, ANCA; Dr. Jeffrey Flagg, Zoning Board of Appeals Member, City Charter Commission Chair, City of Glens Falls.

In this session, the audience will receive an overview on the opportunities available to communities through the Clean Energy Communities Program. A panel of local government representatives will speak to how the Program has benefitted their communities and share their experiences. ROOM: Saratoga

An Update on New York State's LMI Clean Energy Portfolio

Greg Hale, Senior Advisor, NYS Governor's Office, Energy & Finance Chris Coll, Program Manager, NYSERDA

Nearly 3.5 million New York State households, over 40% of all households, have annual incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income, 2.3 million of these households have incomes at or below 60% of the State Median Income. Low- to Moderate-Income residents often experience disproportionate energy burdens and can face significant barriers in accessing clean energy solutions. With the introduction of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision, New York State has rolled out a portfolio of clean energy initiatives directed at improving energy affordability and creating access to clean energy solutions for LMI residents and communities. This presentation will provide attendees with an overview of New York State’s LMI Clean Energy Portfolio including updates on RetrofitNY and other key initiatives to address the barriers faced by LMI residents and communities as they seek affordable, reliable, and safe energy.

ROOM: Adirondack

Planning for EV Infrastructure along NY’s I-90 Corridor

Jennifer Ceponis, Sr Transportation Planner / Clean Cities Coordinator, CDTC / CDCC Dazzle Ekblad, Climate Policy Analyst, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

New technologies, such as electric vehicles (EV), require coordinated construction of infrastructure and widespread education and outreach. This session will describe the five interlinked EV charging station plans for New York’s I-90 corridor that were developed by a consortium of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other partners. The plans outline the EV landscape in each region, identify stakeholders and obstacles to developing an EV charging network, and recommend actions to make each region more EV-friendly. Concurrently to this planning effort, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced their plan to designate Alternative Fuel Corridors throughout the U.S. as part of establishing a network of infrastructure to support electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles along the national highway system. Both I-90 and I-87 received Alternative Fuel Corridor designations in 2016. Speakers will also describe the NYS DEC’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Rebate Program and how it is playing a role in the implementation of the Capital District I-90 EV Charging Station Plan.

ROOM: Albany

Solving Tomorrow's Problems Today - A Shared Energy Manager Model for School Districts

Alwyn John, TST BOCES

When attempting to upgrade, maintain and operate their facilities as efficiently as possible, public schools face an uphill challenge. Volatile energy markets, rapidly changing technologies, growing end-user demands and limited resources have combined to create a perfect storm for Directors of Facilities and other public school administrative staff. Unfortunately, the decisions made in the midst of that perfect storm can have a lasting impact on the energy consumption, comfort and cost efficiency of school facilities for decades into the future. This presentation will discuss how a shared Energy Manager can help school districts to improve the energy efficiency of their physical plant, increase comfort for students and staff while reducing their operating cost. We will examine lessons learned over our 7-year history of helping our schools to maximize their resources and to develop successful internal energy management programs. Finally, we will look at how our participating schools have positioned themselves to benefit from newer clean energy technologies that are now entering the marketplace.

Double Session 1. 2:00-2:35 2. 2:40-3:15

ROOM: Warren

Multi-Stakeholder Microgrids for Resilience and Sustainability

Stephen Bird, Associate Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University

The electricity grid is susceptible to numerous threats, especially severe weather events that have the potential to cause large-scale power outages. This has resulted in an increased emphasis on resilience against these events. Microgrids, small standalone power grids that have the ability to function independently from the greater electricity grid, have significant potential to improve response to environmental and anthropogenic crises. The vast majority of extant microgrids are generally small in scale, and operated under a conventional model of single operator, owner, and user. We argue that the ultimate potential of this approach will be in the development of multi-stakeholder microgrids which can combine a diversity of renewable and conventional power resources to respond to environmental hazards. The addition of stakeholders allows for increased diversification of generation sources, economies of scale, and other increased operational benefits and opportunities. However, there are significant challenges that arise with the additional layer of stakeholders in terms of governance, cost, and

technical operations that can cause the multi-stakeholder model to be more difficult to implement. We develop the case for multi-stakeholder microgrids as a response to environmental hazards, and outline the challenges and questions facing the development of this form of microgrid.

2. Innovations in Geothermal

Jake Kornack, Energy Consultant, Dandelion Energy

Jake will describe the innovations that has made geothermal heating and cooling cheaper than oil and propane and what the future of the geothermal industry might hold. By describing how geothermal works and the environmental benefit it provides, Jake will then describe how Dandelion anticipates converting millions of oil and propane homes to geothermal in the years to come. We are on the precipice of a renewable energy revolution in geothermal; come learn more about it!

