AWEA - American Wind Energy Association

About the Workshop

Join major players in wind finance and get insights into the current state of the wind energy markets.

Wind and financial markets in the U.S. are dynamic. This workshop brings together the major players in wind energy finance to offer insights into the current state of the markets. Influencers and financial market leaders will discuss upcoming trends that will impact the industry, key government policies that are major issues, and discuss aspects of the wind finance business that differentiate leaders from followers.

Learn:

• how key regulatory uncertainties have been addressed

• the state of debt and equity capital markets

• offshore wind financing issues

• about the U.S. power market outlook

• and much more!

Featured Speaker

  Pat Wood III
  Principal, Wood3 Resources

Agenda

Thursday, April 7 This page will continue to be updated.  Program subject to change without notice. More speakers TBA
1:00pm - 1:50pm	Welcome & Opening Denise Bode, Chief Executive Officer, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Randolph Mann, Vice President, Wind Development, Edison Mission Energy – EME Keynote Speaker: Pat Wood III, Principal, Wood3 Resources (Past Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas)
1:50pm - 2:15pm	First Release: AWEA U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report First Release: the AWEA U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report for 2010   Elizabeth Salerno, Chief Economist and Director of Industry Data & Analysis, American Wind Energy Association
2:15pm - 3:15pm	Mergers & Acquisitions This session will cover the outlook for asset sales and purchases, as well as company M&A activity in the wind industry. Moderator: Edwin F. Feo, Managing Director, USRG Renewable Finance (USRG RF), an affiliate of the US Renewables Group Panelists: John Plaster, Managing Director Global Power Group and Head of Alternative Energy, Barclays Capital Raymond Wood, Managing Director and Co-Head, U.S. Power Group and The Global Alternative Energy Group, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC Martin Pasqualini,Managing Director, CP Energy Group, LLC Ted Brandt Chief Executive Officer, Marathon Capital LLC
3:15pm - 3:45pm	Break
3:45pm - 4:45pm	Strengthen Project Performance: Generate Cash Flows When the Wind Blows Project performance is the driving factor that underpins investment performance. This panel will discuss the latest trends in resource assessment and the critical factors that lead to strong operational performance. The session will explore best practices for keeping performance high as projects age. Moderator: Eric White, Executive Director, JP Morgan Speakers: Michael Brower, Chief Technical Officer, AWS Truepower, LLC Larry Barr, Vice President of Operations and Maintenance, enXco Diarmaid Mulholland, General Manager, GE Wind Services
4:45pm - 5:30pm	Offshore Wind It's been a big year for offshore wind, as the U.S. Department of the Interior signed the first American offshore lease. This session will discuss the key factors for our nation's first projects, and what's in store for the industry. Moderator: Jeff Kehne, Principal, Hil & Kehne Panelists: Graeme Walker, Chief Financial Officer, Baryonyx Corporation Dennis Duffy, Vice President-Government & Regulatory Affairs, Cape Wind Michael Madia, Chief Operating Officer, Fishermen's Energy Jérôme Guillet, Managing Director, Green Giraffe Energy Bankers
5:30pm - 6:30pm	Networking Reception
Friday, April 8
7:30am	Registration Opens
7:30am - 8:30am	Continental Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am	Capitol Hill Policy Outlook Policy priorities are always important in the energy industry, and changing political winds in Washington will have an impact on our industry. This session will discuss important factors in navigating the regulatory shift. Moderator: Keith Martin, Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP Panelists: Rob Gramlich,, Sr. VP of Public Policy, AWEA Greg Wetstone, VP for Government Affairs, Terra-Gen Power, LLC Jon Chase, Vice President, Government Relations, Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc.
9:15am - 10:00am	Plug-In to Demand: Utility Voices Utilities are the customer for most wind projects and a key counterparty in all projects, with great insights on the needs of the power grid. This session will discuss how power demand and utility strategies are going to impact the wind industry in 2011. Moderator: Stephen Krebs, Partner, Baker Botts LLP Panelists: Kim Zuhlke, Consultant to AWEA and Former VP of New Generation, Alliant Energy Dave Rich, Renewable Energy Development Manager, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Dan Chase, Contract Negotiator, Renewable & Alternative Power, Southern California Edison John O'Donnell, Vice President of Federal Affairs, Xcel Energy, Inc.
10:00am - 10:30am	Break
10:30am - 11:30am	CFO Roundtable Some of our top finance professionals will share the leading issues of the day for project developers. Moderator: John C.S. Anderson, Senior Managing Director, Head of Power & Infrastructure, John Hancock Financial Services Panelists: Glen Robinson, Vice President of Business Operations and Asset Management, Exelon Power Michael Alvarez, President and Chief Financial Officer, First Wind Joao Metelo, Chief Financial Officer, Horizon Wind Energy
11:30am - 12:45pm	Lunch
12:45pm - 1:45pm	Project Debt A top project developer has a project and needs to secure debt financing. The panelists will peek in at the negotiating table as he shops for a loan and finds out what is necessary for debt deals in 2011.   Moderator: Steve Ryder, Vice President, Finance, Invenergy LLC  Panelists: Jorge Camina, Head of Project Finance, Banco Santander Russell Protti, Senior Vice President, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Thomas Emmons, Managing Director, Rabobank International Gisela Kroess, Director, Gobal Structured and Project Finance, UniCredit-HVB Kerri Fox, Head of Structured Finance North America, BBVA
1:45pm - 2:45pm	Tax Equity Now our wind project needs a tax equity investor. This session will discuss what it takes to get a tax equity investment in 2011. Moderator: Hunter Armistead, Executive Director,Pattern Energy Group LP Panelists: Marshal Salant, Managing Director, Head of Alternative Energy Finance, Citigroup Yale Henderson, Managing Director - Energy Investments, JPMorgan Capital Corporation Jeetu Balchandani, Director, MetLife Investments Lance Markowitz, Senior Vice President, Union Bank, NA
2:45pm - 3:15pm	Deal Trends Project Finance experts will wrap up the workshop with a roundtable discussion on deal trends in the marketplace.  2010 was a dynamic year for project structures and our insiders will look ahead to consider what comes next.   Moderator: Paul Holshouser, Senior Finance Analyst, AWEA Panelists: Edward Zaelke, Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP Vihang Dholakia, Managing Director, GE Capital Energy Services Timothy Kemper, CPA, Regional Managing Principal, Reznick Group
3:15pm - 3:45pm	Networking Closing Cocktail

