Robert M. Margolis - Dr. Robert M. Margolis is a Senior Energy Analyst in the Washington, D.C. office of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Since joining NREL in 2003, he has served as the lead analyst for the Solar Energy Technologies Program as well as the lead analyst for cross-cutting analysis for the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
His main research interests include energy technology and policy; research, development, and demonstration policy; and energy-economic-environmental modeling. Previously, he was a member of the research faculty at Carnegie Mellon University and a research fellow at Harvard University.
He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester, an M.S. in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from Princeton University.
Ryan Pletka - Ryan Pletka directs Black & Veatch'ss Western U.S. renewable energy practice out of San Francisco. He is a project manager in Black & Veatch's renewable energy group and is very active in assessments of renewable, advanced, and distributed energy technologies.
Pletka has participated in assessments of over 100 renewable energy projects and technologies since joining Black & Veatch in 1998. Pletka has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University and is a registered professional engineer.
Gary Stern - Gary Stern is the Director of Market Strategy and Resource Planning for Southern California Edison Company (SCE). He reports to the Executive Vice President of Power Operations, and manages a division responsible for resource planning, capacity and energy market design, and monitoring the wholesale electricity market in California.
Stern is currently co-leading Edison International's corporate strategic planning effort. Stern's responsibilities include directing the resource planning group that develops SCE's long term procurement plan, develops resource strategies, and performs various analyses on major resource alternatives for SCE. Stern is currently leading a broad internal team in developing strategies to implement California's Greenhouse Gas legislation.
Stern leads SCE's efforts, working with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to ensure that the wholesale electricity market design being implemented by the CAISO results in a reliable and efficient outcome for SCE as a large buyer and seller of electricity on behalf of its customers.
Gary Stern earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at San Diego in 1984, with two Nobel Laureates included on his dissertation committee. He also has an M.A. in economics from UCSD in 1981, and a B.A. in Mathematics from UCSD in 1979.
Todd P. Strauss - Todd Strauss is Senior Director of Energy Policy, Planning and Analysis at Energy Procurement for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He is responsible for the major policy issues associated with providing adequate energy supply in an environmentally sustainable manner. His responsibilities include market design issues, resource planning (integrating demand-side and supply-side, generation and transmission, and electric and gas), market assessment, and valuation of structured transactions. He has made major contributions to a variety of company efforts in risk management.
Todd has 20 years of experience applying quantitative modeling to business and policy issues in energy and the environment. He has been Director of Quantitative Analysis at PG&E National Energy Group, Principal at the consulting firm PHB Hagler Bailly, and Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Management Science at the Yale School of Management. He was a Regulatory Fellow at the California Public Utilities Commission and a Gilbert White Fellow at Resources for the Future.
Todd holds a PhD from UC-Berkeley in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, and an SB in Mathematics from MIT.
In this session presenters discuss the role of renewables in shaping the future composition of primary energy.
Various renewable energy technologies and their potential for deployment in large scale are discussed. Policy directives currently being implemented and under consideration are also addressed.
