LEADERSHIP and INNOVATION WORKSHOP
The Energy Transition
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Rafik B. Hariri Building
Georgetown University
McDonough School of Business
Washington, D.C.
Business of Sustainability
WORKSHOP ON THE ENERGY TRANSITION
October 31, 2024 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Rafik B. Hariri Building Georgetown University Washington, D.C.
The energy transition refers to a global shift from an economy that is based on fossil fuels to an economy that is based mostly on renewable energy sources. This transition can play a major role in the fight against climate change by providing an immense opportunity for decarbonization. Despite its enormous economic and environmental potential, achieving this transition is extremely challenging.
In this workshop, we will focus on the dynamics of these exciting transformations in the energy sector, ranging from financing the transition to ensuring a just transition for all. Speakers with a diverse set of backgrounds and interests, including project developers, financers, policymakers, and NGOs, will discuss current opportunities and challenges.
To facilitate candid conversations, the workshop will be invitation-only and held in-person without any recording or online attendance. Our primary goal is to identify innovative solutions from the perspectives of all market participants and stakeholders to ensure the energy transition can be more efficient.
Workshop Agenda at a Glance
Registration and Breakfast
Welcome Remarks
Session 1: Financing the Transition
Working Lunch
Session 2: Driving the Demand
Coffee Break
Session 3: Facilitating the Transition Through Policy
Coffee Break
Session 4: Transition for All
Reception
October 31, 2024
10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast 10:00 -10:45 a.m.
Welcome Remarks 10:45 -11:00 a.m.
Session 1: Financing the Transition 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Moderator: Sargon Daniel (B’04), CEO and Founder, Nexus Renewable Power, LLC Panelists:
Lenin Balza, Sector Senior Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank
Ingrid Chou (MBA’17), Vice President, Symbiome Capital Partners
Robert Edwards, Managing Director, Hamilton Clark Sustainable Capital; Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Maryland Clean Energy Center
Julia Graf, Strategy and Energy Consultant, International Finance Corporation
In the first session of the day, we will address the most challenging issue in the energy transition: How to pay for it.
What are the most recent challenges in raising the capital needed by project developers for investments in renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy? How do financial institutions and developers perceive and price risks associated with new project types, including energy storage? By discussing these questions in detail, we will establish a unified understanding of the financing angle of the puzzle.
Working Lunch 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Session 2: Driving the Demand 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Moderator: Julia Pyper, Vice President of Public Affairs, GoodLeap Panelists:
Rebecca Fitz, Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Vanessa Miler-Fels, Vice President, Schneider Electric
Elizabeth Pfeiffer, Deloitte Senior Manager, Co-Lead, Climate, Energy, and Water International Development Account
Anshuman Sahoo, Vice President, Head of Climate Strategy, Capital One
Motivated by ambitious commitments to source renewable energy, corporations are investing in renewable energy projects in various ways, ranging from direct investments in on-site generation to purchasing unbundled energy attribute certificates.
In this session, we will hear from the demand-side of the energy transition. What are the most recent trends and challenges for corporations in purchasing renewable energy in scale? How does increased energy use through advanced data centers that facilitate the AI revolution affect purchasing renewable energy?
Coffee Break 2:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Session 3: Facilitating the Transition through Policy 2:30 -3:30 p.m.
Moderator: Şafak Yücel, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business Panelists:
Karen Baker, Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Jennifer Chen, Senior Manager, World Resources Institute
Jason Stanek, Executive Director for Governmental Services, PJM Interconnection
Gizelle Wray, Vice President and General Counsel, Solar Energy Industries Association
The government at federal, state, and city levels is playing a key role in facilitating the energy transition through innovative policies. In this session, we will focus on the interactions between policymakers, project developers, and corporate buyers of renewable energy.
What are the main obstacles in speeding up the energy transition from the perspectives of market participants? How can the government clear such obstacles? By answering these questions, we will have a better understanding of the role of policymakers in the energy transition.
