USAEE/IAEE North American Virtual Conference
November 1 & 2, 2021
Navigating Energy Transitions
Economic, Social, Technical, and Policy Changes
| Category | Fee |
| USAEE member | $150 |
| IAEE member | $150 |
| Student | $99 |
| Non-member | $175 |
Conference Theme and Objectives
The 38th Annual USAEE/IAEE North American Conference provides a forum for informed and collegial discussion of how energy economics is contributing to the current and future thinking of businesses, consumers, technology developers, and public policy institutions in North America and around the world as they drive towards the future world of energy.
Our 2021 virtual conference takes place everywhere, from your browser, to keep the energy economics dialogue and debate alive, across North America and the world. As in previous years, the conference will highlight forward-looking energy themes at the intersection of economics, technology, and public policy, including those affecting energy infrastructure, environmental regulation, markets, the role of governments, and international energy trade. Participation from industry, government, non-profit, and academic energy economists will enrich a set of robust, diverse, and insightful discussions.
Topics to be addressed include:
The general topics below are indicative of the types of subject matter which may be considered at the conference. In practice, any topic relating to energy economics, markets, energy policy and regulation, energy trade, energy pricing, drivers of energy demand, adoption of new energy technologies etc. will be considered.
- Energy market and Covid-19
- OPEC+ and US oil production
- Emerging energy supply and use technologies
- Challenges in LNG markets
- Renewable energy developments
- Electrification
- Energy trade
- Decarbonization, policy, and investment
- Digital technology development & deployment
- Consumer choice, electric power & fuels
- Energy policy – national vs. local
- Other topics of interest: shifts in market structures and fundamentals
Keynote & Plenary Sessions
The 38th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference
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| Day 1 - All Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4:00) |
Keynote - Q&A with Richard Glick, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionMonday, November 1, 11:10 am Richard Glick was named by President Biden to be Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January of this year. He was confirmed as Commissioner by the U.S. Senate in November 2017. Mr. Glick will address aspects of FERC’s role in the ongoing energy transition. After his opening remarks, the Chairman will take questions from conference participants. Registered participants may submit questions in advance on the conference website by following this link. Questions posed during the session will also be addressed as time allows. Mr. Glick’s appearance will be followed by a panel discussion on the challenges and issues FERC faces in navigating the energy transition. Panelists:Alison Silverstein, Independent ConsultantSeverin Borenstein, Professor, Graduate School in the Economic Analysis and Policy Group, Haas School of Business; Faculty Director, Energy Institute at Haas, University of California, BerkeleyModerator:Howard Gruenspecht, Senior Energy Economist, MIT Energy Initiative; President, USAEE
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Dual Plenary 1 - Decoupling GDP from Energy Consumption - Real or Imagined? Can Our Models Answer the Question?Monday, November 1, 12:40 pm Economic models are used to inform many policies. However, model outputs are influenced by theoretical assumptions that govern their structure. Are our economic models accurate enough to explain and forecast the relationship between energy consumption, useful work, Gross Domestic Product, and greenhouse gas emissions? Are our models up to the task of projecting realistic scenarios driven by efficiency and other changes to the energy system? David Daniels, Guest Professor, Chalmers University of TechnologyJohn Weyant, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Director of the Energy Modeling Forum, Stanford UniversityPaul Brockway, University Academic Fellow in Energy and Economics at the Sustainability Research Institute, University of LeedsModerator:Carey W King, Research Scientist & Assistant Director, Energy Institute, University of Texas at Austin |
Dual Plenary 2 - Challenges and Solutions for a Just and Equitable Energy TransitionMonday, November 1, 12:40 pm The transition to a low carbon economy is gathering pace and widespread action from federal government to companies are all contributing to this acceleration. Like any major economic shift, we can expect changes that affect different regions and sectors differently: workers (to reskill or retrain), distribution of energy costs to citizens. Equitable decarbonization is the just and equitable transition from carbon-intensive services to decarbonized technologies and fuels with strategically planned steps and actions that ensuring the benefits and costs of the transition are equitably distributed across all groups in society. This panel will discuss policy and market designs that can help us find effective solutions to better focus on people-centered outcomes over more traditional metrics. Dinara Millington, Founder, 17insight Inc.Chris Hansen, Colorado State Senator and former IHS Energy EconomistRob Nachtrieb, Senior Lecturer, System Dynamics, MIT Sloan School of ManagementModerator:Ning Lin, Chief Economist, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin |
