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Agenda

KEYNOTE SESSIONS

Leading the world in installed CSP capacity: How is America’s CSP goldrush likely to pan out?

With 10,836MW of CSP currently under development, how are the market leaders overcoming the hurdles?
How can you fully exploit CSP’s competitive edge over PV, Nuclear and Wind projects when bidding for the same resource?
CSP Stakeholder Perspectives: Learn first-hand from leading project developers, investors, utilities and EPC contractors on their successes in overcoming development challenges and positioning CSP plants on America’s solar landscape

Scott Frier, Chief Operating Officer, Abengoa
Albert Fong, Chief Engineering Officer, Albiasa
Sean Gallagher, Vice-President of Market Strategy & Regulatory Affairs, Tessera Solar
Lee Bailey, Managing Director, US Renewables Group
Eran Maher, Director Renewable Energy, Arizona Public Service

CSP’s Biggest Supporter: US Department of Energy

Which initiatives from the US Department of Energy are driving the industry forward?
How fast will the benefits will filter down to your own projects?
What specific CSP targets will advance the industry – and what’s the timescale?
Learn more about the dialogue between the Department of Energy, BLM, and utilities: How will their talks help you take projects to the next level?
Do your projects qualify for public funds from the government’s financing initiatives?

Frank Wilkins, Solar Thermal R&D Team Leader, US Department of Energy
Jennifer Decesaro, Senior Energy Analyst, US Department of Energy

PPA’S – Making the case for CSP

Understanding your customers: Knowledge to strengthen your project pitches

What are the most important buying power models and how can you use them to strengthen your project pitches?
What are the secrets of overcoming the most common solar project hurdles: Can you offer viable solutions that will get your project picked ahead of the competition?
How can project developers and utilities work together and create a successful partnership that completes a PPA to deadline?
To what extent is thermal storage a business-critical consideration in securing your PPA?

Carmine Tilgham, Director, Energy Planning and Procurement, Tucson Electric Power
Eran Maher, Director of Renewable Energy, Arizona Public Service
Gaurab Hazarika, Director, DEGS, Development and Analytic, Duke Energy

How to negotiate the perfect PPA: Learn from the experts

A successful project developer takes you through the highs and lows of negotiating and securing a realistic – and profitable – PPA.
Who are the people with proven expertise and experience that can best guide you through the minefield of PPA contracts and ensure you protect the financial viability of your project?
Increase your bargaining power: Which PPAs are most attractive to investors? And how do you prove your project will provide an attractive ROI?

CASE STUDY: The inside view on successfully selling power

An in-depth look at hidden costs that need to be calculated so you are not undercut – or operating at a loss
How do you entice utilities and guarantee a profitable price for MWs?
Why are EPC contractors such a valuable asset at the negotiating table – and how can they help deliver your project on schedule?

Scott Frier, Chief Operating Officer, Abengoa

A-Z Guide on Land Issues

Site selection challenges: How to avoid the most common issues

Can you profit from the experiences of realtors who have located the most lucrative solar sites – and pinpoint your own ideal CSP site?
Analyze the critical site selection factors: Substation locality, DNI data, GIS, topography, foundation, land drainage, and environmental factors that may affect the functionality of the plant
Speed up your site selection process: Innovative land search solutions that save valuable time and significant money

Tom Stoffel, Manager, NREL
Tyler Kropf, Ashwill Associates

Assessing the usability of the site: How do you make sure the price is right?

Fundamental site issues that may affect viability: Water rights, land ownership, road access and transmission availability.
How to negotiate with landowners on the most common issue – actual land value v. potential land value for a solar site – so you secure the land for a fair price

Solar Energy v. Water Restrictions : Mapping out your strategies

How to develop a strategy that overcomes the issues of limited water resources and water allocation – and secures the green light for your project.
Low-down on inventive strategies designed to facilitate CSP project approval – and how to utilize them for your own projects.

Landowner options: Private, state or federal?

How are the Bureau of Land Management and State Land Commission encouraging project developers to build on their land?
Environmental roadblocks that slow down permissions: What can you do to ensure your projects harmonize with local ecosystems?
Assessing the time and cost of developing projects on private and public land: How do you decide at an early stage which option has the greater profit potential?

Roy Averill-Murray, Desert Tortoise Recovery Coordinator, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Maria Baier, Arizona State Land Commissioner, Arizona State Land Department
BLM names TBC

Brownfield sites: How do you assess the potential for solar ?

What are the characteristics of contaminated land and mining sites that make them attractive locations for renewable energy projects?
What is the EPA doing to support brownfield development?
Update on changing policies and market factors that encourage the development of utility scale solar power facilities in areas with low and moderate solar resources.
New interactive mapping tools for renewable energy, including state-tracked site- specific information with renewable energy development potential.

TBC, Environment Protection Agency

Grassroots partnerships: Working with environmental groups

Meet lobby groups and advocates who are protecting the interests of the desert wildlife: How can you collaborate with them – and secure permits faster?
Briefing on the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP) & Clark County Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) and how these examples can help you secure fast-track project approval.

Ileene Anderson, Centre for Biological Diversity
Carl Zichella, Renewable Energy Leader , Sierra Club
Craig Cox, Executive Director, Inter West Energy Alliance
Helen O’Shea, TBC, Natural Resources Defense Council

Grassroots partnerships: The impact of labor groups and “Buy USA”

Building effective relationships with unions and interest groups to help prevent objections and delays in getting your project underway.
How will the solar provisions and implications of the economic stimulus recovery program positively impact the solar industry in general, and your project in particular?
How does the “Buy American” clause impact on the potential pool of US suppliers to the CSA industry and current suppliers in Europe and China?
How does this affect your vendor options and related costs?

