Alicia Barton is chief executive officer of FirstLight Power, a power producer and energy storage company with the largest clean energy generation portfolio in New England today. For over 20 years, Ms. Barton has dedicated her career to advancing new clean energy projects and markets in areas such as offshore wind, solar, energy storage, efficiency, and accelerating clean technology innovation. She has held several clean energy leadership roles in the public and private sectors, including as president and CEO of the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), co-chair of the Energy and Cleantech Practice at Foley Hoag LLP, and chief of operations of the Global Utility business unit at SunEdison. Ms. Barton is also a board member of Greentown Labs, Utilidata, and the Environmental League of Massachusetts. She holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Ohio State University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Cornell Energy Connection
Event Overview
In this webcast, energy industry experts will discuss the changes to the grid that are necessary today in order to have a flexible, stable, and clean power supply tomorrow. They’ll explore the opportunities and bottlenecks in this process and envision how the future grid could use a variety of clean energy sources.
This is the third and final session of the 2021 Cornell Energy Connection (CEC), Cornell’s premier energy event, being held virtually in November and December. The conference features panel discussions on key issues impacting the sector, including energy transition, decarbonization, and the impact government and investors have on the future of clean power supply. CEC is hosted by the SC Johnson College of Business Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (CSGE) and the Cornell Energy Club.
What You'll Learn
- The state of the current U.S. electricity grid and existing electrification initiatives
- The infrastructure investments needed to integrate higher renewable energy production and distribution into the grid
- How technology and analytics can help improve grid resiliency in cases of extreme weather events
- How the decarbonized grid can serve the needs of consumers and other participants in the power industry
Speakers
Jeff Weiss is the co-founder, co-chairman, and managing director of Distributed Sun (DSUN), which develops and operates community solar, C&I, and utility-scale projects in 11 states. He leads DSUN’s capital formation, business development, strategy, and governance. An early digital media and commerce entrepreneur, Mr. Weiss has led companies in digital media, renewable energy, cyber and physical security, intelligence and corporate fraud mitigation, mission preparedness and training, software development, and transformational management. He is also a Washington Leadership Co-Chairman of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), a board member of the Atkinson Center for Sustainability, a Trustee Council member of Cornell University, an Executive Committee member of DC’s oldest synagogue, a past co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Society, and a founding director of Shenandoah National Park Trust. Mr. Weiss graduated from Cornell and Wharton.
Kate McGinnis is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience in energy and environmental markets. She is a strategy expert in renewable energy, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and storage technologies, as well as the interplay between cleantech and traditional energy sources. Ms. McGinnis’s expertise is in managing uncertainty at the intersection of policy, environment, and technological innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked in project development across six continents.
Lang Tong is the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Professor in Engineering at Cornell University as well as the Cornell site director of the Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSerc). He is part of Cornell’s Engineering and Economics of Electricity Research Group (E3RG), which investigates data analytics, system optimization, and market issues associated with renewable energy, storage, and the electrification of transportation systems. Professor Tong is a fellow of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, and has received numerous IEEE paper awards, including the Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award (2004) and the Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Prize Paper Award (2004). He also is the 2018 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Alternative Energy. Professor Tong holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Alicia Barton is chief executive officer of FirstLight Power, a power producer and energy storage company with the largest clean energy generation portfolio in New England today. For over 20 years, Ms. Barton has dedicated her career to advancing new clean energy projects and markets in areas such as offshore wind, solar, energy storage, efficiency, and accelerating clean technology innovation. She has held several clean energy leadership roles in the public and private sectors, including as president and CEO of the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), co-chair of the Energy and Cleantech Practice at Foley Hoag LLP, and chief of operations of the Global Utility business unit at SunEdison. Ms. Barton is also a board member of Greentown Labs, Utilidata, and the Environmental League of Massachusetts. She holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Ohio State University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Jeff Weiss is the co-founder, co-chairman, and managing director of Distributed Sun (DSUN), which develops and operates community solar, C&I, and utility-scale projects in 11 states. He leads DSUN’s capital formation, business development, strategy, and governance. An early digital media and commerce entrepreneur, Mr. Weiss has led companies in digital media, renewable energy, cyber and physical security, intelligence and corporate fraud mitigation, mission preparedness and training, software development, and transformational management. He is also a Washington Leadership Co-Chairman of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), a board member of the Atkinson Center for Sustainability, a Trustee Council member of Cornell University, an Executive Committee member of DC’s oldest synagogue, a past co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Society, and a founding director of Shenandoah National Park Trust. Mr. Weiss graduated from Cornell and Wharton.
Kate McGinnis is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience in energy and environmental markets. She is a strategy expert in renewable energy, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and storage technologies, as well as the interplay between cleantech and traditional energy sources. Ms. McGinnis’s expertise is in managing uncertainty at the intersection of policy, environment, and technological innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked in project development across six continents.
Lang Tong is the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Professor in Engineering at Cornell University as well as the Cornell site director of the Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSerc). He is part of Cornell’s Engineering and Economics of Electricity Research Group (E3RG), which investigates data analytics, system optimization, and market issues associated with renewable energy, storage, and the electrification of transportation systems. Professor Tong is a fellow of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, and has received numerous IEEE paper awards, including the Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award (2004) and the Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Prize Paper Award (2004). He also is the 2018 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Alternative Energy. Professor Tong holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.