Coffee Break 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Session 4: Transition for All 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Moderator: Vishal Agrawal, Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business and Academic Director, Business of Sustainability Initiative at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business Panelists:
Shannon Baker-Branstetter (L’09), Senior Director for Domestic Climate and Energy Policy, Center for American Progress
Sol deLeon (MBA’02, SCS’22), Principal Associate, Synapse Energy Economics
Nicole Steele, Director of Climate Partnerships Banking, Amalgamated Bank
In the final session of the day, we will focus on the broader societal impact of the energy transition.
What needs to be done to ensure that society as a whole, rather than a lucky minority, benefits from the transition to renewable energy? What are the most recent initiatives to alleviate energy poverty and enable continued access to reliable electricity for the entire population? We will be joined by industry leaders from utility firms and nonprofit organizations to better understand how the energy transition can be beneficial for the society as a whole.
Closing Reception 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Speakers
Karen Baker Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Karen Baker is the chief of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Office of Renewable Energy programs. She oversees the responsible development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through conscientious planning, stakeholder engagement, comprehensive environmental analysis, and sound technical review.
With more than 25 years combined private industry and federal government experience, Baker has served in a variety of leadership positions in strategic planning, energy and environmental policy, and public affairs.
This is Baker’s third senior executive position with the federal government. Most recently, she served as the regional programs director for the North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from 2019 to 2022 where she was responsible for the development and execution of all military, civil works, environmental, interagency, and international programs for New England and mid-Atlantic states east of the Appalachian Mountains, Europe, and Africa. From 2015-2019, she was USACE’s chief of environmental programs, overseeing the nationwide delivery of environmental services for the military and federal partners, and serving as the leader of Environmental Community of Practice, whose activities focus on professional development and technical competency for the 4,000 environmental specialists across USACE.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the University of Maryland, a Master of Science in environmental sciences and policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Science in national security strategy from the National War College.
Shannon Baker-Branstetter, (JD’09)
Senior Director for Domestic Climate and Energy Policy, Center for American Progress
Shannon Baker-Branstetter (they/them) is the senior director of Domestic Climate and Energy Policy at American Progress. They previously led federal and state policy and coalitions on climate, racial equity, transportation, and energy at Dream Corps Green For All. Before that, Baker-Branstetter managed the cars and energy advocacy team at Consumer Reports and worked for a plaintiff-side employment civil rights law firm as well as the U.S. Department of Labor.
Baker-Branstetter earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University. They hold bar licenses in California and Washington, D.C.
Lenin H. Balza
Inter-American Development Bank
Sector Senior Specialist
Lenin Balza is a senior energy economist and head of the research team of the Energy Division of the InterAmerican Development Bank. Balza has more than a decade of experience advising governments in Latin America and the Caribbean on issues related to energy, infrastructure, and natural resource development. Balza’s areas of interest and research include energy economics, development strategies, and economic development in resourcerich countries. Balza’s work has been published in leading outlets in the field, including the Journal of Development Economics, Ecological Economics, and Resources Policy, among others.
Speakers
Jennifer Chen World Resources Institute
Senior Manager
Jennifer Chen leads power systems work at the World Resources Institute (WRI). She helps shape electricity, transmission, and governance policies with an eye toward modernizing grid infrastructure, scaling up clean energy, and driving cost-effective electrification. She has provided expert testimony on these topics before the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and State Public Utility Commissions. Previous to WRI, Chen led electricity policy work at the Nicholas Institute, a think tank for environmental policy solutions at Duke University. She was an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she spearheaded environmental NGO coalition efforts to advocate for an efficient and flexible power system. She also has worked at the International Energy Agency, at FERC, and with electricity customers and renewable energy groups.
Chen earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Council for New Energy Economics and on the Advisory Board at the Horizon Climate Initiative. Chen was appointed by Secretary Granholm to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee.