Registration

Online registration is now closed.  You may still register on-site at the hotel starting at 12:00 pm on Thursday, April 7th.  

Registration Prices

* Non-Profit registrations require pre-approval by AWEA. Email conference@awea.org for details.
**If you are unsure of your AWEA membership status, contact membership@awea.org or (202) 383-2556.

Special Attendee Types

Government Agency: A full-time employee of a U.S. or international government agency (federal, state, local or tribal). Government-supported universities or colleges, government contractors, and government consultants do not qualify. Economic development organizations should register under the Government category.

Full-Time Student or Faculty: To qualify for the Student/Faculty registration rate you must be a current full-time student or faculty member at an educational institution. You must bring your institution ID to registration to verify your status.

Speaker: Registration for confirmed speakers and moderators in the workshop (limit 1 per presentation). Speaker/Moderator status will be verified.

Non-Profit Wind Power / Clean Energy Advocacy Groups: Discounted registrations are available to certain non-profit wind power / clean energy organizations that receive pre-approval by AWEA. This category is intended for specific wind power / clean energy advocacy groups as well as qualified environmental or energy related non-profits such as the Sierra Club, Energy Foundation or World Wildlife Fund among others. All 501c3 organizations will not necessarily qualify for the non-profit registration rate. Economic development organizations do not qualify for the non-profit registration rate and instead should register under the government registration category. Email conference@awea.org with your full contact information and a brief description of your non-profit organization including a link to your organization website to request non-profit approval.