Breakout Session B, Wednesday 3:30-4:45

ROOM: Board

NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Workshop for Municipal Leaders Robyn Reynolds, Clean Energy Coordinator, CDRPC Jamie Rogers, Clean Energy Coordinator, ANCA Greg Mumby, Sustainability Planner, Climate Action Associates Is your community participating in the Clean Energy Communities Program? Would you like to know more about how to get started? During this workshop, community members and local leaders interested in getting a one-on-one session with a Clean Energy Coordinator will have the opportunity to speak about action implementation and project development. ROOM: Albany

Planning and Designing Sustainable Urbanism

Todd Fabozzi, Director of Sustainability, Capital District Regional Planning Commission

Land use patterns strongly influence energy consumption, particularly related to mobility and transportation. With approximately one third of human induced carbon dioxide emissions coming combustion engine vehicles, much can be done to design physical environments that are less reliant on cars and trucks for mobility. A dense, interconnected, mixed pattern of land uses, complimented by vibrant and accessible public spaces, along with a transportation system that supports a full range mobility options should be the primary objective of any community striving to be truly sustainable. Todd Fabozzi, Director of Sustainability for the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, will discuss the challenges and the technics that can be used to create socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities.

ROOM: Adirondack

Climate Smart Communities: Grants & Planning for Local Climate Action

Dazzle Ekblad, Climate Policy Analyst, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Learn about how your town can get state support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making your community more resilient in the face of a changing climate. The Climate Smart Communities Program offers a planning framework for local governments to reduce energy use, facilitate a transition to clean energy, save taxpayer dollars, and prepare for extreme weather. This session will give an overview of the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Program and provide guidance on applying for the CSC grants that are available each year through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA). Attendees will also learn about how the CSC Certification Program relates to NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities Program. ROOM: Warren

NY Green Bank: An Update and Success Stories Jason Moore, Director, Investment & Portfolio Management, NY Green Bank

Double Session 1. 3:30-4:05 2. 4:10-4:45

ROOM: Saratoga

1. New Developments in CCA Louise Gava, CCA Project Leader, MEGA Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) allows participating local governments to procure energy supply service and distributed energy resources (DER), for eligible residential and small commercial energy customers in their community. In addition, CCA allows local governments to work together through a shared purchasing model and a competitive bid process to provide better rates on electricity and/or natural gas, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Come to learn about the benefits of CCA as well as the process of CCA development and implementation.

2. Community Distributed Generation - A Growing Opportunity for Small Hydro in the VDER

Proceeding

Emmett Smith, Principal, Azure Mountain Power

Many North Country communities were settled around water resources, and many host small hydroelectric power plants. These facilities are critical infrastructure, but local residents generally do not see any benefit through their power bills. Changing market forces have threatened these important resources even as new wind and solar plants are being built. A new state program offers a way to use the output of small hydro facilities to reduce bills for local residents, while providing higher revenue to local hydro owners. Municipal governments are well positioned to take the lead in implementing these programs which can create significant energy savings for local residents and

businesses.

Breakout Session C, Thursday 9:00-10:00

ROOM: Adirondack

New Solar Resources for Local Governments

Houtan Moaveni, Deputy Director of NY-Sun Initiative, NYS Distributed Generation Interconnection Ombudsman, NYSERDA Candace Rossi, Project Manager, NYSERDA

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) released a revised and updated version of the New York Solar Guidebook to assist communities across New York State in navigating the siting and review processes for the development of clean energy projects. The Guidebook offers information, tools and step-by-step instructions to support local government efforts to develop solar energy resources and create clean energy jobs. Free technical assistance is also available to help local governments become solar-ready. The 2017 edition includes new chapters addressing the most pressing issues in New York State’s solar market today, including the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process and siting solar projects in agricultural areas. Earlier this year, a chapter was created for municipalities to navigate negotiating payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) agreements. NY-Sun, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s signature solar energy initiative, created the first New York Solar Guidebook in 2016.

Double Sessions 1. 9:00-9:30 2. 9:30-10:00

ROOM: Board

1. Thermal RECs: A Concept Whose Time Has Come in New York State

Charles Niebling, Partner, Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC

Renewable thermal energy is being recognized in state RPS programs in NH and MA, and many other states. Solar, biomass, geo- and air-source heat pumps should be accorded the same incentive structure that renewable electric technologies receive. A performance incentive based on useful thermal energy generated and displacement of fossil heating fuels can go a long way to helping New York achieve its ambitious clean energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Niebling will share his experience working in NH and MA to get this policy adopted, and provide suggestions for NY policy makers and renewable energy advocates.

