Leaders of Renewable Energy Sector Convene for Third Annual REFF-West Conference
Event Features Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy and Top Sources of Capital for Clean Energy Projects
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The top financiers of renewable energy in the U.S. will be gathering in late September at the third annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) - West, on Sept. 29-30, 2010 at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco.
The two-day event will convene an anticipated 400 senior financiers, investors, clean energy executives and policy makers from across the U.S. to discuss the opportunities for venture capital, private equity and project finance in clean energy technology companies.
"The challenge of financing renewable energy projects and companies have never been greater than today," said ACORE President Michael Eckhart. "So ACORE and Euromoney are assembling the top sources of capital to present where and how they are putting their money, and why. If you are involved in raising or investing capital, this conference will give you a road map to success."
The conference will feature representatives from top investment institutions -- Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch -- who will speak on project financing and opportunities in global financial markets that impact clean energy in the U.S. with a particular focus on projects in the Western U.S.
Featured speaker Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, will address current policy initiatives that drive investment in the clean energy sector at the federal level. Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Initiatives at Google, will offer a corporate perspective and outline his company's Clean Energy 2030 proposal for reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.
Conference Program Includes:
Market Drivers for Renewable Energy: As we move towards a new era in renewable energy, this session will examine the global macro factors impacting upon the energy sector. The session is Co-Chaired by Dan Reicher, Director of Energy & Climate Change Initiatives, Google and Craig Kline, Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP. Speakers include Lisa Frantzis, Managing Director for Renewable & Distributed Energy, Navigant Consulting; Andrew Beebe, Chief Commercial Officer, Suntech Power; Jeffrey Holzschuh, Vice Chairman, Institutional Securities Group, Morgan Stanley; and Declan Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer, Lincoln Renewable Energy, LLC.
The View from Wall Street: A panel of top energy investment bankers, representing world-leading financial institutions, who are all currently leading major deals, will present how the financial landscape has changed over the last 12-18 months and explore what we can expect from the market moving forward. The session is Chaired by John Cavalier, Managing Partner, Hudson Clean Energy Partners. Speakers include Kevin Genieser, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley; Brian Bolster, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; Jeffrey McDermott, Managing Partner, Greentech Capital Advisors; Jeffrey Lipton, Managing Director - Head of Clean Tech Group, Jefferies & Company Inc.; Ray Wood, Co-Head Global Alternative Energy, Credit Suisse; Parker Weil, Managing Director, Co-Head Americas Energy & Power Group, Bank of America - Merrill Lynch; Andrew Safran, Chairman, Global Energy, Power & Chemical Group, Citigroup Global Markets; and Jonathan Yellen, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank.
Renewable Energy Project Finance: This session will compare different financial models and their outlooks as we move forward with investment in renewable energy. The session is Co-Chaired by Michael Butler, Co-Founder, Cascadia Capital and Mark P. Weitzel, Partner, Orrick. Speakers include John Eber, Managing Director, JP Morgan Capital Corporation; Gisela Kroess, Director, Power & Environment, Global Project Finance, UniCredit Bank AG New York Branch; Matt Cheney, Managing Director, Cleanpath Ventures; Matt Ferguson, Principal, Renewable Energy Practice Leader, Reznick Group; and Kenneth Westrick, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, 3TIER.
West Coast Developers' Perspectives: Following insight from the major investment banking players and project financiers in the renewable energy sector, this panel will focus on the financing of West-Coast renewable energy projects from a developer's point of view. The session is Co-Chaired by Ted Brandt, CEO, Marathon Capital, LLP and David T. Quinby, Partner, Stoel Rives LLP. Speakers include Daniel Schochet, Executive Vice President, Ram Power Corporation; Michael Walsh, Chief Financial Officer, NTR Plc; Tim Derrick, Chief Executive Officer, Axio Power Inc.; William Lee, Vice President Project Finance, SunEdison; and David Oxtoby, Chief Executive Officer, CarbonFree Technology.