Student Best Paper Competition
Monday, November 1, 2:10 pm The Dennis J. O’Brien USAEE Best Student Paper Awards showcase and reward the best student work in the profession. Finalists' papers will be presented during this session. Among these, one will receive the Best Student Paper Award as determined by a panel of judges. |
General Membership MeetingMonday, November 1, 5:30 pm |
| Day 2 - All Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4:00) |
Keynote - Natural Gas, SPACs, and the Energy Transition: a Conversation with Daniel J. Rice IVTuesday, November 2, 10:00 amThe business landscape for U.S. energy is changing as energy markets are shifting at a rapid pace. Governments and companies are responding with new and innovative strategies to address the challenge of the energy transition and to deliver new solutions to the complex intersection of technology innovation, capital investment cycles, and public policy. Tufts University research professor Amy Myers Jaffe will moderate this important arm chair dialogue with industry innovator Daniel J. Rice, IV, a founder of Rice Acquisition Corp., which purchased Archaea Energy LLC and Aria Energy last spring. Rice will discuss his investment journey and latest pivot to consider how to achieve profits in the energy sector including newly emerging opportunities in carbon sequestration and production of hydrogen and other low carbon alternatives. Daniel J. Rice IV, Partner, Rice Investment GroupModerator:Amy Myers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School at Tufts University |
Dual Plenary 3 - Vital Energy Supply Chains: Past, Present, and FutureTuesday, November 2, 11:00 amThe COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. China trade war, and recent ransomware attacks have highlighted new risks to vital supply chains of critical materials, manufacturing inputs, food products, and energy, exposing the fragility of globalized networks. As nations adjust national policies to shore up domestic manufacturing and mining capabilities and to promote trade alliances, the geopolitics of supply chains has taken on new prominence in public debate. This panel of experts will discuss how lessons of past energy disruptions and commodity price volatility influence today's national security policies and how the global energy transition will change the calculus for energy supply chains of the future. Hon. Sharon Burke, Founder and President, EcosphericsRene Javier Aninao, Managing Partner, Corbu Intelligence and AdvisorySusan Landau, Bridge Professor in Cyber Security and Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts UniversityModerator:Amy Myers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School at Tufts University |
Dual Plenary 4 - Promised Technology Solutions: Where Are They?Tuesday, November 2, 11:00 amIt is becoming increasingly clear that countries will not be reaching their net zero pledges without major technological breakthroughs. While recognizing the importance of societal and cultural changes, this plenary will focus on nascent technological solutions. Among other things, the speakers will discuss the evolution of global public energy innovation and changes in public RD&D priorities. We will address risk and scalability issues of emerging energy technologies, elaborating both on cost curves and performance. The discussion of the future prospects of energy technologies will follow, based on expert solicitations, patent filings and other insights. Kelly Sims Gallagher, Academic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts UniversityJessika Trancik, Professor, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyErin Baker, Professor, Faculty Director of The Energy Transition Initiative, University of MassachusettsModerator:Anna Broughel, Program Director, Clean Energy Leadership Institute |
Government Track Panel Discussion - Energy Economics and Policy
Tuesday, November 2, 12:50 pmThe USAEE Government Committee invites you to join an insightful and provocative conversation with leading energy economists who made a transition from academia to public service in the executive branch of the United States Government, participated in policy development and debate affecting energy security, regulation, the environment, trade, and larger economy, and then returned to academic careers. Learn the highs and lows of being a professional economist in a political milieu! Beginning in 2015, the USAEE Government Committee has developed Conference sessions to appeal to public sector economists, at all levels of government. From opening plenary sessions to focused concurrent sessions, technology roundtables, and post-conference workshops, often planned jointly with other USAEE committees, the Government Committee welcomes feedback and suggestions for future government track sessions. Please submit ideas with your conference evaluation or submit them directly to usaee@usaee.org. Gilbert Metcalf, Professor of Economics, Tufts UniversityKenneth Gillingham, Professor of Economics, Yale UniversityTimothy Fitzgerald, Associate Professor of Business Economics, Texas Tech UniversityJeremy Weber, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of PittsburghModerator:Peter Balash, Senior Economist, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory |
