Conference Program & Presentations: Wed

7:30am - 8:45am: Registration, Networking, and Exhibitor Tables

8:45am - 9:00am: Welcome Remarks and 2017 Captain Rick Williams Ocean Energy Leader Award Presentation

Jason Busch, Executive Director, Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, Oregon Wave Energy Trust, Co-Chair, Marine Energy Council

Rick Williams , Principal, Oregon Applied Research

Recipient to be announced

9:00am - 10:15am: Looking West for Energy

The North American energy system is evolving quickly, and new parameters are guiding the development. What landscape-level shifts are happening today in the Western energy sector, and what economic, policy, and environmental drivers do we anticipate will have the greatest impact on that sector in the future?

Rebecca O'Neil, Program Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director, Northwest Energy Coalition

Kieran Connolly, Vice-President of Generation Asset Management, Bonneville Power Administration

Brendan McCarthy, Portland General Electric

Laura Zagar, Perkins Coie LLP

10:15am - 10:45am: Networking Break

10:45am - 12:00pm: Smart Planning for Marine Renewables

Achieving the comprehensive vision of a thriving marine energy sector – one with testing infrastructure, economic development, innovation, research and commercialization – requires a long view. How should we strategically invest over time? What should we do (and what should we not worry about) in the next 3 to 5 years to achieve that greater vision? The panel will speak to strategic investment, what gateways lie ahead for all renewable energy innovation and how to prepare for them, and policy support needed today and in the future.

Rebecca O'Neil, Program Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Mike Starrett, Energy Policy Analyst, Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Commissioner Megan Decker, Oregon Public Utility Commission

Alejandro Moreno, Director Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Ruchi Sadhir, Energy Policy Advisor, Oregon Governor Kate Brown

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Networking Lunch

12:30pm - 1:00pm: East Coast Offshore Wind - Liftoff!

Ross Tyler, Development & Strategy, Business Network for Offshore Wind

1:00pm - 2:15pm: Marine Renewables and its Implications for Coastal Resilience.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and resultant tsunami present serious threats to the life, infrastructure, and the economy. But ice storms, floods, forest fires, and other more regular disasters also drastically affect society. How might marine renewables reduce the risk of these types of threats, while strengthening the grid during normal conditions? How might marine renewables fare in these situations, and how might they reduce the downtime after such events?

Rick Williams, Principal, Oregon Applied Research

Ted Brekken, Associate Professor, Energy Systems, Oregon State University

Adam Schultz, Senior Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Energy

Dr. Bryson Robertson, University of Victoria

Thomas E. McDermott, Chief Engineer, Integration, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

2:15pm - 2:30pm: Sandia Laboratory Update on Permitting Issues

Jesse Roberts, Sandia National Laboratories

Dr. Sharon Kramer, Principal, H. T. Harvey & Associates

Anna West, Kearns & West

Presentation

2:30pm - 3:00pm: Networking Break

3:00pm - 4:15pm: Environmental Issue - Update and Path to Risk Retirement

Over the past several years, significant progress has been made in understanding the effects, or lack thereof, from marine renewable energy on the ocean environment. This panel will report out from the previous day’s regulatory workshop, provide a summary of the state of the science, and discuss how our improved understanding can impact the regulatory process for early testing and demonstration projects.

Cherise Gaffney, Partner, Stoel Rives

Dr. Sharon Kramer, Principal, H. T. Harvey & Associates

Dr. Andrea Copping, Senior Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Keith Kirkendall, Environmental Services, Branch Chief, NOAA Fisheries Service

David G. Ainley, PH.D, Seabird Ecologist, H.T. Harvey & Associates

Dr. Lisa Gilbane, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

4:15pm - 5:30pm: West Coast Maritime Economic Sector Initiative

Marine renewable energy is a growing sector with significant economic, social, and environmental upsides. But this sector is part of a larger cluster of marine related industries that collectively constitute the "blue economy." This panel will discuss the development of marine renewables within the context of the blue economy, and explore how marine renewables can build on this growing sector and contribute to its growth.

