Dialogue on Electricity Networks
Presented by the Kellogg School of Management and the Searle Center at Northwestern University School of Law

April 15, 2015, 11:30am - 7:30pm & April 16, 2015, 8:00am - 1:30pm
Wieboldt Hall, 340 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Registration is required, reserve your space today: http://kell.gg/17c0J8X.

Today’s electricity networks have enormous potential to spark economic growth and provide long-term benefits to consumers. Here in the Midwest heartland, the electricity landscape faces particular opportunities and challenges, which this dialogue will explore. The Midwest has less restructured, more vertically-integrated, rate-regulated utilities; more rural environments with longer transmission lines; big cities without the megalopolises of the coasts; more wind and coal; MISO, SPP & PJM RTO seams; and vibrant economies but aging heavy industry.

Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and the Searle Center at Northwestern University School of Law are pleased to host the second annual Dialogue on Electricity Networks, formerly the "Heartland Electricity Dialogue". Following the successful format from April 2014, join us for provocative, interactive discussions that deepen our understanding of the Midwest region's distinctive and unique strengths, weaknesses, and future vision, challenging our thinking and opening up vistas of new ideas. We hope you will join a select group of regulators, policymakers, industry representatives, NGOs, and academic experts from the Midwest region to participate in substantive conversations over two days on several challenging and thought-provoking issues affecting the electricity industry—not just in the heartland of America, but also sector-wide.

Dialogue questions include:

• Does utility size and structure matter anymore for electricity costs, reliability, economic decarbonization and renewables, and new technology integration?
• Rate cases, venture capital and billions of dollars in investments: How do we finance the future?
• Does cost-of-service, rate regulation survive the twenty-first century challenges of decarbonization and environmental compliance, renewables integration, consumer-empowering new technologies, and evolving wholesale markets? Or is a new compact necessary based on a new utility business model?
• Are traditional utility anti-price discriminatory policies still in the best interests of consumers, competitive technologies and the utilities?

Organizers: Professor Lynne Kiesling – Northwestern University, Edward Garvey, AESL Consulting, and Kevin Gunn, Paladin Energy Strategies

Join us on April 15-16 for our Dialogue on Electricity Networks in magnificent Downtown Chicago!