Dual Plenary 5 - Preparing for "Unlikely" Events in Texas and Elsewhere: Rethinking Economic Models, Infrastructure, and Regulatory FrameworksTuesday, November 2, 4:10 pmWinter Storm Uri created the perfect storm of generation forced outages and soaring demand that caused a near-total collapse of the ERCOT transmission grid, resulting in prolonged power outages, property damage, and even loss of life. In response, the Texas Legislature passed a number of bills giving the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) and ERCOT direction to enact market changes to ensure Texas has a reliable electric grid. The PUC is currently undertaking a series of hearings, workshops, and rulemakings to gather stakeholder input to further the goals of the Legislature. Our panel is comprised of industry experts who are actively participating in these proceedings and will provide up to the minute observations on the direction the PUC is headed and insight as to how far it might go to restructure the Texas electric market. Randa Stephenson, Chief Commercial Officer, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)Carrie Bivens, VP, ERCOT Independent Market Monitor Director at Potomac Economics
Alison Silverstein, Independent ConsultantModerator:Neil McAndrews, Neil McAndrews & Associates |
Dual Plenary 6 - ESG Priorities for the Oil & Gas Sector: Investor Pressures, Company Responses, and Industry Implications
Tuesday, November 2, 4:10 pmEnvironment, social and governance (ESG) pressures are increasing rapidly across the oil and gas industry, as investors and governments step up efforts to tackle climate-related risks and decarbonize the global economy. Companies have accelerated their responses to these priorities, and yet investor demands only continue to rise. This session will center on this critical dynamic at play in the industry today with particular attention to the following questions:
Lisa Epifani, ESG Manager, Strategy and Sustainability, Chevron CorporationAndrew Logan, Senior Director, Oil & Gas Industry Program, CeresPete Sheffield, Chief Sustainability Officer and VP, U.S. External Affairs, EnbridgeJessica Wirth Strine, Managing Partner and CEO, Sustainable Governance PartnersModerator:Thomas (TJ) Conway, Director, Research & Advisory, Head of Energy Transition Research, Energy IntelligenceLooking to fill a position or make a change? Check out the USAEE Energy Career Center. |
Speakers
Renè AninaoManaging Partner, CORBŪ LLCRenè Aninao is the Managing Partner of CORBU, a research intelligence and advisory platform at the intersection of markets, policy, and national security. A global macro strategist and policy expert, Renè publishes widely-read commentary and is a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences. Prior to founding CORBU, Renè was a Managing Director at Evercore ISI, where he served as the firm’s macro specialist, advising clients in the financial and official sectors. Before joining Evercore ISI, Renè was a Director of Global Markets at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical advisory firm. Prior to that, he spent seven years as a Director at Macroeconomic Advisers, working closely with former Federal Reserve Board governor Larry Meyer. Renè began his career in the state of Texas at Shell Oil Products US and Citigroup Global Markets. Renè earned his bachelor's degree in mathematical economic analysis from Rice University, where he was an academic all-conference athlete. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute and The US-China Business Council in Washington. An avid supporter of the American arts, Renè also serves on the development committee for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York and as a museum custodian at The Menil Collection in Houston. | Erin BakerProfessor, Faculty Director of The Energy Transition Initiative, University of MassachusettsErin Baker is Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is the Faculty Director of the Energy Transition Institute, which is focused on stakeholder-engaged research at the intersection of energy and technology. She has a Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems & Operations Research from the department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from U.C. Berkeley. She combines operations research methods and economics to decision making under uncertainty, with a focus on Energy Justice and publicly-funded energy technology Research & Development portfolios in the face of climate change. |