Government Policy & Incentives: In the wake of 2009's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, this session will examine the impact of new legislation on the renewable energy industry. The session is Chaired by John Geesman, Co-Chair, Board of Directors, ACORE. Speakers include Jackie Pfannenstiel, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment), Dan Kalafatas, President, 3Degrees; Woodrow Clark II, Managing Director, Clark Strategic Partners; William Farris, Vice President for Commercialization and Technology Transfer, NREL; Laura Lovelace, President, Wellford Energy Advisors; and David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property & Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Public Capital Markets: This session will examine the changing state of public capital markets and how they relate to renewable energy development. The session is Co-Chaired by Michael Eckhart, President, ACORE and Adam S. Umanoff, Partner, Chadbourne & Parke. Speakers include Mark Nydam, Managing Director, Cleantech Investment Practice, PCG Asset Management; Scott B. Livingston, Chief Executive Officer, Livingston Securities; Nat Kreamer, President, Acro Energy Technologies; Ungad Chadda, Senior Vice President, Toronto Stock Exchange; and John Bohn, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission.
Striving For Excellence C-Level Insight Panel: Leading renewable energy CEOs will outline how they have achieved success over the last year and what they are expecting to see from the industry over coming months. The session is Chaired by Bruce Pasternack, Operating Partner, Venrock. Speakers include Peter Duprey, Chief Executive Officer, Acciona Energy North America; John Woolard, CEO, BrightSource Energy; Arno Harris, CEO, Recurrent Energy; Michael Garland, CEO, Pattern Energy Group; Dennis Arriola, CFO, SunPower Corporation; and Lyndon Rive, CEO, SolarCity.
Investor Perspectives on Renewable Energy: Investors of varying sizes and types, from VC to Institutional Investor, will sit alongside each other and examine the differences in their approaches to financing. The session is Co-Chaired by Dan Adler, President, California Clean Energy Fund, CalCEF and Kenneth R. Locklin, Director Finance & Investment, Clean Energy Group. Speakers include Pat Eilers, Managing Director, Madison Dearborn; Stephan Dolezalek, Managing Director & Clean Tech Group Leader, Vantage Point Venture Partners; Sha Wang, Principal, Cybernaut (China) Investment; Nancy Floyd, Managing Director, Nth Power; Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners; and Bob O'Connor, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
REFF-West returns to San Francisco, following last September's successful second edition, which attracted over 400 senior executives and investors. For more information about REFF-West 2009, please visit http://www.reffwest.com.
About REFF-West:
REFF-West is the largest renewable energy finance conference focused on national energy issues and opportunities. It is hosted by ACORE, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, dedicated to raising the profile of renewable energy, and Euromoney Energy Events, a London-based wholly owned subsidiary of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and organizer of conferences to address topical issues in the energy sector. For more information on confirmed speakers, pricing information and more please visit http://www.reffwest.com.
About the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE):
ACORE, a 501(c)(3) membership non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, is dedicated to bringing renewable energy into the mainstream of the US economy and lifestyle through research and communications programs and membership committees. ACORE'S membership works in all sectors of the renewable energy industries including wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean energy, biomass, biofuels, and waste energy. ACORE provides a common platform for the wide range of interests in the renewable energy community including end users, technology companies, manufacturers, utilities, professional service firms, financial institutions, colleges and universities, associations, non-profit organizations and government agencies. ACORE serves as a thought leadership forum through which these parties work together on common interests. ACORE co-organizes the REFF-Wall Street and REFF-West Finance Conferences, the RETECH All-Renewables Energy Conference and Exhibition, the Phase II National Policy Forum in Washington, DC, and hosts both domestic and global policy events furthering the mission of renewable energy. Additional information is available at www.acore.org.
About Euromoney Energy Events:
Euromoney Energy Events, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, is a leading international events company that organises high-profile conferences for clean energy professionals worldwide. Our diverse portfolio of events brings together senior delegates from the renewable energy and cleantech industries with investors, financiers and other professionals. The Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) series was launched in 1999 in London, and has since grown into a portfolio of internationally renowned events that take place annually in seven cities spanning Europe, the US, Asia and Latin America. These include, REFF Wall Street (New York), REFF London (London), REFF China (Beijing) and REFF Canada (Toronto).
SOURCE REFF-West
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