Takeaways from the 2020 AESP Annual Conference
This article was originally published in the May issue of the AESP Monthly Member eMagazine “Strategies” on May 11, 2020.
This past February I attended the Association of Energy Service Professionals (AESP) 30th Annual Conference in Anaheim, California as a New Professional Scholarship winner and it was brilliant! It was my first time at this remarkable industry event, and I enjoyed every moment of it. As a scholarship winner I had the privilege of having my conference registration fees waived and I was paired with a seasoned mentor from the AESP board who showed me around the conference and offered his insight into the industry. I am grateful to have attended the conference as it expanded my knowledge of the energy industry and exposed me to what a future career in the sector can be.
From the engaging opening plenary, to the catchy presentation titles (e.g. “It’s Easy, AM-I Right? Verifying Natural Gas Impacts”), to the free prizes given away at every corner, the atmosphere was lively and fostered the feeling that everyone is welcome to participate, and more importantly, take something home from the conference. For me, it was eye-opening to be surrounded by top minds in the industry. I learned about the strategies being piloted and successfully executed across North America.
It’s not just the presentations that make the conference unique; it’s just as much, if not more so, about the people. Attendees were friendly and open to sharing their stories about what they do. It was inspiring to see what the various levels of a career in energy could look like. Everyone including young professionals, researchers, program managers and even CEOs came together under one roof. The conference provided the opportunity to create genuine connections with other professionals. Personally, as a new professional, it can feel solitary not having an established network outside of your company with whom to discuss new concepts that you come across. At the conference I met other young professionals at similar stages in their careers and we bounced ideas around, had animated discussions about our similar experiences and expanded our networks.
Throughout the conference, key topics of discussion included electrification, EV smart charging, decarbonization/carbon reduction policies, and gas demand response. Across jurisdictions we are beginning to see the impacts of these programs and they have a lot of potential. The presentations and discussion groups were fascinating and information loaded. From it all, my top three takeaways are as follows:
- Decarbonization is becoming a vital factor in the energy efficiency sector as jurisdictions of all sizes set greenhouse gas reduction targets and look towards energy consumption reduction to meet those goals. It appeared to me that quantifying and considering the carbon footprint of programs and measures is at its infancy but has a significant role to play in the years to come. The importance of decarbonization is based on increased policy enforcement to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, such as New York City’s policy target of “Carbon Neutrality by 2050”, Hawai’i’s “100% clean energy mandate by 2045” and in Canada the “Pan-Canadian Framework for a clean electricity future”. To move towards decarbonization we’ll be seeing more demand for energy efficiency retrofits for MURBs and commercial buildings, building energy rating programs, small and medium scale generation and storage, and innovative financing programs to enable it all.
- Secondly, to meet decarbonization targets we will need increased uptake of clean, resilient technologies. Two concepts that really stand out to me are Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and integrated Demand Side Management (iDSM) both of which had ample coverage at the conference. Program designers and implementers presented the challenges and successes of these programs at various stages and while they are not mainstream yet, the potential for DERs and IDSM to reduce and eliminate load requirements is significant. DER pilots are being tested for various use cases including microgrids, transportation, behind-the-meter solar and storage and even cogeneration. To fully reap the potential of DERs, more advanced energy modeling and data collection/analysis are needed. When it comes to IDSM, the whole is not the sum of its parts. The influence of each technology on another must be considered to optimize energy efficiency goals, resource availability and market impact. Once again, the role of data collection and reporting is vital, especially to ensure integration with existing systems.
- Lastly, the energy efficiency sector is vibrant and has increasingly been changing over the years. It has an environment where sharing learnings is encouraged which fosters a sense of unity towards a common goal. This sense of unity is what allows for the innovation of new ideas and actions that meet the public’s complex needs. From this experience I am inspired to keep learning and pursuing my career in this fascinating industry.
In the closing ceremony, Bill LeBlanc, the founder of AESP, walked through the top 30 game changers of the last 30 years of the energy industry. Being new to the industry, this presentation was an excellent summary of how far we’ve come over three decades. From the conference I learned about the past, the present and the future of technologies and policies that will shape the energy efficiency sector. Despite these uncertain times, I am optimistic that the industry will continue to evolve and adapt to today’s challenges to shape an even brighter future.
#AESP #cleanenergy #decarbonization