Peter BalashSenior Economist, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory Peter BalashIncoming President, USAEE | Carrie BivensVP, ERCOT Independent Market Monitor Director at Potomac EconomicsCarrie Bivens is VP, ERCOT IMM Director for Potomac Economics. The Independent Market Monitor is responsible for detecting and preventing market manipulation strategies as well as identifying potential design improvements for the ERCOT wholesale market. Prior to joining Potomac Economics, Ms. Bivens worked at ERCOT, Inc., for over 13 years, most recently as Director of Wholesale Operations. She started her career at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and earned a B.B.A. in Operations Management from the University of Houston. |
Severin BorensteinProfessor, Graduate School in the Economic Analysis and Policy Group, Haas School of BorensteinBusiness; Faculty Director, Energy Institute at Haas, University of California, BerkeleySeverin Borenstein is E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the Haas School of Business and faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas. He is also Director emeritus of the University of California Energy Institute (1994-2014). He received his AB from UC Berkeley and PhD in Economics from MIT. His research focuses on business competition, strategy, and regulation. He has published extensively on the airline industry, the oil and gasoline industries, and electricity markets. His current research projects include the economics of renewable energy, economic policies for reducing greenhouse gases, and alternative models of retail electricity pricing. | Paul BrockwayUniversity Academic Fellow in Energy and Economics at the Sustainability Research Institute, University of LeedsDr. Paul Brockway is a University Academic Fellow in Energy and Economics at the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, UK. He has a 5 year research fellowship on the topic Applying thermodynamic laws to the energy-GDP decoupling problem, where he applies an Exergy Economics approach to study thermodynamic energy conversion within energy-economy modelling frameworks. |
Anna BroughelProgram Director, Clean Energy Leadership InstituteDr. Broughel has recently joined Clean Energy Leadership Institute as a Program Director. She also teaches graduate classes in energy economics at the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to that, she was a senior energy economist and statistician at Tetra Tech, where she supported federal and state clients with research and program management. During her tenure at the U.S. Department of Energy as ORISE Fellow, she worked on the issues of energy equity and on the behavioral aspects of adoption of innovations. Her prior research focused on the social acceptance of large-scale energy infrastructure and on scenario analysis. Since 2020, she has served on the Executive Council of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics and has been a nonresident fellow at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. | Hon. Sharon E. BurkeFounder and President of EcosphericsHon. Sharon E. Burke is the Founder and President of Ecospherics. Throughout her career, she has worked to balance national security and environmental sustainability, with a focus on ideas that scale through public policy. Burke has been a leader at several civic organizations, including the Center for a New American Security, where she initiated a Natural Security program, Amnesty International USA, and New America. She has also served in the U.S. government in Congress, the State Department, and the Pentagon, most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy. During the Biden-Harris presidential transition, she was on the Defense Agency Review and National Security and Foreign Policy teams. A native of Los Angeles and educated at Williams College and Columbia University, Burke is a frequent public speaker, published writer, and strategic advisor. |
Helen CurrieChief Economist, ConocoPhillips CorporationConocoPhillips' Chief Economist Helen Currie oversees long range planning, strategic initiatives and scenarios and advises on investment and public policy issues. With over 25 years of experience in business, government and academia, Currie brings valuable perspectives to corporate planning and strategy. Prior leadership roles in energy include BD/M&A strategy, upstream and downstream business analysis, commercial risk management and markets analysis. Before joining the energy industry, Currie held roles in academia as a finance professor and in government as an economic analyst. She has published work in finance and management journals and energy industry research. Dr. Currie is a frequent speaker at industry venues and guest university lecturer. She is a member of the Mississippi State University Foundation Board of Directors and College of Business Executive Advisory Board as well as the University of Texas Energy Institute Executive Advisory Board. She was named as one of Oil & Gas Investor’s Top 25 Influential Women in Energy in 2018. | David DanielsVisiting Professor at Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers University of Technology, SwedenFormer Chief Energy Modeler, Energy Information Administration |
