Co-sponsored by:
The Environmental Law Institute
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Berkeley Law Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
UNPLUGGED: THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SPEAKER SERIES
Electric vehicles not only can help reduce air pollution, create energy independence, and allow California to meet its long-term climate change goals, they can support and promote Smart Grid technologies. This panel discussed the challenges of bi-directional energy with plugged-in vehicles and what policy changes might be needed to address them. Also explored was the "chicken and egg" problem of whether to create a vehicle-to-grid program in anticipation of electric vehicle adoption or whether to first wait for more electric vehicle uptake, and examined studies for how electric vehicles can boost Smart-Grid transformations.
Panelists:
Ethan Elkind, Climate Policy Associate, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), Berkeley Law (moderator)
Max Baumhefner, Sustainable Energy Fellow, Natural Resources Defense Council
Ravi Brar, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ecotality
Ulric Kwan, Manager of Electric Vehicles, Pacific Gas & Electric