Registration Policies

Workshop registration includes: a networking reception, continental breakfasts, lunches, access to the speaker presentations, plus invaluable education from experts in the wind energy community and critical networking opportunities.

Discounted registration rates end March 17, 2011. After 3:00pm ET on April 5, 2011 you may no longer register by mail or fax. After this date, you must register on-site at the hotel.

Confirmation & Changes: Registration confirmations are emailed automatically upon registering on-line or upon manual entry of registrations sent via mail or fax. If you have changes to your registration including contact information, purchasing additional items to your registration such as a pre-conference seminar that is available to specific events, or if you need to provide a substitution for your registration, email conference@awea.org no later than Tuesday, April 5, 2011. After this date, any changes or substitutions will need to be made on-site at the event.

Cancellation Policy: All cancellations and requests for refunds must be submitted to AWEA in writing via email to conference@awea.org or fax to (202) 293-2567. Refunds may not be processed until after the completion of the workshop. All refund requests received by March 30, 2011 will be processed less a $100 administrative fee. There will be no refunds made for cancellations after March 30 or for no-shows and registration fees may not be transferred to a different AWEA event. However substitutions are permitted for no charge. Email information on substitutions to conference@awea.org. Any refunds to credit card payments may only be credited back to the original credit card and cannot be refunded to a different card.

Other: AWEA reserves the right to eject you from the event without any prior notice or refund if while at the event your behavior is deemed disruptive, offensive, dangerous, and illegal or if you are found to be distributing unauthorized material.

This event is proceeding as planned unless the event organizer, the venue, and/or local or national authorities deem it to be unsafe to do so at which time we will update this website with more information.

Hotel & Travel

Hotel Accomodations

Fresh from an $85 million reinvention, the 46-story Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan Hotel is a landmark in upscale hospitality and first-class service. Our 770 finely appointed guest rooms boast fresh, contemporary accents, and unique among Manhattan hotels, each room offers a breathtaking view of Times Square, New York's iconic skyline or the Hudson River. The Crowne Plaza is the only hotel in Times Square to renovate from top to bottom, from the lobby, restaurants and meeting space to the guest rooms and suites. Click here for more information about the Crowne Plaza- Times Square Manhattan.

Travel Information

The information and pricing listed below is provided as a service by AWEA but is subject to change.

Closest Airport:

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is approximately 8 miles from the hotel.

For more information on the LaGuardia Airport, visit http://www.panynj.gov/airports/laguardia.html.

Penn Station: Located at 8 Ave. and 31st Street in New York City, Penn Station is a quick 5-7 minute cab ride from the hotel.

For more information on Penn Station in New York City visit: http://www.infofornyc.com/travel/penn_station_new_york.html

From LGA Airport

Transportation Information:
Follow signs to “Ground Transportation”
    Taxi: Estimated cost of a cab is $25-30; Travel time varies at different peaks of the day

Driving Directions:

From LaGuardia Airport (LGA):
Keep right onto Central Terminal Drive. Take ramp for Grand Central Parkway West. At Exit 4, take ramp right for BQE / Brooklyn Queens Expressway East toward Staten Island.  Take ramp and follow signs for I-278 / BQE / Brooklyn Queens Expressway West.  At Exit 35, take ramp right for I-495 / LIE / Long Island Expressway West / Queens Midtown Expressway towards Midtown Tunnel / Manhattan.  After exiting tunnel, take ramp for 37th Street toward 38-40 Streets.  Turn left onto E 37th Street toward 38-40 Streets.  Turn left onto E 42nd Street.  Road name changes to West 42nd Street in 0.2 miles.  Turn right onto 6th Avenue / Avenue of the Americas.  Turn left onto W 49th Street.  Garage access is on 49th Street just past Broadway, on your left.