Timothy FitzgeraldAssociate Professor of Business Economics, Texas Tech UniversityChief International Economist, Council of Economic Advisors, 2017-2018 | Susanne FratzscherAssociate Vice President, Strategic Solutions, Sol Systems, LLCSusanne Fratzscher is Associate Vice President, Strategic Solutions at Sol Systems and develops comprehensive infrastructure and impact portfolios for strategic customers. Susanne has 20 years of strategy advisory and leadership experience across renewable energy and corporate sustainability. She helped leading corporations and institutions develop renewable energy strategies at CustomerFirst Renewables and the World Wildlife Fund. As Managing Director of the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Montreal she developed international business strategies in renewables and clean tech. Susanne holds a Master of International Public Policy (MIPP) from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Master of International Business from Passau University in Germany. |
Kelly Sims GallagherAcademic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts UniversityKelly Sims Gallagher is Academic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at The Fletcher School. She directs the Climate Policy Lab and the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at Fletcher. She served in the second term of Obama Administration as a Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and as Senior China Advisor in the Special Envoy for Climate Change office at the U.S. State Department. Gallagher is a member of the board of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, serves on the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and also serves on the board of Energy Foundation China. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Broadly, she focuses on energy innovation and climate policy. She specializes in how policy spurs the development and deployment of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies, domestically and internationally. She is the author of Titans of the Climate (The MIT Press 2018), The Global Diffusion of Clean Energy Technologies: Lessons from China (MIT Press 2014), China Shifts Gears: Automakers, Oil, Pollution, and Development (The MIT Press 2006), and dozens of other articles and book chapters. | Kenneth GillinghamProfessor of Economics, Yale UniversitySenior Economist for Energy and the Environment, Council of Economic Advisors, 2015-2016 |
Richard GlickChairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionRichard Glick was named by President Biden to be Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January of this year. He was confirmed as Commissioner by the U.S. Senate in November 2017. Before joining the Commission, he was general counsel for the Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, serving as a senior policy advisor on numerous issues including electricity and renewable energy. Glick’s prior industry experience includes positions as vice president for government affairs for Iberdrola’s renewable energy, electric and gas utility, and natural gas storage businesses in the United States, director of government affairs for PPM Energy, and director of government affairs for PacifiCorp. His earlier government roles include service as a senior policy advisor to U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson and as legislative director and chief counsel to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas. From 1988-1992 Commissioner Glick was an associate with the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson, and Hand. | Ozge KaplanSenior Environmental Engineer, Environmental Protection AgencyDr. Ozge Kaplan is Principal Investigator within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development (ORD) since 2006. She has expertise in energy systems modeling, environmental system analysis, energy-environment and society interactions, uncertainty analysis, and decision support. Her research focuses on end-use energy sector technology and fuel trends in buildings, transportation and industrial sectors. She leads multiple research efforts in Air Climate and Energy and Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Programs. Specifically, she is leading the development of City-based Optimization Model for Energy Technologies (COMET) and its application to New York City. This project explores economy, technology, and emission implications of energy use in buildings, and transportation in cities. In addition, Dr. Kaplan serves as EPA’s technical representative on various federal and state-level environmental research programs including DoD’s SERDP and ESTCP and DOE’s ARPA-E research programs. Dr. Kaplan holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University in Civil Engineering with minor in Operations Research and B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Middle East Technical University. |
