10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Performance-Based Regulation: Helping to Enable a Customer-Centric Future

Performance-based regulation (PBR) is becoming one of the most important topics in utility regulation. This is because the traditional cost-of-service regulatory model has an implicit capital bias that presents a challenge to achieving some modern policy goals such as transitioning to cleaner energy resources, modernizing the grid and offering enhanced customer solutions. PBR is hard to do well and its survival depends on gaining trust and confidence that risks and rewards are appropriately shared between utilities and ratepayers. This panel will explore how PBR can drive economic efficiency and innovations that deliver greater value to ratepayers.

Moderator

Tom Stanton, National Regulatory Research Institute, Principal Researcher for Energy and Environment

Panelists

Hon. Abigail Anthony, Rhode Island

Matthew McDonnell, Associate Director, Navigant

Susan Mora-Schrader, Director of Utility Initiatives, Exelon

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Are Pilot Programs Going the Way of the Dodo?

Pilot programs are a common way for utilities to test new ideas, but all too often “pilot” becomes a synonym for “small” which interferes with the utilization of good statistical design protocols. As a result, the pilot program fails to yield statistically meaningful results. Any failure to adhere to accepted research methods interjects concerns about objectivity, reduces the confidence in applying the results, renders the transferability of outcomes to other utilities highly unlikely, and raises questions about other potential biases in the research. A prudently designed pilot program that serves the public interest should spur innovation and be positively viewed for purposes of cost recovery.

Moderator:

Hon. Sarah Freeman, Indiana

Panelists:

Hon. Dan Lipschultz, Minnesota

Tom Ashley, Vice President, Policy, Greenlots

Julia Friedman, Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Market Development, Oracle

Lon Huber

What Commissions Should Know About Environmental, Social and Governance Issues in the Industry

(Joint with the Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest)

Environmental, Social and Governance issues (ESG) have become a catalyst in the transition of investor-owned electric and gas companies.  Recognizing the rising importance of ESG to major investors, customers and stakeholders, EEI developed the first-of-its-kind, sector-specific ESG reporting template, resulting in clarity, consistency and comparability of ESG information desired by these important constituencies.  Initially, the primary focus of the EEI ESG template was on “E” issues (specifically carbon), but recently the dialog has moved to “S” issues, such as community workforce development, and to “G” issues, such as cybersecurity governance.  As activists are playing a bigger role in the energy sector, companies are proactively engaging with key constituents to address ESG issues, which will enable continued access to capital markets at affordable rates. Panelists will share their perspectives on ESG issues impacting the sector, company disclosures, and the implications of their industry assessments.  

Moderator:

Hon. Michael Richard, Maryland

Panelists:

Devin James, Manager, Investor Relations & ESG, Edison Electric Institute

Elin Katz, Managing Director of Energy Consulting and Associate General Counsel, Tilson Technology Management

Jim Kerr, Chief Legal Officer, Southern Company

Jeffrey Kotkin, Vice President Investor Relations, Eversource Energy

Melissa Lavinson, SVP Governmental & External Affairs, Pepco Holdings

Business Meeting

Introductions

Mary Kilmarx Award announcement

FERC PURPA NOPR overview

Resolutions

NRRI Regulation Training Initiative overview

This initiative is a remote platform for providing training on key regulatory issues for Commissioners, staff, industry and other stakeholders.  

Building Energy Efficiency: Technology, Policy, and Finance on-line course preview.

This on-line course examines the complexities, progress, and opportunities for energy efficiency in buildings (BEE) through the lenses of technology, policy, and finance. Participants will learn the fundamentals of the various kinds of BEE policy programs, their goals and their evaluation, with a special focus on utility customer programs and key policy tools for them.  The course explores the potential energy cost savings and non-energy benefits of BEE interventions as well as motivations and barriers for BEE from a multidisciplinary perspective.  Mini cases are used to explain key developments in BEE technology, policy and finance. Importantly, the course explores the leading edge of BEE including “data-driven” intelligent efficiency, the value of BEE in today’s changing grid, building decarbonization and BEE’s role in international climate efforts.