2. Carbon-Negative Energy & Restorative Agriculture

John Gaus, CO-Founder & CEO, Agbotics

Educated consumers are driving fundamental change in ag and food markets with a desire for food that is increasingly fresh, healthy, local, organic, sustainably-grown, transparently-produced, minimally-processed, and traceable. , Agbotic is digitizing the ag and food vertical sector with a network of distributed, robotic farms that make the world’s best food with the world’s most healthy, and ecological processes.

ROOM: Warren

1. “Accounting” For Changes in Energy Finance: The Solution For The Biggest Problem You Didn’t Realize You Had" Derek LaClair, President / CFO, Empower Equity Herbert Dwyer, CEO, Empower Equity

A major change is coming to the way many financial solutions currently used to finance commercial energy efficiency projects are being treated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. This presentation outlines our current financial solutions, how some solutions may be affected, and how to effectively deal with this impactful change.

2. Removing Barriers to Implementing Energy Projects Nell Ziegler, Business Consultant - Upstate NY, Honeywell Building Solutions

This presentation will address typical challenges to implementing new energy efficiency projects (e.g. technical/financial/staff resources) and the types of support available to address these challenges. This presentation will encompass a comparison of various project implementation methods, e.g. self-performance, capital project, EPC, other (infrastructure renewal) approaches. ROOM: Albany

Design Innovation = Affordable Net-Zero Modular Homes for North Country Climates

Tim McCarthy, Architect, New Leaf Homes

Will present underpinning concepts of our new venture to build net zero capable and net zero, fast to erect modular homes, including a new framing system to lower the cost of high performance housing. We will present our three current models that are under development.

2. The Dannemora Combined Services Building - Adirondacks, NY

Nancy Bernstein, Energy Circuit Rider, ANCA Bryan Burke, Architect, Premises Architecture PLLC

In 2009, the Dannemora Town Hall and DPW facility was designed as enhancements and modifications to a manufactured steel building kit which had been pre-purchased by the Town. The kit included only the structural frame and exterior envelope. Major modifications were required to the structure to provide weather protection, appropriately proportioned assembly space, and additional space for mechanical systems. Also required were mixed use interior build-out, foundations and site design. Achieving the goals for the Combined Services Building required creative configuration of building systems, optimizing systems inter-connectivity, and resourceful interaction with the site environment. Innovative and imaginative use of the inherited on-site decommissioned missile silo (400 feet deep, 50 feet diameter shaft filled with uncontaminated ground water) proved to be a valuable resource for fire protection and geothermal energy. In part due to an urgency brought on by a

catastrophic fire in January 2010 which destroyed the existing DPW facility and in part to limited funds, ground source heating was not pursued during construction. Eight years later, a new town board is re-considering renewable energy sources for providing long-term monetary savings to the town. State incentives for ground source heating and PV solar, and newly available town funds are helping to make this project feasible.

ROOM: Saratoga

1. National Grid Small Business Services Program

John Davis, SmartWatt

Collectively, small businesses constitute an enormous energy consumer, making them a key component in National Grid’s overall energy reduction strategy. Under its attractive Small Business Energy Efficiency Program, National Grid pays up to 60% of the cost of a business’s energy optimization project, with on-bill financing for the remaining share at 0% interest up to 12 months. SmartWatt demonstrated it could market and manage this program, while providing turnkey services including lead generation, auditing, construction management, material procurement, electric labor, quality control/post installation verification and complaint resolution. SmartWatt has completed over 5,300 projects to help National Grid meet its energy efficiency goal for the small business market.

Solar, Wind and CHP: What National Grid Has Done to Accommodate Distributed Generation? Eugene Hickok, Sr. Energy Integration Consultant, Customer Energy Integration, National Grid Steven Maybloom, Energy Integration Consultant, Customer Energy Integration This presentation will encompass how National Grid has partnered with NYS Joint Utilities and the NYS PSC & created an application process from inception to production. Accomplishments in facilitating DG interconnection will be highlighted and an overview of the online application portal will be provided.

Breakout Session D, Thursday 10:30-11:30

Double Sessions 1. 10:30-11:00 2. 11:00-11:30

ROOM: Warren

1. Value of Hydropower as a Renewable Resource, Helping Achieve Carbon Reduction Goals

Chris LaRoe, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Brookfield Renewable

Chris will be speaking to the importance of hydropower in today’s energy marketplace; focusing on the value of existing resources such as hydro. He will also touch on how carbon pricing would affect market outcomes, highlighting the findings from research conducted by the Brattle Group and Synapse. New York State mandates 50% of electricity from renewables by 2030 using Clean Energy Standard (RECs and ZECs). This approach will help facilitate New York State in achieving its goal of 50% by 2030. Chris will discuss the effects of the carbon adder on emissions, customer costs and efficiencies of the wholesale market.