Carey W KingResearch Scientist & Assistant Director, Energy Institute, University of Texas at Austin 300 X 300 Carey KingDr. Carey W King is a Research Scientist at The University of Texas at Austin and Assistant Director at the Energy Institute. Carey performs interdisciplinary research related to how energy systems interact within the economy and environment as well as how our policy and social systems can make decisions and tradeoffs among these often competing factors. Carey’s research goals center on rigorous interpretations of the past to determine the most probable future energy pathways. He is the author of the book The Economic Superorganism: Beyond the Competing Narratives on Energy, Growth, and Policy, that explains how we can incorporate energy and physical principles into macroeconomic models to improve accuracy in forecasting the policy impacts of the rate and scope of an energy transition. | Susan LandauBridge Professor in Cyber Security and Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts UniversitySusan Landau is bridge professor in cyber security and policy, and splits her time between Fletcher and Tufts University's School of Engineering (as a professor of Computer Science). Susan works at the intersection of cybersecurity, national security, law, and policy. She has testified before Congress, written for the Washington Post, Science, and Scientific American, and frequently appears on NPR and BBC. Her previous positions include senior staff privacy analyst at Google, distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, and faculty member at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Wesleyan University. |
Neil McAndrewsNeil McAndrews & AssociatesNeil McAndrews formed Neil McAndrews & Associates after an extensive electric utility managerial experience. The practice was established over 20 years ago to provide energy risk management to electrical utilities and industrial customers. Today the practice includes management of multiple consumer-side electrical contracts, consultation to banks, large municipal and cooperative electric utilities, and large generation providers. The regions covered by this practice include most of the electric regions in the US as well as eastern Canada but concentrates on ERCOT. | Gilbert MetcalfProfessor of Economics, Tufts UniversityDeputy Assistant Secretary, Energy and the Environment, Treasury Department, 2011-2012 |
Neelesh NerurkarVice President, Senior Analyst, ClearView Energy PartnersNeelesh Nerurkar covers climate, transportation and geopolitical issues. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, as energy advisor to the White House and U.S. Department of State and as an energy policy specialist at the Congressional Research Service. During his time in government, Mr. Nerurkar developed, analyzed and implemented a wide range of energy security, oil and gas and clean energy policies. Mr. Nerurkar worked previously as an economist at BP, where he informed corporate strategy and planning through energy market analysis and contributed to the annual Statistical Review of World Energy. Mr. Nerurkar is a former Vice President of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics and former President of its National Capital Area Chapter. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Oklahoma and a M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. | Danny RicePartner, Rice Investment GroupDanny Rice, 41, is a seasoned energy entrepreneur, public company executive and energy investor. Danny co-founded Rice Energy in 2007 with his brothers and led as CEO of Rice Energy and its midstream arm, Rice Midstream Partners, until its ~$10 billion merger with EQT Corp in 2017, which created North America’s largest natural gas producer. Rice Energy was named the #1 top workplace in the greater Pittsburgh and was the top performing public US natural gas company from 2014-2017 when outperformed its peers by approximately 95%. Danny currently manages his family office and its energy investment arm, Rice Investment Group, which specializes in seed through late stage private company investments across the energy spectrum, including oil, gas, energy services, renewables and technology. In the last 12 months, Rice Investment Group has sponsored two energy transition SPACs with Danny as CEO: Rice Acquisition Corp I (NYSE: RICE), which completed its IPO in October 2020 and recently completed its acquisition of landfill gas development company Archaea Energy, and Rice Acquisition Corp II (NYSE: RONI), which completed its IPO in June 2020 and is currently pursuing the acquisition of a private company developing low carbon energy solutions such as geothermal, CCUS, hydrogen and nuclear. Danny currently serves on the board of directors for three of North America’s largest energy producers: EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT), Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL), and Archaea Energy (NYSE: LFG). Danny was born and raised in Boston, MA and currently lives in Dallas, TX with his wife and two children. Danny proudly minored in Economics. |
