Northeast Solar & Storage Forum 2019

Roger Kranenburg joined Eversource in 2017. Roger is responsible for developing the Company’s long-term clean energy and growth strategy and policies along with the transportation electrification and battery storage initiatives.
Prior to joining Eversource, Mr. Kranenburg was with IHS Markit (formerly CERA or Cambridge Energy Research Associates) advising the top electric utilities and power sector owners/operators and suppliers in North America, Europe, and globally on electric power sector transformation, investment and operations. In addition, in his innovation and technology role, he led the application of data analytics to power sector data and information.
Prior to IHS Markit, he was at the Edison Electric Institute where he led strategy, policy development, analysis, and advocacy for the electric utility industry in the areas of energy supply and taxation. At the Edison Electric Institute, he was instrumental in the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the making permanent of the Bush-era tax cuts on dividends.
Earlier in his career, he led the development and deployment of wireless telecommunications infrastructure JVs in multiple European countries at Teligent. Prior to Teligent at Siemens (formerly Ansaldo-Finmeccanica), he led the development and deployment of automation and power electronics systems targeted in the power generation and other heavy-industry sectors. He has done research and published in the areas of high-temperature superconductors, high-performance electric drive systems and high frequency telecommunications.

Shyam Mehta is Executive Director at NYSEIA, the New York Solar Energy Industries Assocation, the only industry association devoted solely to advancing solar energy use and deployment in New York State. As Executive Director, Shyam leads NYSEIA's solar policy initiatives and represents the voice of the New York solar industry in interfacing with stakeholders including legislators, regulators, state agencies and utilities. Prior to NYSEIA, Shyam spent almost a decade at Greentech Media (GTM), an integrated research, media and events firm covering the global renewable energy industry, where he covered the global PV supply chain.

John brings extensive financial experience as well as deep expertise in the clean tech sector to Safari Energy. In 2003, John joined Eagle Capital Partners, a premier, value-oriented investment fund serving endowments, family offices and high net worth individuals.  At Eagle, John played a key role analyzing and investing in bankruptcy re-emergences, spin-offs and other special situation investments. In addition he helped grow fund assets from $100 million to over $1 billion. Previously, John was an equity analyst with Merrill Lynch. John provides leading solutions in solar project finance to Safari Energy’s portfolio of public and private real estate clients, and oversees the company’s client development efforts. John holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Chris is a seasoned energy and manufacturing executive with more than 20 years’ international experience in various leadership roles, from solar power to making sugar in the Panamanian interior. He has more than 10 years in renewable energy, both wind and solar, and is passionate about the legacy we leave for our grandchildren.  Chris has been directly involved in the construction of solar projects in 11 states, as well as ongoing asset management of over 400 solar farms.  His passion is continuous improvement and creating cultures of operational athleticism.

He is a mechanical engineer by training, a Florida PE, and is currently finishing his MBA at Clarkson. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, paddling, furniture making, and craft cider, and is a New York State licensed guide. He lives in New York’s Capital region with his three children.

Hannah is Director of Public Policy at Clearway Energy, one of the nation’s largest owner-operators of renewable energy projects including solar and wind, and the leading provider of community solar. Hannah serves as Chair of the Board of the Coalition for Community Solar Access, the national trade association for community solar. She was previously Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at Clean Energy Collective, the company that pioneered the concept of community solar in 2009. Prior to entering the private sector, Hannah spent 3 years at the advocacy group Vote Solar, where she led campaigns to advance solar in the southeast and to expand community solar nationwide. Hannah also spent 4 years at the U.S. Department of Energy solar office, where she managed the Solar America Cities program to jumpstart solar growth in 25 major U.S. Cities. Hannah holds degrees in Environmental Policy and Political Economy from UC Santa Barbara and Clark University. She is based in upstate New York.

Rudolph Wynter oversees businesses with an asset base of $4.5 billion, including one of the largest electric transmission networks in the northeast.  He is leading the transformation of that network into a highly intelligent, resilient system that will meet customers’ long-term needs and enable the clean energy future.

He also oversees the company’s regulated energy storage assets and opportunities, including the development of New England’s first large-scale battery energy storage system on the island of Nantucket.  Mr. Wynter also is responsible for the company’s generation fleet, which provides 4,000 megawatts of electricity to more than a million Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) customers. He oversees National Grid’s energy procurement activities, including a portfolio of natural gas and power supply agreements that total $5 billion annually.  As customers and policymakers increasingly want electricity from lower-carbon energy sources, his team will play a critical role in that transition, while ensuring that energy supplies continue to be reliable and affordable for all customers. Previously Mr. Wynter was senior vice president of US Shared Services, and during his more than 25-year tenure at National Grid and its legacy companies has held positions of responsibility in Customer Operations, Strategic Planning, Engineering, and Operations. 