2. City of Watervliet's Curbside Organics Collection and Digestion Program

James Yienger, Principal, Climate Action Associates

In order to reduce waste sent to landfills, the City of Watervliet as part of its Climate Action Plans began a pilot program to collect residential food scraps to compost locally in 2014. The City recruited volunteer households and provided them training and collection bins. It started with conventional open air composting but later, with support from NYSERDA, developed a compact anaerobic digestion plant suitable for urban locations. It now processes all collected food scaps in the city. The presentation will cover the initiative overall, including experiences and challenges with collections, composting, digester design and development, and permitting and regulatory issues.

ROOM: Adirondack

1. Driving on Sunlight

Ben Sopczyk, Marketing Director, Apex Solar

Electric vehicles have officially arrived, and their adoption in increasing faster than ever before. With new models becoming available which are capable of traveling over 200 miles on a single charge, all at price points that are comparable to a traditional gas powered vehicle, electric vehicles will soon become a very common sight on our roads. With more electric vehicles on the road, we will need more charging stations to keep these drivers topped up, and on the move. While purely grid tied charging is a simple solution, the adoption of solar-powered EV charging will prove to be a greener and more economical path forward. Whether it is through battery powered standalone units, or grid tied PV systems to offset charging needs, using the sun to provide the power to drive just makes sense.

2. Establishing an EV Ecosystem

Bryan Roy, Principal Engineer, Energetics Incorporated

Electric vehicle (EV) policies, charging infrastructure deployments, consumer vehicle incentives, fleet adoption of EVs, consumer education & outreach, dealership training, and many of the other efforts to encourage EV adoption are good strategies, but on their own they only make so much of an impact. A comprehensive EV ecosystem leverages all of these strategies in an approach that makes a significant impact on EV adoption. The City of Rochester and Tompkins County are two initiatives that are establishing this EV ecosystem and these efforts provide a roadmap for other municipalities in New York State to support EV adoption.

ROOM: Albany

1. Feel Good Heat: A Campaign for Automated Wood Heat

Maura Adams, Program Director, Northern Forest Center

Automated, efficient wood pellet boilers bring substantial environmental and community benefits to the North Country, but they're still unfamiliar to most U.S. consumers. A new campaign, developed by marketing professionals in partnership with dozens of wood heat stakeholders from across the Northern Forest, aims to

change that. This session will explain the campaign rationale and give attendees a special preview of brand-new graphics and messaging!

2. High Efficiency and Low Emissions Wood Chip Boiler Technology

Marc Caluwe, President, Caluwe, Inc. - Biomass Heat & Power Solutions

This presentation will provide an overview of achievable emissions and efficiencies with the latest wood chip boiler technologies.

Combined Session ROOM: Board

NYSERDA’s Role in Implementing Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing in New York State.

Jessica Waldorf, Project Manager, NYSERDA

A brief overview of NYSERDA’s role in implementing Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing in New York State. This presentation will include information about NYSERDA’s recently released Commercial PACE Guidelines, which outline criteria for municipal corporations, certifying entities, and energy auditors on how to leverage PACE financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in commercially-owned buildings.

NYS's Energize NY PACE – Capital for Clean Energy Projects

Mark Theilking, Executive Director, Energize NY

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Finance is a powerful benefit offered by municipalities to spur improvements to buildings that can reduce energy costs, lower pollution and support economic opportunity. Thanks to action by the NYS Legislature and Governor Cuomo, Energize NY PACE is undergoing changes to make PACE even more accessible to municipalities and constituents of NYS. In this session, Mark Thielking, Executive Director of Energize NY will give an overview of PACE, run through examples of how PACE works within the community to support building owners, and the upcoming changes that will make PACE even more accessible.

The Opportunity for Residential PACE

Gabe Maser, Regional Director, Market Expansion & Policy, Renovate America

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is taking hold across the country through several innovative programs. State governments enable PACE programs and local governments implement PACE by leveraging a longstanding structure – the municipal bond and property tax collection systems – to access private capital to finance and support the expansion of residential energy efficiency and renewable energy installations. This session will explore the basic concepts of residential PACE and the opportunity it presents for New York.

