IEE’s third annual “Powering the People” event attracted more than 300 electric utility CEOs, technology company executives, and policymakers to learn more about the electric revolution that is shaping the 21st century.
This year’s event, “Powering the People: Innovations for a Better World,” offered a standing-room-only audience at the Newseum a hands-on look at how the electric utility industry — partnering with innovative electric technology companies — is powering a more energy-efficient and productive future for America and the world.
Lisa Wood, IEE Executive Director and Edison Foundation Vice President, said, “’Powering the People’ has quickly become the stage for exploring the bold, new innovations taking place within the electric utility industry. For 2013, ‘Powering the People: Innovations for a Better World’ continues this focus, demonstrating how electric utilities, together with their technology partners, are enabling electricity to transform transportation, everyday life, the world, and the electric utility industry itself.”
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, delivered a keynote address on the vital role of energy and electricity in the nation’s economy. Panel discussions with electric utility, energy technology, and IT company CEOs followed, and expanded on the advances in electric transportation and how the power industry is transforming itself to adapt to today’s challenges and opportunities.
The conference speakers included:
- Thomas F. Farrell II, Chairman, President, and CEO, Dominion, and Chairman, Edison Foundation
- Anthony F. Earley Jr., Chairman, CEO, and President, PG&E Corporation
- Joseph M. Rigby, Chairman, President, and CEO, Pepco Holdings Inc.
- James E. Rogers, Chairman, President, and CEO, Duke Energy
- Robert C. Rowe, President and CEO, NorthWestern Energy, and Co-Chair, IEE
- Andrew Vesey, COO and Executive Vice President, AES Corporation
- Alan Perriton, President and COO, VIA Motors
- Deborah Korenek, Division VP, Marketing & Sales, CenterPoint Energy
- Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist and Director of Research, Consumer Electronics Association
- Dale Bryk, Director, Energy and Transportation Program, NRDC
“Powering the People” offers attendees an inside look at new electric technologies and new partnerships among electric utilities and technology companies. On display along Electric Avenue outside the Newseum entrance, more than a dozen plug-in electric cars, trucks, and motorcycles offer a super-charged look at the future of transportation.
Inside the Newseum, more than 30 exhibits in Innovation Alley demonstrate how advanced electric technologies are transforming the grid and powering our electric future. Perhaps most important, the conference makes clear how the nation’s electric utility industry is putting these technologies and partnerships to work to create more productivity and better value for its customers, and greater protection for the environment.