From John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK):
Depart airport toward I-678 North / Van Wyck Expressway. At Exit 10, take ramp left for Grand Central Parkway West toward LaGuardia Airport / RFK (Triboro) Bridge. At Exit 10W, take ramp right for I-495 West / Long Island Expressway toward Manhattan / Midtown Tunnel. After exiting tunnel, take ramp toward 38-40 Sts / 37 Street. Keep straight onto E 37th Street. Turn right onto 3rd Avenue. Turn left onto E 42nd Street. Turn right onto 6th Avenue / Avenue of the Americas. Turn left onto W 49th Street. Garage access is on 49th Street just past Broadway, on your left.

From Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR):
Exit toward I-78 East toward New Jersey Turnpike. Take ramp right for I-95 North / NJ Turnpike North toward Lincoln Tunnel / Exits 15E - 16E. Keep left onto I-95 North / New Jersey Turnpike North. At Exit 16E, take ramp right for SR-495 East toward Lincoln Tunnel. Take ramp left for Dyer Avenue toward Theater District / 42nd Street / Uptown. Turn right onto W 40th Street. Turn left onto 8th Avenue. Turn right onto W 50th Street. Turn right onto Broadway. Turn right onto W 49th Street. Garage access is on your left.

From Central and South New Jersey and Points South:
Stay on I-95 North / New Jersey Turnpike North. At Exit 16E, take ramp right for SR-495 East toward Lincoln Tunnel. After tunnel, take ramp left for Dyer Avenue toward Theater District / 42nd Street / Uptown. Turn right onto W 40th Street. Turn left onto 8th Avenue. Turn right onto W 50th Street. Turn right onto Broadway. Turn right onto W 49th Street. Garage access is on your left.

From North New Jersey, New York State and Points North:
Take I-87 South / New York State Thruway South toward NY City. Road name changes to Major Deegan Expressway once in New York City. At Exit 7A, take ramp right for Saw Mill Parkway / Saw Mill River Parkway South. Road name changes to Henry Hudson Parkway. In 12 miles, turn left onto W 52nd Street. Turn right onto 9th Avenue. Turn left onto W 48th Street. Hotel garage is on 48th Street past 8th Avenue on your left just before you reach Broadway.

From New England and Points Northeast:
Take I-95 South. At exit named Bruckner Expressway, take ramp for I-278 West / Bruckner Expressway. At exit 47, take ramp left for I-278 West / RFK (Triboro) Bridge toward Manhattan / Queens / RFK (Triboro) Bridge. Take ramp right for RFK (Triboro) Bridge toward Manhattan / FDR Drive / Randalls-Wards Island. Take ramp left and follow signs for FDR Drive South. At exit 11, take ramp right and follow signs for E 53rd Street. Turn left onto 2nd Avenue. Turn right onto E 49th Street. After Broadway, the hotel garage is located immediately on your left on 49th Street.

From Western New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Points West:
Take I-80 East toward George Washington Bridge. Keep right on bridge, and take Exit 1 for SR-9A South / Henry Hudson Parkway South toward Downtown. Turn left onto W 52nd Street after 6.6 miles. Turn right onto 9th Avenue. Turn left onto W 48th Street. Hotel garage is on 48th Street past 8th Avenue on your left just before you reach Broadway.
From Palisades Parkway, Bergen, Rockland & Orange Counties and NY State West of the Hudson River:
Take Palisades Interstate Parkway South. Take ramp right for I-95 North toward GW Bridge. Keep right on bridge, and take Exit 1 for SR-9A South / Henry Hudson Parkway South toward Downtown. Turn left onto W 52nd Street after 6.6 miles. Turn right onto 9th Avenue. Turn left onto W 48th Street. Hotel garage is on 48th Street past 8th Avenue on your left just before you reach Broadway.

Parking:

½ hour - $9.00
2+ hours- $23.00
10-12 hours- $27.00
12-24 hours- $39.00
(Please add $10.00 to the above rates for vans, trucks, and SUVs; no in/out privileges, fees charged every time vehicle enters)

Internet: 

Internet access in the sleeping room is priced at:
1 Day usage- $14.95
3 Days usage- $34.95
5 Days usage- $43.95