Speakers Bios

Adams, Maura; Program Director, Northern Forest Center. Maura is a program director at the Northern Forest Center, where she focuses primarily on advocating for automated wood heating systems and renewable, locally-made wood pellets as a replacement for fossil fuels. She also contributes to the Center’s community development work, especially a new North Country mountain bike collaborative. Previously, Maura built and managed the environmental stewardship program at St. Paul's School, worked as a green building consultant for the Jordan Institute, ran energy reduction campaigns at Harvard University, and conducted field ecology research in Brooklyn, NY and northern Wisconsin. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Master of Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Bernstein, Nancy; Energy Circuit Rider, ANCA. Nancy has lived with and promoted renewable energy for over 25 years, currently working as an ANCA Energy Circuit Rider. For 10 years, Nancy organized local green building home tours, and more recently coordinated Solarize Tri-Lakes, a 2-year educational campaign to increase awareness about solar energy, encouraging the installation of more than 80 solar PV arrays. Graduating from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology, Nancy began adult life teaching environmental education and river ecology on the Hudson River and aboard sailing ships around the world. After moving to the Adirondacks in 1990 and building her off-grid solar home, she worked in the building trades as a timber framer, carpenter, and instructor. From teaching natural building techniques in rural Nicaragua to an annual timber framing course at the Yestermorrow Design Build School in central Vermont, Nancy enjoys sharing her skills and interest in creating beautiful and functional buildings.

Bird, Stephen; Associate Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University. Dr. Stephen Bird is Associate Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University and a Senior Fellow at the Centre on Governance, a research affiliate at Positive Energy, and a previous Fulbright Research Fellow at the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on split incentives and smart housing, energy conflict in North America, microgrid governance, drivers of energy adoption (fracking, solar), green data centers, energy poverty, policy learning and activism, and social influence. Affiliations, engagements, and/or grants include the U.S. State Department, the European Commission, the New York Energy Research Authority, the National Science Foundation, IBM, AMD, National Grid, Massachusetts’ Environmental Affairs, Harvard’s Electricity Policy Group, and Mass Energy. He completed his PhD at Boston University and his Masters’ from Harvard University.

Burke, Bryan; Architect, Premises Architecture PLLC. Bryan is a licensed architect, registered in NY and VT, with over thirty years of active independent practice experience, requiring design, technical and practice management expertise. His professional practice includes architecture, urban design institutional planning & construction administration and management, for the development of cultural & educational institutions, community and rural economic enterprise & private homes. His work includes completed buildings across North America and embraces the challenge of building with scarce financial resources, amidst demanding environmental conditions & fragile eco-systems, often remote from contemporary construction skills & sources of building tech.

Caluwe, Marc; President, Caluwe, Inc. - Biomass Heat & Power Solutions. Marc is the founder of Caluwe, Inc. - Biomass Heat & Power Solutions and has over 20 years of experience in the biomass industry. Caluwe, Inc. is the North American importer for Windhager and Heizomat pellet/wood chip boilers. And for Spanner Re2 wood chip CHP systems. He's led the development and implementation of numerous biomass energy projects across the Northeast. He is the lead designer for all Caluwe, Inc's projects. Prior to founding the company, Marc worked for TUV Sud and Apragaz. Marc holds a master's degree in Electro-Mechanical engineering and European Welding Engineering degree.

Ceponis, Jennifer; Sr Transportation Planner / Clean Cities Coordinator, CDTC / CDCCJen is a Senior Transportation Planner with the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for New York’s Capital Region. Most recently she has been involved in promoting bicycle safety through CDTC’s bicycle safety campaign Capital Coexist, developing travel demand management programs, overseeing a number of land use and transportation integration planning studies, managing the Capital Region’s trail count and survey program as well as

the ongoing Greenway & Trails Vision Plan, and manning CDTC’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. Jen is also the Coordinator of Capital District Clean Communities (CDCC), a government/industry partnership through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program. Jen is on the Board of Directors of Capital CarShare, a non-profit carsharing organization in Albany she helped launch in 2014 & is Chair of the NYS MPO Climate Change Working Group.

Coll, Chris; Program Manager, NYSERDA. Christopher Coll is a Program Manager at NYSERDA. Chris is the team lead for the Low- to Moderate-Income group at NYSERDA, which is responsible for developing strategies, proposing policy, and coordinating across all sector areas within NYSERDA and various New York State organizations to streamline and improve the effectiveness of energy service delivery to low- to moderate-income households. Chris holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from SUNY New Paltz in addition to a master of arts degree in public affairs and policy from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the State University of New York at Albany.

