Clean energy innovation and deployment in the United States faces a number of significant challenges in the current environment, including historically low natural gas prices, ongoing uncertainty regarding key policy supports, declining interest and support from private investors, and significant competition from China and other countries. This conference will convene leading experts from law, industry, and finance to explore various aspects of energy innovation finance in the United States and its implications for clean energy deployment and competitiveness. The first panel will provide an overview of current challenges and opportunities, with specific attention to federal and state policy supports (tax credits, loan guarantees, etc.), private investment in clean energy, and project finance. The second panel will address specific issues and challenges in key sectors (wind, solar, smart grid, etc.) and strategies for securing finance in the current climate. The third panel will discuss several larger contexts for clean energy finance and their implications for the sector in the United States, including the role of government support and industrial policy in leading countries around the world, development of new models for energy innovation finance, and the connections with trade law and international competitiveness.
Sessions
Welcome & Introduction
- Phil Weiser
Hatfield Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School - William Boyd
Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado - Mike Knotek
Director, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)
Panel 1: Current Challenges and Opportunities
- Phil Weiser — Moderator
Hatfield Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School - Mark Safty
Partner, Holland & Hart - James Linfield
Partner, Cooley LLP - Mike Mendelsohn
Senior Financial Analyst, Strategic Energy Analysis Center, NREL - Reuben Munger
Managing Partner, Vision Ridge Partners - Adrian Tuck
Chief Executive Officer, Tendril
Panel 2: Industry & Capital Markets Perspectives
- Brad Bernthal — Moderator
Associate Professor, University of Colorado Law School - Hank Kelly
Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP - Ned Harvey
Chief Operating Officer, Program Director, Solar Market Transformation Program, Rocky Mountain Institute - Ricahrd Ashby
Managing Partner, Infrastructure Finance Advisors LLC - Justin Segall
Founder & President, Simple Energy
Break
Panel 3: Innovation, Finance, and Competitiveness
- William Boyd — Moderator
Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado - Eric Garfinkel
Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado Law School - Eric Drummond
Partner, Patton Boggs LLP - Morgan Bazilian
Deputy Director, Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) - Peter Edwards
Partner, Sage Law Group LLC