Alison SilversteinIndependent ConsultantAlison Silverstein is a consultant, strategist, researcher and writer on electric transmission and reliability, energy efficiency and technology adoption issues. She has worked for decades to advance the use of clean energy and advanced grid technologies as part of a reliable, resilient energy system. She has written on electric system reliability and resilience and forward-looking power market design. Her work on major federal electricity efforts includes the U.S. Department of Energy’s Staff Report on Electric Markets and Reliability, three national transmission congestion studies, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative framework, and the industry-wide advancement of synchrophasor technology. Silverstein has been an independent consultant since 2004. She worked as a senior advisor to Chairman Pat Wood, III, at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2001 through 2004, co-chairing the 2003 U.S.-Canada blackout investigation. She has worked at the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Silverstein presently serves on the boards of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians and lives in Austin, Texas. | Randa StephensonChief Commercial Officer, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)Randa Stephenson is LCRA’s chief commercial officer, overseeing all aspects of energy commercial operations including LCRA’s asset management, wholesale customers and rates, business development and wholesale market policy. Randa previously served as LCRA’s senior vice president of wholesale markets and supply. She has more than 24 years of energy utilities experience in the areas of asset management, finance, compliance, and governmental and regulatory affairs. Before joining LCRA, Randa held numerous management roles at Energy Future Holdings (Luminant) and NextEra Energy Transmission, most recently as the director of Regulatory Affairs and Strategy. She previously was the chair of the Technical Advisory Committee, which reviews and endorses market design and rule changes and reports directly to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Board of Directors and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Randa is on the board of the Austin Chapter of the March of Dimes and also serves on the Gulf Coast Power Association emPOWERing Women committee. Randa earned her Master of Business Administration with honors from Southern Methodist University and Bachelor of Science in finance from Trinity University. |
Jessika TrancikProfessor, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyJessika Trancik is a Professor in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research examines the dynamic costs, performance, and environmental impacts of energy systems to inform climate policy and accelerate beneficial and equitable technology innovation. Her projects focus on all energy services including electricity, transportation, heating, and industrial processes. This work spans solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, low-carbon fuels, electric vehicles, and nuclear fission among other technologies. Prof. Trancik received her B.S. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She is currently an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute, and was formerly at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and at WSP International/UNOPS (now Interpeace) in Geneva. | Jeremy WeberAssociate Professor of Public Policy, University of PittsburghChief Economist for Energy Policy, Council of Economic Advisors, 2019-2020 |
John WeyantProfessor of Management Science and Engineering, Director of the Energy Modeling Forum, Stanford UniversityJohn P. Weyant is Professor of Management Science and Engineering and Director of the Energy Modeling Forum (EMF) at Stanford University. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy and an affiliated faculty member of the Stanford School of Earth, Environment and Energy Sciences, the Woods Institute for the Environment, and the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford. His current research focuses on analysis of multi-sector, multi-region coupled human and earth systems dynamics, global change systems analysis, energy technology assessment, and models for strategic planning. Weyant was a founder and serves as chairman of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC), a fourteen-year-old collaboration among over 60 member institutions from around the world. He has been an active adviser to the United Nations, the European Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of State, and the Environmental Protection Agency. In California, he has been an adviser to the California Air Resources, the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. |
Concurrent Sessions
Want to know more about the Concurrent Session Presentations? Download the 2021 Abstract Compendium to read the abstracts.
Click here to download the Concurrent Session Schedule.
Looking to fill a position or make a change? Check out the USAEE Energy Career Center.