Davis, John; SmartWatt Dwyer, Herbert; CEO, Empower Equity. Herbert Dwyer is the Chair of the Northeast Clean Heat & Power Initiative (NECHPI), the trade association for CHP systems in the US. He has overseen >300 energy efficiency design-builds. A Cornell MBA and former Marine / NSA Cryptanalyst, Herb has founded or co-founded 11 startups in energy and real estate, and specializes in energy efficiency, business development, real estate, due diligence, and third-party asset management.

Ekblad, Dazzle; Climate Policy Analyst, NYS DEC. Dazzle Ekblad is a Climate Policy Analyst for the Office of Climate Change at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Originally from Minnesota, Dazzle works out of DEC’s central office in Albany. She holds a Master of Science in Natural Resources Policy from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. In her current role at the DEC, Dazzle focuses on management of the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, including administering the CSC Grant Program and acting as the program lead for the CSC Certification Program. Dazzle also supports DEC’s implementation of the Community Risk and Resiliency Act. She has a background in financial management & environmental science, and has a passion for gardening & birds of prey.

Fabozzi, Todd; Director of Sustainability, Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Todd Fabozzi has been a professional urbanist since 1993 and is currently the Director of Sustainability for the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Todd has lectured extensively on regional development and has been involved in numerous smart growth, sustainability, and watershed protection studies and programs. He has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Albany where he also taught a course on Geographic Information Systems for thirteen years. He now teaches urban planning at Skidmore College and is a member of the Saratoga Springs Planning Board.

Gaus, John.; Co-Founder & CEO, Agbotics. John Gaus is a serial entrepreneur and technologist focused on solving environmental problems through the deployment of distributed-scale solutions for energy and agriculture. He possess extensive international business experience, is co-founder of multiple companies and inventor or co-inventor on over a dozen patents in software, chemical process technology, biomass energy technology, electrical devices, and robotics for agriculture.

Gava, Louise; CCA Project Leader, MEGA. Louise has been MEGA’s Community Choice Aggregation Project Leader for two years. She has firsthand experience with the benefits of aggregated energy supply, hydro and solar programs from her work with the Village of Canton and St. Lawrence County, her North Country home for 12 years. She spent 8 years working in the higher education sustainability and energy arenas, with the last 2 years focused on new and exciting energy opportunities including remote-net metering, residential solar campaigns and microgrids. She has experience educating and supporting municipalities, public and private educational institutions and residents in decisions related to energy procurement and development.

Hale, Greg; Senior Advisor, NYS Governor's Office, Energy & Finance. Greg Hale joined the NYS Governor’s Office as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of Energy & Finance in 2013, in which role he focuses on clean energy finance and the development and execution of the Governor’s signature energy policy– Reforming the Energy Vision (REV). Mr. Hale led the establishment of the $1 billion NY Green Bank, and was the lead author of NY’s 2015 State Energy Plan. He is also

responsible for developing clean energy solutions for the low to moderate income sector, including a new initiative called RetrofitNY, aimed at creating a self-sustaining market that will deliver net-zero energy retrofit solutions to multifamily buildings at scale. Previously, Mr. Hale was the Director of Efficiency Finance at NRDC’s Center for Market Innovation, where he focused on developing the market for energy efficiency building retrofits in the commercial, multi-family and institutional property sectors. Mr. Hale is a founding board member of the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation, where he currently chairs the Huma Resources & Governance Committee, and he served on the steering committee of the PACENow Coalition. Mr. Hale is a graduate of Dartmouth College and The University of Michigan Law School.

Hickok, Eugene; Sr. Energy Integration Consultant, Customer Energy Integration, National Grid. A Saratoga area native. Gene is a Sr Customer Energy Integration Consultant for the Upstate NY area. Gene joined National Grid’s newly developed Customer Energy Integration (formerly DG) team in 2016. In that role Gene coordinates Commercial and Industrial PV Solar, Wind Turbines and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation projects. Gene works with the Customers, Developers and the National Grid’s, Technical and Project Management teams to interconnect Distributive Generation to the electric grid. Gene has over 35 years of related experience in the Energy and HVAC industries.

Kornack, Jake; Energy Consultant, Dandelion Energy. Jake was the 2nd employee at Dandelion and has been working to combat climate change and make the case for renewable energy for more than 6 years. Jake is on the board of directors of Our Climate, and he led the divestment campaign on Willamette University Campus. At the American Council On Renewable Energy, Jake author a toolkit that has facilitatedthe adoption of renewable energy on tribal lands. Jake was also an organizing fellow with the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2015, learning the power of grassroots organizing firsthand in the cornfields of Iowa. Recently, Jake completed a 28,000-mile journey around the globe, studying the political economy of climate change, speaking with people impacted by increased drought and changing weather patterns. As an avid organizer and writer, Jake has attended the last two UN Climate Negotiations in Paris and Morocco.

