Conference Program

Responsible for delivering electricity safely and reliably to 1 million customers in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming Mrs. Crane is the perfect keynote for our Western Power Summit. She will bring insight into Western power issues such as the Energy Imbalance Market, PacifiCorp’s plan to repower wind and add transmission, and ongoing efforts to manage changing load profiles as more renewables come into the system. Ms. Crane also oversees thermal generation, mining and resource development for the company, and will add significant context to the event’s conversations on water/energy, renewable generation, transmission, market structures, and evolving business models. Her work as a board member on the Wyoming Energy Resources Council in addition to the National Mining Association and the Utah Mining Association will allow for a dynamic conversation about challenges facing the power industry in the West.

Policy makers from the state, provincial and federal levels share ideas in this moderated roundtable that will consider topics including renewable portfolio standards, transmission infrastructure improvements, market development issues, federal policy, and cross-border trade. This session is particularly timely given the new administration in Washington, D.C., and the relatively new premiership of Justin Trudeau. And the panel will be unique for bringing together state, federal, and provincial leaders to discuss western electric power issues.

Enjoy a scrumptious lunch with your peers while overlooking the beautiful Colorado landscape from the outdoor terrace. Then strike up some friendly competition with a game of billiards, foosball, or cornhole. Better use this time to practice…the inaugural Cornhole Tournament begins at 5:00 p.m. at the Opening Reception!

Consumers willingly give up lots of personal data and insights, but what gaps exist between what electric power providers can collect and use as they make investment decisions and work to advance energy efficiency goals? How is Big Data being used across the West to inform investment decisions and work toward distributed generation alternatives?

This session will examine the first six months of the Trump Administration to suggest whether policy initiatives and regulatory shifts are opening new opportunities for coal-fired electric power generation. To what extent will coal-producing states such as Wyoming benefit from these policies? What are the implications for renewable portfolio standards and emission reduction goals across the region?

After a long conference day, it is time to turn off your brain and turn on the fun! Get a taste of the local brews, including Nighthawk Brewery, Big Choice Brewing, and 4 Noses Brewing Company. Then with beer in hand, go head to head at the Cornhole Board for the Inaugural Cornhole Tournament. Will you take home the trophy?

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will be invited to present keynote remarks on the state’s landmark clean power plan, as well as ongoing efforts to balance renewable energy expansion with continued fossil fuel development. Does Colorado’s approach offer a blueprint for the West or did the state’s resource mix and political climate make it a one-off example?

The West offers vast potential for energy storage deployment. Electric vehicle adoption takes the technology to the consumer level. Meanwhile, large-scale batteries, pumped storage and even a few novel storage concepts are emerging.

The West leads the country with innovative approaches to energy generation, deployment, and use. This session highlights innovations in microgrid development, distributed and community solar finance, and approaches to regional transmission.

Water is of vital importance across the West and impacts almost every decision related to electric power production. This session examines the water resource issue and considers efforts at regional cooperation to ease conflicts.

Plan to tour NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility where world-class research is under way into techniques to effectively integrate emerging energy technologies into today's environment.

Denver is home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and attendees will be able to tour the visit the laboratory's Golden campus and get a close-up look at its Energy Systems Integration Facility. The ESIF provides a unique platform on which researchers and partners from industry can identify and resolve the technical, operational, and financial risks of integrating emerging energy technologies into today’s environment. The facility includes laboratories that focus on energy storage, hydrogen infrastructure, systems performance, high-performance computing and more.