Ingrid Chou (MBA’17)
Symbiome Capital Partners
Vice President
Ingrid Chou is a vice president at Symbiome Capital Partners, bringing nearly a decade of private equity and credit transaction experience in companies focused on energy transition and climate strategies. Prior to joining Symbiome Capital, she was a vice president at SEAF, a private fund manager that provides growth-oriented capital and operational support to SMEs across emerging markets globally. At SEAF, Chou played a key role in fund formation, deal evaluation, and execution, as well as the management of credit funds. She also worked closely with the executive team to develop the firm’s climate investment strategy, focusing on energy transition and nature-based solutions. Chou started her career in private equity as an associate at the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the predecessor of now GEF Capital Partners. At GEF, she primarily focused on fund formation and deal execution in the environmental and clean energy sectors.
Chou holds an MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a B.A. from National Taipei University.
Sargon Daniel (B’04)
Nexus Renewable Power, LLC
CEO & Founder
Sargon Daniel is the chief executive officer and founder of Nexus Renewable Power. Prior to founding Nexus, he was previously a shareholder at Winstead PC in the Corporate, Securities/M&A, and Energy Law practice groups focused predominantly on advising upstream oil and gas clients and renewable energy clients. Prior to joining Winstead, Daniel was a founding member and general counsel for Greenbacker Capital starting his career at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. During his career, Daniel has financed and transacted over $3 billion in transaction value.
Daniel holds a bachelor’s in finance and international business from Georgetown University, where he was a John Carroll Scholar, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar.
Speakers
Sol de Leon (MBA’02, SCS’22)
Principal Associate, Synapse Energy Economics
Sol deLeon has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. deLeon analyzes gas utility applications in addition to studies, reports, and other materials regarding gas utility investments, business models, ratemaking, depreciation, revenue requirements, and business risk.
Prior to joining Synapse, deLeon was a project manager at WGL, working on initiatives for corporate governance, renewable natural gas, and GHG emissions reduction inventories. Before that, she worked for AES Corporation where she conducted commodity and financial risk analysis, derivative valuation, and project valuation.
deLeon completed her doctorate in liberal studies at Georgetown University, focusing on the energy transition and energy justice.
Robert H. Edwards Jr.
Hamilton Clark Sustainable Capital, Managing Director
Maryland Clean Energy Center, Vice Chairman of Board of Directors
Robert H. Edwards Jr. is an accomplished energy industry executive with more than 25 years of diverse leadership and advisory experience supporting senior decision makers in the private sector (JPMorgan, Tesla, Edison Mission Energy) and in government (Department of Energy, White House, Department of Treasury).
Edwards is a recognized thought leader who brings together public and private stakeholders to develop, structure, and implement national and global project finance, M&A, and other energy transactions in excess of $16 billion. Edwards is uniquely qualified to work cross-functionally with legal, finance, sales, and operations to develop innovative solutions that achieve sustainable energy strategies worldwide.
Edwards has held senior positions in both the Obama and Biden Department of Energy. Under President Obama, Edwards served as deputy general counsel for energy policy and was the lead administration official responsible for negotiating and closing the $5.9 billion ATVM loan to Ford (2009) and the $465 million loan to Tesla (2010). Under President Biden, Edwards served alongside Jigar Shah, Department of Energy Director of Loan Programs, as the DOE Loan Programs Office’s first director of outreach and business development (2021-2022). From 2011-2014 Edwards was an executive director with JPMorgan’s Global Commodities Group based in New York City. In July 2024, Edwards was appointed by Governor Wes Moore of Maryland to serve as vice chairman of the Maryland Clean Energy Center. MCEC is Maryland’s Green Bank and collaborates with the private sector to accelerate the energy transition in Maryland. Edwards is currently a managing director with Hamilton Clark Sustainable Capital, Inc. based in Washington, D.C.
Rebecca Fitz Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Rebecca Fitz joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 2016 as a founding member of the firm’s Center for Energy Impact, where she leads the Capital Strategy and Investor initiatives for energy clients. With a career in the energy sector dating back to 2005, Fitz has collaborated with companies across the oil and gas, power and utilities, and renewables industries, focusing on capital allocation and portfolio strategy. Her proficiency in Total Shareholder Return (TSR) analysis and extensive client engagements within BCG’s energy practice highlight her commitment to aligning corporate strategies with sustainability and shareholder value.