John, Alwyn; TST BOCES. Mr. John is the Senior Energy Management Coordinator for the TST BOCES Energy Management program, currently serving 9 school districts in the Southern Tier region of NYS. Over the last seven years, the program has helped participating districts capture more than $1.5 million in grants and energy savings. The program has inspired similar services across the state and is continuing to expand in the Central NY area. Prior to leading the Energy Management team, Mr. John has held a number of leadership roles in energy conservation related organizations. His previous positions include serving as a VP of Construction and Engineering Services for a building performance contractor, as an Energy Auditor under the NYS Weatherization Assistance Program and as an Independent Energy Consultant. Mr. John holds a BA in Computer Science from NYU, as well as CEM & Building Commissioning Professional certifications from the Association of Energy Engineers.

LaRoe, Chris; Director of Regulatory Affairs, Brookfield Renewable. Chris LaRoe is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for Brookfield Renewable, one of the largest private producers of hydropower in North America. In this role, Chris is responsible for analyzing, interpreting, assessing and creating strategies regarding existing and potential future wholesale energy market rules. Prior to joining Brookfield, Chris was the Managing Director for the Independent Power Producers of New York (IPPNY) where he served as IPPNY’s advocate in proceedings pending before New York’s regulatory agencies. Chris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications/Public Relations from SUNY Geneseo & an MBA from the College of St. Rose.

LaClair, Derek; President / CFO, Empower Equity. Derek LaClair has financially evaluated >$140M in energy efficiency projects and arranged >$30M in project investment. While CFO of design-builder ASI Energy, an energy efficiency installation firm. He also served as a Finance Manager at M&T Bank, overseeing the finances of the company’s $350M credit card portfolio. A Cornell MBA, Derek is the lead designer of EMPEQ's Empower Visibilitysmfinancial due diligence software platform.

Maser, Gabe; Regional Director, Market Expansion & Policy, Renovate America. Gabe is the Regional Director for Market Expansion and Policy at Renovate America, a leading national provider of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. Gabe focuses on state activity in the eastern United States as well as federal policy. Prior to joining Renovate,

Gabe served as an environmental litigation and regulatory attorney with Baker Botts, managed federal affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and worked in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Maybloom, Steven; Energy Integration Consultant, Customer Energy Integration, Nnational Grid. Steven is a Customer Energy Integration Consultant for National Grid in the Albany areaworking onInterconnection and Construction Management of Complex Distributed Generation projects. He is an NAHB Certified Green Professional who holds an MS in Energy Management from New York Institute of Technology with certifications as aNABCEP Solar Technology Photovoltaic Equipment Installer, and BPI Building Analyst/Energy Auditor. Steven has spent most of his professional career in the Downstate NY and the LI metro area. Recently he has brought his unique experience to Albany. Formerly, Steven has been on the Solar Development side as aSolar PV Operations Manager, the utility side as a contractor for National Grid & PSEG LI’s Power Asset Management and Power Markets departments, the financial industry as a Licensed Final advisor and Registered Rep, and the Telecommunications industry as a Project Manager and Implementation Engineer.

McCarthy, Tim; Architect, Tim McCarthy Architect PC and New Leaf Homes. Tim McCarthy has 33 years of experience as a constructor and architect in residential, light commercial and institutional buildings in upper New York state.

Moaveni, Houtan; Deputy Director of NY-Sun Initiative and New York State Distributed Generation Interconnection Ombudsman, NYSERDA. Houtan Moaveni is currently serving the dual role of the Deputy Director of NY-Sun Initiative and New York State Distributed Generation Interconnection Ombudsman at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Mr. Moaveni is an accomplished energy professional with over 14 years of experience in solar from design, analysis and operation to policy, planning, program design and implementation. He has a proven track record of successfully delivering a wide-range of solar initiatives, supporting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), states, utilities and public service commissioners which has resulted in receiving several awards over the years.