Scott Paul, Executive Director, Alliance for American Manufacturing

CASE STUDY: Land acquisition on private and BLM land

Project developers share their experiences on identifying the ideal CSP site:

What was the greatest challenge?
What happened that was unexpected – and how was it resolved?
How many people were involved in the process?
What was the cost/time invested?

Albert Fong, Chief Engineering Officer, Albiasa

TRANSMISSION

Transmission viability concerns: What’s happening – and about to happen?

Where do solar projects stand in the transmission line queue?
How do you get power from the grid in a timely manner? How will the power be managed? What is the strength of the lines?
How will regulators and balancing authorities provide a solution to deal with the power demand and achieve the RPS standard for the county?

Brian Keel, Salt River Project
Grant Rosenblum, Manager Renewable Resource Integration, California Independent System Operator Corporation
Dale Osborn, Transmission Planning Technical Director, Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator
Adam Browning, Executive Director, The Vote Solar Initiative
Paula Mints, Navigant Consulting

Western wind and solar integration study

Exclusive insights from NREL’s most recent transmission study and what it means to be connected to the grid:

Does geographic diversity of renewable energy resource help mitigate variability?
How do local resources compare to out-of-state resources?
Can balancing area co-operation help mitigate variability?
What is the role and value of energy storage?
Should reserve requirements be modified?
What is the benefit of forecasting?
How can hydropower help with integration of renewable?

Debra Lew, Senior Project Leader, NREL

CASE STUDY: Designing and constructing a transmission line

What opportunities are there for CSP plants in remote locations?
What lessons can be learnt from the conventional power market on the design and construction of a transmission line – and how will this get your project connected?

CASE STUDY: How CSP projects can overcome the transmission hurdle

Hear about the Tri-State’s involvement in the solar/fossil hybridization concept and discover why they have no transmission interconnect issues.
Find out how the Inter West Energy Alliance is working collaboratively with leading NGOs and other parties in addressing siting issues as they relate to new project and transmission development throughout the West.
What is the viability of sending out of state power to California to meet their aggressive RPS targets?

Riley Moore, Senior Engineer, Tri-State Generation and Transmission
Craig Cox, Executive Director, Inter West Energy Alliance

PROCUREMENT

Technology selection and performance assessment: Forecasts & profitability

Hear about the performance of pilot projects: How they are operating, how they will scale up for the 50MW – 150MW+ PPAs, and how this will translate to investment into larger utility scale plants.
What are the essential factors when designing a solar field, making sure the budget is realistic and calculating profitability?
How can performance protocols and performance guarantees evolve to help you present a more bankable project?

Pricing your project: How to avoid costly surprises

Comprehensive review of procurement costs for a CSP plant: How do current and new suppliers foresee costs changing in the next 6 months, 12 months, and the next 5 years?
Assessing the supply chain and developing a realistic project timeline for deliverables: How do you keep a project on schedule and within budget?
What supplier guarantees are essential – and who is liable if deadlines are not met?
Understand the status of pricing and sourcing in the steel industry and the implications for your suppliers’ costs and your own bottom line.

EPC partnerships: How do you select the best financial partner?

How can an EPC be your financial partner and work out a financial model that helps secure project finance?
Which elements of a CSP project can be guaranteed?
How does an EPC cover the guarantees so that the bank is sufficiently confident to approve your project finance?
Key considerations in choosing the right partner: How do you evaluate cost control, and product contingency with a view to getting your project completed ahead of schedule and under budget?

CASE STUDY: Power couple in CSP development

Find out how a commercially profitable relationship can be achieved – and how to secure the essential PPA and investment that will transform the status of your project.

Sean Gallagher, Vice-President of Market Strategy & Regulatory Affairs, Tessera Solar

THE FINANCE TO MAKE YOUR PROJECT BANKABLE

Creating investor confidence: What else can you do to get investors on your side?

Is your project feasible for debt financing?
What are the banks’ criteria to ensure they are likely to get a profitable return?
What can you say – and do – to give potential investors the confidence they need to finance your project?
From 50MW to 250MW: Is it really far harder to get financing for a 250MW project? How many more banks need to be involved? What hurdles can you expect as your project increases in size?
How important is thermal storage for investors – and is there a storage threshold they are comfortable with?
How can you negotiate the most favorable contract terms with investors?

Ashok Gupta, Senior Vice President, Mizuho Corporate Bank
Annie Hazlehurst, Draper Fisher Jurveston
Marshal Salant, Managing Director / Head - Alternative Energy Finance, Citi
Rahul Culas, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
Melissa Wilson, Union Bank

Tax equity: How do you tap into what’s on offer – and is it worthwhile?

Get to grips with what tax equity can do for your project and see how to raise the finance that will propel it forward.
Who are the active investors willing to offer tax equity?
What are the chances of securing investment at yields you find attractive?

Bruce Gebhardt, Partner, Pathfinder Capital Advisors

Risk and insurance: Preparing for the unexpected

How do you mitigate the risks involved with your project and get the financial backing you need?
What contingency plans are in place to protect your project – and are they adequate?
Who is liable if your PPA is at risk?
What warranties do you have for equipment deployed on the solar field?
What is the quality of the sponsor?

CASE STUDY: How SolarReserve raised $xx million in 2010

How did SolarReserve convince the financial community to give them the funding they needed to successfully get their project off the ground?
Which elements of the SolarReserve strategy can you successfully apply to your own project finance strategies?

Lee Bailey, Managing Director, US Renewables Group

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