Since 2019, Fitz has been the lead author of BCG’s annual Value Creator report for the energy sector, establishing herself as a thought leader in corporate capital allocation, particularly in sustainability and TSR performance. Her focus on TSR and environmental, social, and governance engagements underscores her dedication to tackling both performance and sustainability challenges in the industry.
Prior to joining BCG, Fitz held leadership roles at S&P Global, where she managed upstream strategy and portfolio modeling research, and at PFC Energy, where she directed services on global energy competition. Her expertise in oil and gas asset valuation and strategic portfolio management positions her as a key advisor on the energy transition and the future of industry performance.
Fitz holds an MSc (with merit) in economic development from the London School of Economics and a B.A. (summa cum laude) in political science from the University of Colorado.
Speakers
Julia Graf Strategy and Energy Consultant, International Finance Corporation
Julia Graf is a finance executive, climate strategist, data expert, investor, adviser, and mentor based in the United States, driving impact globally. She has served as a strategy and energy consultant at the World Bank Group, specializing in the most complex aspects of the economic transition, including large-scale sectors, optimal energy solutions, digital infrastructure, and advanced technologies. Graf applies a holistic systems approach to design balanced strategies that benefit markets, consumers, and society.
With over 20 years of private sector experience in finance, technology, and business development, Graf is committed to advancing sustainable economic prosperity. She integrates financial insights with technological and environmental strategies and has written extensively on financing clean energy, advancing green hydrogen, and accelerating A.I. in emerging markets.
Graf holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a master’s in environmental policy from George Washington University. She is pursuing a doctorate at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, focusing on financing decarbonization and energy transition.
Vanessa Miller-Fels
Vice President, Schneider Electric
Vanessa Miller-Fels currently serves as Schneider Electric’s vice president of global environment and climate. In this role, she is responsible for Schneider’s environmental strategy and decarbonization road map. With 15 years of experience on climate change mitigation and adaptation in both developed and emerging markets, Miller-Fels has a deep understanding of energy transitions and expertise across public and private sectors.
Prior to joining Schneider Electric, Miller-Fels was at Microsoft as director of energy innovation and impact; her group charted the way for Microsoft to be carbon negative by 2030. She started her career at the French Ministry of Finance, was part of the French climate change negotiation team, and then shifted to private equity finance of green infrastructure acting as director of strategy at Centuria Capital, where she developed the green infrastructure portfolio of the global asset manager and advisory company.
Miller-Fels is an U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program alumni (2013), holds a master degree from Sciences-Po Paris, MBA from ESCP Paris, and graduated from Ecole nationale d’administration. She is an executive-in-residence at Insead and was an assistant professor at Sciences Po from 2010 to 2014. She holds French, American, and Indian nationality and is fluent in French, English, and Italian.
Elizabeth Pfeiffer (SFS’08)
Senior Manager, Co-Lead Climate, Energy, and Water International Development Account, Deloitte
Elizabeth Pfeiffer has more than 15 years of experience delivering finance and strategy solutions to the public and private sectors with a particular focus in clean energy, climate change, and water. She specializes in managing international development projects that bring together the private and public sectors to tackle complex challenges and advance the development of critical infrastructure, including energy transition technologies. She is currently the Deloitte International Development Organization account co-lead for climate, energy, and water and a project manager on the USAID Nigeria Power Sector Program.
She was recently the chief of party (COP) of the USAID Program for Local and Urban Sustainability, a large field support mechanism that provides programming options to help USAID partner countries develop more sustainable, equitable, healthy, and prosperous cities and achieve climate and development targets. Before that she was the COP for the USAID Southern Africa Energy Program in which she led a team to support governments and the private sector to structure renewable energy projects to access climate finance and other innovative financing structures to advance climate objectives. She has worked throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia to help governments explore financing options for infrastructure projects to advance climate goals. Pfieffer holds an MBA from Columbia Business School with a focus in finance and sustainable business and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Speakers
Julia Pyper
Vice President of Public Affairs, GoodLeap
Julia Pyper is vice president of public affairs at GoodLeap, a leading financial technology company focused on accelerating the deployment of sustainable home solutions, where she oversees government relations and policy related communications. She also advises the nonprofit organization GivePower, which develops clean water and clean energy systems in communities around the world. Pyper is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center think tank and host of the Political Climate podcast, presented by Latitude Media.
