Materials from September 2011 Co-op Conference

Published 21 092011 by admin

9:15 – 10:15 How Co-ops Work - Rob Church
Robert L. Church, P.E., MBA is an electrical engineer and renewable energy consultant providing clients with business and financial counsel on major new renewable energy opportunities.
Mr. Church has spent over 30 years in technical and analytical positions in the energy industry, working with both the government and public sector clients. His areas of expertise include engineering, economics and finance, which he has applied to strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, and restructuring activity for utilities and other energy industry stakeholders. Mr. Church has worked for American Council On Renewable Energy, Management Consulting Services, Inc., the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and for Booz, Allen & Hamilton's Energy Practice.

10:30 – 11:30 Best Practices of Co-op Boards - Patrick Cox
Dr. Patrick Cox has made contributions in two areas of importance - history and environment. Over the course of his lifetime he served for several years as Assistant Land Commissioner for the state of Texas, was the Associate Director of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History and in his early days as the editor of the Wemberley View, which provided news for a number of folks in Central Texas who were members of the nation’s largest electric cooperative, Pedernales Electric Coop (PEC)
It was during his time as editor of the Wimberly view that Dr. Cox conducted a major investigation of wrongdoing at the PEC. Now, 20 years after his investigation, the Coop board has undergone a widely publicized overhaul, and Patrick sits on the board as one of its new members. In office, he has spearheaded reforms in the board’s governance that ensure open meetings, open records, and fair elections, and he is helping to direct the coop’s development of clean and efficient energy sources. Because of his success in correcting problems at the PEC, he was recently invited to speak to the conventions of both the state and national associations of electric coops.

11:45 – 1:15 Lunch (provided) / Movie Green Dreams

1:15 – 2:15 Greening Your Co-op - Jill Cliburn
Jill K. Cliburn, President of Santa Fe-based Cliburn and Associates, has had long experience working with public power and electric cooperatives on clean energy innovations. Early in her career, she led energy efficiency and DSM programs for the municipal utility in Springfield, Illinois. She moved to Washington, DC to develop energy services programs for the American Public Power Association. Under contract to the Western Area Power Administration, she addressed both municipal utilities and co-ops throughout the West and traveled extensively, providing trainings and consultations in dozens of rural communities. Through her consultancy, she has provided research and business development services, with an emphasis on integrated resource planning—particularly integrating significant wind and solar resources.
Recent work has included assessing solar PV and solar water heating business models for the NRECA Cooperative Research Network, consulting in the development of a 1-MW solar plant at a New Mexico water utility, and co-authoring guide for utility wind O&M. She keeps her interest in energy efficiency fresh through work with Clean Energy Ambassadors, an Energy Foundation-funded project. Through CEA, she has explored and promoted strategies to bring consumer-owned utilities and their customers into stronger collaboration. In addition to speaking widely, Jill has written for RE Magazine, Public Power Magazine, Solar Today, and numerous other publications.

2:30 – 3:30 Co-op Energy Efficiency Successes - Keith Freischlag
Keith is Senior Associate for Utility Programs at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) which promotes greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. He works to assist in the development, analysis and promotion of effective energy efficiency and load management programs. He has more than 13 years of experience in the energy field, specializing in DSM program design, implementation, reporting, analysis, policy and research.
Prior to joining SWEEP, Keith managed residential and commercial DSM programs in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine for an investor owned utility. Keith developed and worked with a number of gas and electric utility collaborative groups in the Northeast to improve stakeholder communication, develop program best practices and promote effective program design. Additional areas of focus include the development of statewide data tracking systems, contractor development and stakeholder outreach & education.
Mr. Freischlag has a number of technical certifications including HERS & BPI and has proctored advanced energy modeling classes with a variety of software tools. Keith has a background in utility sub-metering and has written documents regarding a variety of energy efficiency and load management programs topics. Keith received a BS in resource economics from the University of New Hampshire.
Keith worked on a report for SWEEP which we refer to several times here on the site. That report is here.

3:45 – 5:00 Messaging and Working with the Media - Eric Frankowski
Eric leads Resource Media’s Energy Development team, overseeing work on issues such as coal-fired power, oil and gas drilling, oil shale development, and the transition away from fossil fuels toward cleaner sources of generating electricity.
Eric has more than 10 years of experience working as a journalist in Colorado and served as the city editor for the Longmont Times-Call covering government, science and environmental issues. He joined Resource Media in 2006, and led their work with the Western Clean Energy Campaign’s efforts to fight proposals for the construction of new coal-burning power plants in the West.
Eric's presentation along with some supplemental materials are also available via yousend.it by clicking here.



Saturday, September 24, 2011

8:30 – 9:30 Transparency is Possible and Desirable - Luis Reyes
Luis Reyes is an Electrical Engineer who began as a System Engineer with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Inc. (KCEC) in 1984 before becoming CEO and general manager in 1994. In October 2001 he was named The Taos News inaugural Citizen of the Year.
Mr. Reyes is the CEO for the NM Green Grid Initiative (NMGG), and serves on the Western Governors Association (WGA) Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (NM Representative), the Governor’s Distributed Solar Energy Task Force, and is the Vice President of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative Board. Under his leadership KCEC has deployed approximately 2 megawatts of Solar Energy projects and plans to deploy broadband capacity through its fiber network. Mr. Reyes also serves or has served on the boards of Tri-State Generation &Transmission, Distributed Solar Task Force, Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee and the Solar Electric Power Association.

9:45 – 11:00 Risks of Traditional Power Sources - Randy Udall
Randy Udall is a consulting energy analyst and one of the nation's leading activists in promoting energy sustainability. He is the former Director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) in western Colorado. During his tenure, CORE's partnerships with individuals, governments and utilities led to Colorado's first solar energy incentive program, the world's first Renewable Energy Mitigation Program which has raised $6 million, the world's stiffest carbon tax, and some of the most progressive green power purchasing programs in the country. Udall is a Co-Founder of ASPO-USA and was one of the peak oil experts interviewed by the National Petroleum Council when they researched their 2007 report on the Hard Truths about Energy. He writes and speaks widely on why "energy is an IQ test Americans tend to fail."

11:00 – 12:00 Next Steps

Supplemental Presentations:
Tom Potter - Efficiency Impacts
Election Strategy

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