Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference 2

1:30-3:00pm
Industry Perspectives: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Capital Investments
A look at the capital market for the EE/RE sectors. panel will include industry and investment experts. Panelists will discuss how policy incentives impact their business decisions.

• Moderator: Justin Klure Pacific Energy Ventures

• 
  Ed Feo Partner, Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, LLP, Los Angeles CA
• Alan Kirn Director-Renewable Energy Solutions, Johnson Controls, Inc, St. Louis MO
• Dorthe Nielsen Manager of Government Relations, Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc, Portland OR

Dorthe is reading her company's commercial. Very disappointing after two info rich presentation. But she will have succeeded in making people aware of wind company Vestas.

But my impression from the earlier panel was reinforced by the first two speakers. The first, an attorney, talked about the radically changing financial market and incentives that support energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and cleaning the environment. The model, according to his talk, is definitely changing toward green, in fact has changed.

The second speaker, from Johnson controls, also emphasizes how fast things have changed in just the last year. "I've never seen as much change as in the last year." He went on to talk about things like how decision making on projects used to be 90% based on economics, and now often more than 50% of the decision making criteria relate to social and environmental impacts.



Alan Kirn had this slide showing Alaska to be the be the highest energy using state per capita in the US. But a questioner at the end pointed out that the oil production on the North Slope had a lot to do with that level of consumption yet that oil isn't for Alaska's consumption, but everyone else's. He also said that our high carbon production was associated with all the cargo jets that merely stop here to supply others in the world.

It would be interesting to separate that out and to see how much Alaskans consume in a more appropriate comparison to other states.

[Click on pictures to enlarge.]

And Kirn also offered this slide suggesting ways Alaska could improve its record.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now, that our Governor is so lacking in understanding of these issues. I don't know where she is today (for all I know she opened the meeting when I wasn't here). But it's a shame she hasn't been here listening.