This year the HOMER International Microgrid Conference will be taking place virtually, providing entirely new opportunities for HOMER’s international community to participate. With no travel costs we expect people to attend from all over the world and share their stories of microgrid developments.
What: HOMER International Microgrid Conference
Date: October 12-16, 2020
Location: Virtual
Learn More: HOMER International Microgrid Conference
We are offering opportunities for sponsorship. If you are interested please visit our conference website to get the details.
Thank you to the many who submitted proposals in our Call to Speakers. We are reviewing them now and will announce speakers and sessions in the coming weeks.
We are beginning to assemble an impressive list of speakers and want to share some of those we have lined up so far. Please check back with us on our conference site for updates and registration details.
Speakers at the HOMER International Microgrid Conference
Michael C. Brower
Vice President, Renewable Energy, Energy & Power Technologies, UL
Michael Brower has been involved in renewable energy for nearly 30 years. Early in his career he conducted research and analysis on energy and environmental issues for the Union of Concerned Scientists and as a private consultant. He was the lead author of the groundbreaking study, Powering the Midwest, which helped jumpstart renewable energy development in the Midwestern United States and wrote Cool Energy: Renewable Solutions to Environmental Problems and The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Solutions. Later, while at AWS Truepower, he edited and co-wrote Wind Resource Assessment: A Practical Guide to Developing a Wind Project, which has become a reference for wind farm development. As co-founder and president of AWS Truepower, Michael led the development of the mapping, micrositing and forecasting systems used today for developing and operating wind projects. He personally led assessments of over 10 GW of renewable energy projects.
Currently Vice President of Renewable Energy for UL, which acquired AWS Truepower in 2016, Michael leads UL’s global renewable energy business, which provides advisory, testing and certification services as well as a number of software solutions in wind and solar energy, energy storage systems, and distributed energy applications.
Michael holds a PhD in Physics from Harvard University (1986) and BSc in Physics from MIT (1981).
Peter Asmus
Research Director, Microgrids
Guidehouse Insights
Peter Asmus is a research director leading Guidehouse Insights’ Microgrids solution and supporting the Microgrids Tracker and Virtual Power Plants solutions.
His focus is on emerging energy distribution networks models and his expertise also includes wind energy, marine hydrokinetic technologies, and renewables generally. Peter has over 28 years of experience in energy and environmental markets as an analyst, writer, book author, and consultant.
Prior to joining Guidehouse Insights, Asmus was president of Pathfinder Communications, serving clients such as the California Independent System Operator, GE, and the California Energy Commission and was also the editor of the Clean Power Journal.
David Gumbs
Former CEO, Anguilla Electricity Company, Ltd (ANGLEC)
David Gumbs is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Anguilla Electricity Company, Ltd (ANGLEC). Under David’s leadership, ANGLEC embraced renewable energy technologies and achieved one of the region’s highest penetration levels in 2016. He successfully negotiated several solar PV and waste-to-energy power purchase agreements for the integration of alternative energy sources into ANGLEC’s generation portfolio.
David brought efficiencies and cost savings to the organization by incorporating industry-leading solutions such as advanced metering, grid automation, work order automation, and vehicle fleet management into ANGLEC’s operations. After the historic Hurricane Irma devastated the island—destroying over 60 percent of its infrastructure, David led recovery efforts that restored the grid to 100 percent in 100 days. He collaborated with colleagues throughout the region and various partners, including CARILEC, the UK Government, and the Government of Anguilla to restore the island’s grid in record time
Peter Lilienthal
CEO, HOMER Energy by UL
Global Microgrid Lead, UL Renewables
Dr. Peter Lilienthal is the original developer of the HOMER® software and founded HOMER Energy in 2009 to enhance and commercialize the software, which has been used by over 200,000 energy practitioners in 193 countries. In December 2019, HOMER Energy became a subsidiary of UL where Peter now serves as the global lead for microgrids. He has a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Peter has been active in the field of renewable and distributed energy and energy efficiency since 1978. Before founding HOMER Energy, he was president of Green Island Power, which provided analytical services for renewable and distributed power projects. From 1990-2007 he was Senior Economist with the International Programs Office at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. His experience has included project development of distributed power projects, designing and teaching courses at the university level, and consulting to industry and regulators. His technical expertise is in utility modeling and the economic and financial analysis of renewable and distributed power projects. He was the lead analyst and one of the creators of NREL’s International and Village Power Programs.
Richenda Van Leeuwen
Managing Director, Empowering Clean Economies
Rocky Mountain Institute
Richenda is Managing Director for Empowering Clean Economies at the Rocky Mountain Institute. She joined in 2019 from the Global LPG Partnership where she worked on residential energy solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa as Chair, International Institutions.
Richenda was also a member of the World Bank’s Energy Program’s (ESMAP) Technical Advisory Group (TAG), from 2016-2019, providing strategic oversight of their $135 million energy portfolio. From 2010-2016 she founded and led Energy Access at the United Nations Foundation including development of the UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative and mini-grids and health care electrification initiatives.
Richenda has over 25 years of executive management experience, previously working in private equity and impact investing on emerging markets renewable energy solutions. She is a board director of SELCO India and Energy 4 Impact and an Emeritus founding U.S. Women’s “Clean Energy Ambassador” within the U.S. DOE Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment (C3E) initiative.
Karl R. Rábago
Senior Policy Advisor, Pace Energy and Climate Center
Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law
Karl R. Rábago is a Senior Policy Advisor and former Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains, New York. The PECC mission is to protect the earth’s environment through solutions that transform the ways that society supplies and consumes energy.
An attorney and US Army veteran, Karl has some 25 years of experience in energy and climate policy markets. He serves as Chair of the Board of the Center for Resource Solutions, a San Francisco-based non-governmental organization that works to advance voluntary clean energy markets and is on the Board of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Karl also is co-director and principal investigator for the Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition, a US DOE SunShot Initiative Solar Market Pathways project.
His past positions include Texas Public Utility Commissioner; US Department of Energy Deputy Assistant Secretary; Austin Energy Vice President of Distributed Energy Services at; AES Corporation and AES Wind Director of Regulatory Affairs; and Rocky Mountain Institute, Director of Regulatory Affairs.
Tom Stanton
Principal Researcher, Energy and Environment
National Regulatory Research Institute
Tom Stanton is Principal Researcher, Energy and Environment, at the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI), since fall 2010. NRRI provides research services for the 50 states and US territory agencies that are responsible for public utility regulation.
Tom specializes in policy research for distributed energy resources, energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid modernization, and global climate change. A life-long resident of Michigan, prior to joining NRRI Tom worked for Michigan state government for over 32 years, with 10 years at the State Energy Office and over 22 years as a member of the Michigan Public Service Commission Staff.