2016 Annual Meeting Recap

St. Louis

Each year, the members, board and staff of MEEA meet to celebrate the past year’s successes, elect the Board of Directors, swap best practices (and business cards) and discuss industry trends and MEEA’s roles therein.

This year, we gathered June 8-9 in St. Louis—just a stone’s throw away from the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium—with a focus on upcoming political elections and treating energy efficiency as a supply-side resource.  We were also pleased to unveil MEEA’s new logo and Annual Report.

The event began bright and early with an address from Board Chair Jeanine Penticoff and member introductions. As in years past, attendees said they came to form relationships with new members, deepen existing connections and learn about trends in the industry.

Board Elections

The following candidates were on the board slate for election or re-election for the 2017-2018 year:

  • Nathan Baer (Staples Energy)
  • Scott Drake (East Kentucky Power Cooperative)*
  • Jim Jerozal (Nicor Gas) *
  • Nick Mark (CenterPoint Energy), Michael Brandt (Commonwealth Edison)*
  • Rick Morgan (Morgan Marketing Partners)*
  • Ralph Muehleisen (Argonne National Laboratory)*
  • Sam Mueller (Nexant) *
  • John Nicol (Leidos)
  • Art Thayer (Michigan Electric Cooperative Association)*
  • Llona Weiss (Missouri Energy Office) *
  • Shawn White (Xcel Energy)
  • Dan York (ACEEE)

* up for re-election

All proposed candidates were approved and we’re pleased to have these and the current board members’ leadership and guidance for the 2017-2018 fiscal year ahead. You can see MEEA’s full board list here.

It was also announced that Jim Jerozal of Nicor Gas will be replacing Alliant Energy’s Jeanine Penticoff as board chair in the next term. Jeanine has served MEEA admirably, and we cannot thank her enough for her insight, dedication and expertise. We’re honored to have Jim’s leadership moving forward.

MEEA Updates

MEEA Board Chairs gave updates on the different sections of the organization- Programs, Policy, Membership and Events, and Finance. To see a recap of MEEA’s successes in 2015, please see our Annual Report.

Panel: “Opportunities & Consequences of Treating EE as a Supply Side Resource”

The first panel of Annual Meeting featured a whopping nine panelist with a wide range of perspectives, from grid operators to implementers to solar experts. Moderated by Dr. Ralph Muehleisen of Argonne National Laboratory, each presenter provided insight into how we treat energy efficiency as supply today; what needs to change in order to treat energy efficiency as a supply side resource equal to other generation; and what our industry looks like when we get there. Susan Covino, PJM, Steve Moritz, Encentiv Energy, and Jon Williams, AEP-Ohio discussed how utilities and others are aggregating energy efficiency projects to sell in forward capacity markets and how recent rule changes affect these markets. Brian Bowen, First Fuel, and Randy Gunn, Navigant, discussed the necessary big data and experimental controls to accurately and reliabily predict energy savings from aggregated projects. Finally, Amy Heart, Sunrun Solar, Matt Belcher, MEERC, Michaela Martin, ICF, and Scott Steiner, Lockheed Martin spoke about what this future will look like and how roles and responsibilities will evolve from now until then.

Panel: “The 2016 Election – What Does It Mean for the Future of Energy Efficiency”

The afternoon panel looked to November’s elections and beyond with an eye toward how those races might impact energy efficiency, including funding, regulation and the Clean Power Plan.

MEEA Executive Director Stacey Paradis discussed the policy positions of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates relating to energy efficiency, before handing off the mic to John Rainbolt of Alliant Energy, who outlined presidential, congressional and gubernatorial electoral forecasts. The key takeaways: the fall elections will undoubtedly impact federal energy policy, though efficiency remains an issue with bipartisan appeal. And regardless of outcomes in November, regulatory agencies will continue to be in the driver’s seat.

Adam Cooper of the Institute for Electric Innovation then outlined the future for the Clean Power Plan and likely scenarios if the CPP is upheld or struck down.

Conclusion

The Annual Meeting reminded us once again why the future of energy efficiency is so promising: the passion and innovative spirit of our members. We look forward to another year championing the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency. Thank you for your support!