She previously worked with cleantech startup accelerator New Energy Nexus, where she supported the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development Initiative (CalSEED) grant program. Prior to that, Pyper was a senior editor for Wood Mackenzie’s Greentech Media, where she covered the global energy transition, and a staff writer for E&E News. She has conducted several international reporting projects, including in Haiti, Germany, China, and India. Her writing has also been published in HuffPost, Scientific American, and The New York Times.
Anshuman Sahoo
Vice President, Head of Climate Strategy, Capital One
Anshuman “Ansu” Sahoo is a vice president at Capital One, where he heads a team that organizes and leads company-wide climate strategy efforts. Prior to Capital One, Sahoo was a partner at BCG; in this role, he helped clients decarbonize their businesses, identify solutions to pressing climate challenges, and pursue opportunities implied by the energy transition. His work draws on his background in energy economics, finance, and policy as well as his experiences as a researcher with the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Climate Policy Initiative, and Asian Development Bank.
Sahoo holds a PhD in management science and engineering and M.S. in statistics from Stanford University, as well as a BSE in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Jason Stanek
Executive Director for Governmental Services, PJM Interconnection
Jason M. Stanek is the executive director for governmental services at PJM Interconnection, LLC. He most recently served as chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission from 2018 to 2023. Before that, he was senior counsel to the Energy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce where he advised on matters involving national energy policy, with specific focus on electricity issues and the operations of the regional power markets. He also served in senior positions at FERC for 16 years, advising both a chairman and a commissioner.
Stanek received a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. He also completed studies at American University and the University of North Carolina.
Speakers
Nicole Steele Director of Climate Partnerships Banking, Amalgamated Bank
Nicole Steele is a nationally recognized leader and expert with over 20 years’ experience in the clean energy transition with a focus on equitable access to the benefits of clean energy including household energy savings, community resiliency, and career pathways.
She recently joined Amalgamated Bank as the director of climate partnerships banking where she leads the bank’s efforts to execute on the potential of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Prior to joining Amalgamated, she was instrumental in the development of the GGRF programs including the National Clean Investment Fund, Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and Solar for All at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Steele also worked in partnership with the U.S. Treasury on the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar energy tax credit guidance including the Low-Income Communities Bonus Tax Credit program. At the same time, she was also the program manager of the Workforce and Equitable Access Team in the Solar Energy Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy and the head of the National Community Solar Partnership that created the Community Power Accelerator and many other initiatives that developed solutions for the rapid deployment of clean energy with true meaningful benefits.
Prior to joining the federal government, she was the founding executive director of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, policy director at the Alliance to Save Energy, and ran the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program for Loudoun County Virginia. She started her career in affordable housing, community and land-use planning, and grassroots advocacy. She is an AmeriCorps alumni and passionate supporter of community service.
Gizelle Wray
Vice President and General Counsel, Solar Energy Industries Association
Gizelle Wray is the vice president and general counsel of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). She oversees the organization’s legal strategy and governance work as well as its consumer protection initiatives. Wray previously served as SEIA’s senior director of regulatory affairs and counsel and has over a decade of experience in legal and regulatory roles across the energy sector.
Prior to rejoining SEIA, Wray led regulatory affairs activities for utility-scale solar and energy storage developer Savion, a Shell portfolio company, where she directed their federal and state legal and regulatory advocacy. Wray successfully oversaw Savion’s first fully constructed and operational solar plant in Madison County, Ohio.
Prior to Savion, she led the international portfolio at the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners and served as Enforcement Counsel at the North America Electric Reliability Corporation.
Wray has served on the Advisory Committee for the Solar and Storage Industries Institute and other National Lab led initiatives where she advised on matters of accelerating the energy transition to carbon-free electricity through clean energy research and innovation.