Duncan Wyse, President, Oregon Business Council

Rick Williams, Principal, Oregon Applied Research

Aaron Porter, Coastal Engineer, Mott MacDonald

Michael B. Jones, President, The Maritime Alliance

Joshua Berger, Governors' Maritime Sector League, State of Washington

5:30pm: Closing Remarks and Adjourn for Day

5:30pm - 7:30pm: Conference Welcome Reception

MHK Track Thursday

Marine Hydrokinetic Track

8:00am: Department of Energy’s Water Power Technology Office: MHK Program Strategy

As part of this year’s conference, we would like to invite the marine hydrokinetic energy community to participate in a special event that will feature leadership and staff of the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technology Office. Alejandro Moreno, Director for the WPTO, and his team will discuss the program’s forward thinking MHK Program Strategy, which will help guide the future of this energy sector in the years to come. This will be an excellent opportunity to connect with long-time program staff, and introduce yourself to some of the new members of the team.

9:30am - 10:45am: PMEC SETS: Making the Most of a Regional Asset

The Pacific Marine Energy Center's South Energy Test Site should be operational by 2020. Once complete, this facility will be an anchor asset for the region, attract wave energy companies to build, transport, deploy, operate, and decommission their respective technologies. The European Marine Energy Center has been operational for several years, and represents a model that PMEC SETS and the Pacific Northwest can emulate. This panel will discuss PMEC SETS and how we can make the most of this opportunity.

Gareth Davies, Aquatera Ltd.

Brian Polagye, co-Director, Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center

Belinda A. Batten, Executive Associate Dean, College of Engineering, Oregon State University

Steven Dewitt, Technology Manager, U.S. Department of Energy

Elaine Buck, Technology Manager, EMEC

10:45am - 11:15am: Networking Break & Exhibits

11:15am - 12:30pm: Early Adopter Markets for Marine Renewables

MHK devices have the potential to provide power to a number of end markets that are characterized by high cost, high value energy needs. These early adopter markets can help to further prove the technologies, lower LCOE, and act as a stepping stone to developing MHK power for the grid-scale market. This panel will explore some of these potential markets with direct examples and applicability to the Pacific Region.

Dr. Andrea Copping, Senior Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Jeremy Kasper, University of Alaska, Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center

Dana Manalang, Senior Engineer, Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington

John Moehl, Ph.D., Aquaculture Specialist, Realised Expectations/AFFIRM

Bill McShane, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Networking Lunch with Keynote Speaker: Commissioner David Hochschild - California Energy Commssion Presentation: Pt. 1, Pt. 2

1:30pm - 1:45pm: Federal Update

Paul Gay, Vice President with SMI and well-respected advocate for MHK in Washington DC, will provide a description of the federal landscape related to marine energy policy and research and development funding activities.

1:45pm - 3:00pm: The Growing Role of the Department of Defense in Marine Renewables

The Department of Defense has focused on replacing fossil fuels with renewables as part of its long term strategy to save cost, improve effectiveness, and most importantly, save the lives of soldiers. As part of that effort, the Navy, in particular, has focused on marine renewable energy. Today, several companies and researchers have received naval funding, and wave energy technology companies have deployed at the Navy's Wave Energy Test Site, located at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. This panel will discuss the growing role of the DOD, and explore how the marine renewables community can work with the DOD.

Damian Kunko, Vice President, SMI

Alexandra De Visser, Project Manager, NAVFAC EXWC

Pat Cross, Program Manager, Ocean Energy, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Benjamin Maurer, Ph.D, Senior Engineer, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington

Lauren Moraski, Technology Manager, U.S. Department of Energy

3:00pm - 3:30pm: Networking Break

3:30pm - 4:45pm: Bringing it All Together: Next Steps to Commercialization

Opening the Pacific Ocean to renewable energy development represents an enormous opportunity and challenge. Localized opposition is inevitable, organized, and effective, while widespread generalized public support can be diffuse and ineffective. This panel will bring together labor, the environmental NGO community, and industry to discuss how a path can be paved to the responsible development of offshore projects.

