BNEF Summit 2017

The way large consumers use and procure energy is changing. Demand response and energy storage offer customers flexibility and the potential to generate revenues, while renewables enable customers to diversify away from utility sourced power. Who is best positioned to deliver these new products and services to customers, and how can regulated utilities, competitive suppliers and new entrants maintain or establish customer loyalty?

Piped gas at $3/MM BTU in the US is relatively cheap and enabling a boom in gas power plant run times and construction. LNG in Asia at $8 is constraining gas use. However US LNG export capacity will double in 2017 and we expect imports in Asia (ex-Japan, Korea, Taiwan) to increase by 42% by 2020. What opportunity does increased LNG imports and other gas supply improvements present for gas-to-power solutions meeting base & peak demand, displacing coal in the US around the world? And how will this be affected by power demand and renewables?

Corporate renewable procurement has become commonplace in the United States and, increasingly, in Europe. But the electricity footprint of the world's largest energy users, multinationals across industries and their upstream supply chains, is truly global in nature. From Latin America to Asia and Africa, how are companies navigating (or avoiding) the complexities that come with sourcing renewable energy in the emerging markets?

While the smart home has been touted as the next big thing in the energy sector for a number of years, few propositions have gained traction. Meanwhile the market for rooftop solar and more recently behind-the-meter storage have grown in importance, providing both an opportunity and a competitive threat. How should utilities be responding? Do new technologies provide an opportunity to expand and provide new services or should the focus be on using these technologies to continue to provide reliable kilowatthours at the lowest possible cost?