Schedule at a Glance
The 38th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference
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| Day 1 - All Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4:00) | |
| 10:00 am - 11:00 am |
Networking |
| 10:00 am - 11:00 am |
Student MentoringHelen Currie, Chief Economist, ConocoPhillips CorporationSusanne Fratzscher, Associate Vice President, Strategic Solutions, Sol Systems, LLCOzge Kaplan, Senior Environmental Engineer, Environmental Protection AgencyNeelesh Nerurkar, Vice President, Senior Analyst, ClearView Energy Partners |
| 11:00 am - 11:10 am |
Welcome Remarks |
| 11:10 am - 12:25 pm |
KeynoteQ&A with Richard Glick, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionPanel Discussion: Challenges and Issues FERC Faces in Navigating the Energy Transition |
| 12:25 pm - 12:40 pm | Break |
| 12:40 pm - 1:55 pm |
Dual Plenary 1 - Decoupling GDP from Energy Consumption - Real or Imagined? Can Our Models Answer the Question? |
| 12:40 pm - 1:55 pm |
Dual Plenary 2 - Challenges and Solutions for a Just and Equitable Energy Transition |
| 1:55 pm - 2:10 pm | Q&A with Presenters - Break |
| 2:10 pm - 3:40 pm |
Concurrent Sessions 11 - Demand Response2 - Oil Economics 13 - Natural Gas4 - Electricity Market Integration5 - Transportation6 - Renewables in Lower-Income CountriesClick here to download the Full Concurrent Session Schedule. |
| 2:10 pm - 3:40 pm |
Student Best Paper Competition
The Dennis J. O’Brien USAEE Best Student Paper Awards showcase and reward the best student work in the profession. Finalists' papers will be presented during this session. Among these, one will receive the Best Student Paper Award as determined by a panel of judges. |
| 3:40 pm - 3:50 pm | Break |
| 3:50 pm - 5:20 pm |
Concurrent Sessions 2 7 - Electricity Markets Analysis
8 - Oil Economics 29 - Natural Gas Economics10 - Electricity Market Design11 - Renewable Deployment12 - Social Issues in the Energy TransitionClick here to download the Full Concurrent Session Schedule. |
| 5:20 pm - 5:30 pm | Break |
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5:30 pm - 6:00 pm |
General Membership Meeting |
| 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
Poster Presentations & Networking |
| Day 2 - All Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4:00) | |
| 10:00 am - 11:00 am |
Keynote
Natural Gas, SPACs, and the Energy Transition: a Conversation with Daniel J. Rice IV |
| 11:00 am - 12:15 pm |
Dual Plenary 3 - Vital Energy Supply Chains: Past, Present, and Future |
| 11:00 am - 12:15 pm |
Dual Plenary 4 - Promised Technology Solutions: Where Are They? |
| 12:15 pm - 12:30 pm | Q&A with Presenters - Break |
| 12:30 pm - 12:50 pm |
USAEE Student Best Paper Awards |
| 12:50 pm - 2:20 pm |
Government Track Panel Discussion - Energy Economics and Policy |
| 12:50 pm - 2:20 pm |
PhD Hour
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| 2:20 pm - 2:30 pm | Q&A with Presenters - Break |
| 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm |
Concurrent Sessions 313 - Energy Models14 - Oil and Financial Markets15 - Coal16 - Innovation in Storage17 - Transmission18 - Alternative to Renewables: SMR and Carbon StorageClick here to download the Full Concurrent Session Schedule. |
| 4:00 pm - 4:10 pm | Break |
| 4:10 pm - 5:25 pm |
Dual Plenary 5 - Preparing for "Unlikely" Events in Texas and Elsewhere: Rethinking Economic Models, Infrastructure, and Regulatory Frameworks |
| 4:10 pm - 5:25 pm |
Dual Plenary 6 - ESG Priorities for the Oil & Gas Sector: Investor Pressures, Company Responses, and Industry Implications |
| 5:25 pm - 5:40 pm | Q&A with Presenters - Break |
| 5:40 pm - 7:00 pm |
Networking & Happy Hour |