Justin Klure, Partner, Pacific Energy Ventures

Sandy Aylesworth, Oceans Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council

Dr. Stephanie McClellan, Ph.D., Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, University of Delaware

Jim Lanard, CEO, Magellan Wind

Jesse Scott-Kandoll, NW Carpenters

4:45pm - 5:00pm: Closing Remarks and Announcements: Adjourn

Conference Program: OSW Track Thursday

Offshore Wind Track

9:30am - 10:45am: Preparing the Way: Potential, Status, and Process of Offshore Wind on West Coast

The west coast of the United States is almost 2000 miles long, and has some of the best wind resources in the world. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has jurisdiction over the outer continental shelf, and they have begun to plan for offshore wind development, especially in California. This panel will analyze the prospects for offshore wind, with a special focus on the planning and permitting processes, and the work that needs to be done to move this industry forward expeditiously.

Jason Bush, Executive Director, POET, Co-Chair, Marine Energy Council

Douglas P. Boren, Regional Supervisor, Office of Strategic Resources, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific OCS Region

Christopher Potter, Ocean Protection Council, California Natural Resources Agency

Walt Musial, Principal Engineer and Manger Offshore Wind, National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Alla Weinstein, Founder, Trident Winds LLC

10:45am - 11:15am: Networking Break & Exhibits

11:15am - 12:30pm: Deep Water, Floating Wind, and New Opportunities
The west coast continental shelf drops precipitously within miles of shoreline. This geologic feature effectively eliminates the prospects for traditional bottom-mounted offshore wind energy, but it opens the door to the opportunities of floating offshore wind energy. This panel will review the status of the floating wind sector, and analyze the opportunities and challenges for this sector on the west coast.

Chris Elkington, Project Manager, DNV GL

Antoine Peiffer, Aero-Hydro Lead Engineer, Principle Power Inc.

Michael Olsen, Senior Director, Business Development, New Energy Solutions, Statoil

Dr. Anthony M. Viselli, Manager, Offshore Model Testing and Structural Design, Advanced Structures and Composites Center,University of Maine

Walt Musial, Principal Engineer and Manger Offshore Wind, National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Jason Folsom, Head of Sales, Offshore Americas, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Networking Lunch with Keynote Speaker: Commissioner David Hochschild - California Energy Commssion Presentation: Pt. 1, Pt. 2

1:45pm - 3:00pm: Moving Forward with Floating Wind: Enabling Technologies Necessary to the Success of Floating Wind


The West Coast of the United States has extensive land-based wind development. As the wind industry looks west to ocean-based wind projects, how does it build on the existing wind sector's experience, supply chain, and capabilities. What technologies provide crossover capability and enable these new projects? And how do we maximize the economic benefits to the region?

Ross Tyler, Development and Strategy, Business Network for Offshore Wind

Julia Willmott, Normandeau Associates, Inc.

Tom Hickman, Vigor Industries

Matthew Palmer, WSP USA

Don Bryan, General Manager, MacArtney Inc. - Pacific Northwest Operations

3:00pm - 3:30pm: Networking Break

3:30pm - 4:45pm: Bringing it All Together: Next Steps to Commercialization

Opening the Pacific Ocean to renewable energy development represents an enormous opportunity and challenge. Localized opposition is inevitable, organized, and effective, while widespread generalized public support can be diffuse and ineffective. This panel will bring together labor, the environmental NGO community, and industry to discuss how a path can be paved to the responsible development of offshore projects.

Justin Klure, Pacific Energy Ventures

Sandy Aylesworth, Oceans Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council

Dr. Stephanie McClellan, Ph.D., Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, University of Delaware

Jim Lanard, CEO, Magellan Wind

Jesse Scott-Kandoll, NW Carpenters

4:45pm - 5:00pm: Closing Remarks and Announcements: Adjourn

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