He is a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Gas Association, and the Edison Electric Institute. 

Mr. Wynter serves on the boards of Ascendant Group Limited, and the Brooklyn Historical Society.

He earned his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Pratt Institute, an MBA from Fordham University, and has completed an executive development program at Harvard University.

Shaun Hoyte has over 12 years’ experience in the power and utilities industry. In his current role, Shaun is the program manager for the Commercial Direct Install (CDI) program at Con Edison, where he creates opportunities for small-medium sized commercial business owners to achieve gas and electric energy savings. He is responsible for designing and implementing solutions that advance the adoption of distributed energy resources (DER), improve efficiency, and defer the need for traditional capital infrastructure investment.

Shaun also spent time providing project management leadership for Con Edison’s Brooklyn Queens Demand Management (BQDM) program, which is the first of several Non-Wires Solutions (NWS) developed by the Company as part of New York's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceedings. The success of the BQDM program has been recognized worldwide and continues to be a catalyst for NWS programs for the foreseeable future.
Earlier in his career at Con Edison, Shaun gained significant hands-on experience building and upgrading sub-stations and power generating plants that drive New York City’s complex electric, gas and steam distribution systems. He also collaborated with emergency personnel in restoration efforts due to storms such as Hurricane Sandy. Shaun holds a B.S. in Organizational Management, cum laude, from Manhattan College and an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Chad Farrell is the Founder and CEO of Encore Renewable Energy, a leading integrated clean energy project development company focusing on commercial-scale solar PV systems and 21st century solutions for underutilized property. He is a developer, project manager and environmental engineer with over 20 years of professional experience in the fields of environmental engineering, professional project management and renewable energy project finance and development. At Encore, Mr. Farrell has led collaborative efforts to design, permit, finance and construct over 65 different commercial scale solar PV projects throughout the State of Vermont and beyond, representing over $80M in total project investment value. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University and earned a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Vermont. Chad is a member of the Board of Directors for Renewable Energy Vermont, Vermont’s renewable energy trade organization and serves on the Board of Directors for the Vermont Natural Resources Council, a statewide environmental advocacy organization. Mr. Farrell is also a member of the Vermont Climate Economy Action Team.

Elizabeth Mahony is an Assistant Attorney General and Senior Policy Advisor for Energy for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.  Elizabeth serves in the Energy and Telecommunications Division where she focuses on utility clean energy procurements, solar program development and rate design, and consumer protection.   She is also the liaison for energy policy and legislation.  Prior to working for Attorney General Healey, Elizabeth served as the Acting General Counsel for the Department of Energy Resources, and as Committee Counsel to Benjamin Downing, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.   Elizabeth is a graduate of Marist College and Suffolk University Law School.

Luke Forster is a business analyst at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), before which he worked in NYS’s PV private sector.  Luke supports New York’s distributed energy policy development and implementation, with a focus on the Value Stack (Value of Distributed Energy Resources or VDER) tariff.  He is available to help developers with questions on the NY-Sun incentive program, Community Distributed Generation in NYS, project revenue modeling with the Value Stack Calculator, and the VDER tariff.

Rob Tompkins is the Interconnection Program Manager for Borrego Solar, based out of their Massachusetts office in Lowell, MA.  Rob leads his team in the management of over 500MW of in-process interconnections in NY, MA, and IL. Rob is also active in the NY interconnection policy landscape, working with industry, regulatory, and utility stake holders on the Interconnection Policy Working Group to help accelerate NY's adoption of renewable energy.  Rob earned his  undergraduate degree Philosophy from San Jose State University and his Masters in Ethics and Public Policy from Suffolk University in Boston.

Brett Simon is a senior energy storage analyst at Wood Mackenzie - formerly GTM Research, focusing on the U.S. behind-the-meter energy storage market. He leads GTM Research’s quarterly U.S. storage market report, The U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, published in collaboration with the Energy Storage Association. Prior to joining GTM, Brett earned a Master of Science degree in sustainable systems at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. He first became interested in energy storage systems and their potential to revolutionize the energy sector through his coursework and master's project. Brett also holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and environmental studies from New York University.