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Climate Change Impacts: Decision Making and Risk Management in Wisconsin's Utility Industry

Date: 
September 22, 2010 (All day)
Address: 
Madison, WI
Climate Change Impacts: Decision Making and Risk Management in Wisconsin's Utility Industry
September 22, 2010
University of Wisconsin
Madison Pyle Center for Executive Education
Madison, WI
 Format:  Presentations and Discussions
AGENDA  
Even if we were to wave a magic wand today and stop all carbon, NOx, and SOx emissions, the effects of what is already present in the air would be felt for the next three decades.  Indeed, it has been stated that the effects we see today are from the output of tailpipes and industrial smoke stacks from the 1970s.
If this is the case, what could we do today to be prepared for tomorrow?  This session will examine what we know today about the changing Wisconsin climate and will discuss what steps the energy industry may want to take to prepare for this new world.  Our goal is to help the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) conduct its research and craft a final product that will be immediately useful to the industries that need to be forward thinking.
 
9:00 - Introductions
9:10 - Modeling Climate Change in Wisconsin
·  Dan Vimont, UW-Madison
     o  Historical temperature and precipitation trends
     o  Projected changes to Wisconsin's future climate
     o  Using probability to assess risk
·  Open Discussion:  What do these changes suggest a utility might want to engage in today?
 
10:40 - Break
11:00 - Impacts on the Energy Industry-Will any of these changes have implications for the energy industry?
·    Wind Energy
·    Building Energy Management
·    Transmission
 
CASE STUDY:  Climate Change and Wind Farms·  Tracey Holloway, UW-Madison
     o  Case study on how changes in climate impacted the output of three wind farms
 
12:00 - Lunch
 
1:00 - Decision Making Under Risks of Climate Change
·  Commissioner Lauren Azar, Wisconsin Public Service Commission
     o  Should we consider new risk assessments when planning for future infrastructure?
     o  How will utilities and regulators prepare for climate change and emission restrictions?
 
2:15 - Break
 
2:30 - Discussion: Getting the Perspective of Utility Managers
·  Panel Discussion with Utility Forecasters and Strategic Planners
     o  What information do utility managers need regarding climate change?
     o  Will climate change adaptation be important for Wisconsin's utility industry?
     o  How will utilities respond to climate change? How should customers? 
 
3:30 - Adjourn
 
Meeting Site:  The Pyle Center
 
A beautifully equipped training facility on Lake Mendota on the Madison-Wisconsin Campus, just steps from the famous Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota. Program includes a buffet lunch and a mid morning and afternoon break. 
 
Eligible for .5 CEU Credits
 
 
Mitigation vs. Adaptation
A key concept to understand for this program is the difference between climate change mitigation and adaptation. Most discussions about climate change, especially in the context of energy utilities, deal with mitigation, which is reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that reach the atmosphere from human activities. Adaptation, which is the focus of this workshop, is about managing thenegative impacts that climate change will have on humans in the future.