Moore, Jason; Director, Investment & Portfolio Management, NY Green Bank. Jason works to accelerate the deployment of clean energy assets in New York by structuring and executing transactions for clients and business partners. Prior to joining NY Green Bank, Mr. Moore helped renewable energy sponsors, developers, and investors meet their financial objectives as a consultant with the project finance advisory firm P50 Capital. While at P50 Capital, he primarily structured and executed wind and solar project financings, acquisitions, and financial restructurings for clients in North America and Latin America. Mr. Moore began his career in the securitization sector, spending time at BBVA Compass and Norddeutsche Landesbank. He gained experience analyzing and structuring a broad range of asset securitizations including mortgages, trade receivables, and consumer credit and assisted with the funding and portfolio management of Sunbelt Funding Company and Hannover Funding Company.Mr. Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State University with a concentration in banking and finance. He also holds a master’s degree in finance from Boston College. Niebling, Charles; Partner, Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC. Charlie is a partner with Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC. Previously he served as general manager of New England Wood Pellet, with plants in NH, PA and NY (Schuyler and Deposit). He is vice chair of NY Bioenergy Association & founding chair of the Biomass Thermal Energy Council in Washington DC.

Rossi, Candace; Project Manager, NYSERDA. Candace Rossi is currently a Project Manager of NY-Sun at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Candace began her career in solar in the private sector as a project manager on commercial and muncipality solar PV projects. She also has experience working at a full-service energy and sustainability consultant in the tri-state area with hospitals and real estate groups.

Roy, Bryan; Principal Engineer, Energetics Incorporated. Mr. Bryan Roy, s an engineer and certified Project Management Professional with 10 years of research and engineering experience in the renewable energy field with a focus on advanced transportation technologies. He has analyzed the EV market in New York State through support of NYSERDA's EV Charging Station Deployment Program where he monitored the use of over 700 charging ports in various settings and tracked EV registrations. Mr. Roy has also developed EV Adoption roadmaps for several communities and

regions in New York State, as well as throughout the US. He is currently managing a large effort to accelerate EV adoption in New York State through education, outreach, and awareness using various strategies.

Smith, Emmett; Azure Mountain Power. Emmett is a second-generation small hydro owner and developer in the North Country. Having recently completed a Masters in Energy Regulation Law, he has been working to help small hydro power plants transition into the new clean energy marketplace. Emmett is in active participant in several state regulatory proceedings, advocating for independent hydro.

Sopczyk, Ben; Marketing Director, Apex Solar Power. Ben is the marketing Director for Apex Solar Power, and is continually searching for new ways to connect and educate people about the potential for renewable energy. A strong advocate for educational outreach, he believes that providing quality information to consumers about its benefits and functionality will drive the adoption of renewables and the overall success of the industry. A Life-long resident of upstate New York, he attended Glens Falls High School, and Binghamton University.

Theilking, Mark; Executive Director, Energize NY. Mark is a founder and the Executive Director of the Energy Improvement Corporation (EIC), a New York State Not for Profit, Local Development Corporation and home of Energize NY PACE. Prior to Mark’s involvement with Energize NY, he spent 18 years in the capital markets and served as a Managing Director within the UBS Investment Bank’s Environmental Advisory Group. As an innovative leader in leveraging the power of the capital markets and community action to achieve local and regional clean energy and economic development goals, Mark has presented at numerous clean energy conferences including New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), Low Income Forum on Energy, North East Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Urban Land Institute (ULI), PACE University Land Use Center, Citibank, PACE Nation and others.

Yienger, James; Principal, Climate Action Associates. Jim Yienger is the Principal of Climate Action Associates. He leads the firm’s climate change mitigation practice, and has 20 years of experience developing energy and sustainability solutions for state and local governments. His specializes in helping clients translate environmental passion into tangible, financed, and implemented projects and programs. His firm facilitated Watervliet’s Climate Action Plan development.

Waldorf, Jessica; Project Manager, Communities and Local Government group, NYSERDA. Ms. Waldorf has 9 years of experience at NYSERDA with customer and community engagement. In addition to working on NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program, she manages several contracts for Phase II of New York State’s Cleaner Greener Communities Program and oversees the implementation of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing in New York State. Mrs. Waldorf also manages a new statewide low-to-moderate income Community Energy Engagement program which is in the process of competitively selecting locally-based organizations to drive energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment to residential, multifamily, and small business customers, with a focus especially on low-to-moderate income customers.

Ziegler, Nell; Business Consultant - Upstate NY, Honeywell Building Solutions. Serving as a Business Consultant to Honeywell Building Solutions, Ms. Ziegler’s focus brings turn-key infrastructure solutions to clients in upstate New York. Often projects require creative financing to support older, outdated building systems to be modernized creating benefit through energy, maintenance and operational efficiencies. Previous to Honeywell, as Founder and Managing Director, Ms. Ziegler’s company was a serial contractor to NYSERDA and US DOE on demonstration projects focused on emerging energy technologies and their integration with building automation. Early in her career, Ms. Ziegler worked in real estate development, arranging financing through full phase design-to-construction.