Recent natural disasters, such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and Superstorm Sandy in the United States, have highlighted the importance of resilience – the ability of critical infrastructure systems and services to keep running, or to recover quickly, when there is a sudden shock to the system – from natural disaster, extreme weather, terrorism, or other causes.  Power grid operators, end-use customers, and government officials are increasingly tasked with ensuring that the power stays on, that clean water is available, that mobile phone service continues, and that other critical infrastructure can function – no matter what.

Featuring senior research analyst Lisa Jerram, along with Navigant director Mike Hervey and a key end-user executive, this webinar will examine the issues surrounding resilience and recovery, detail examples of businesses that have successfully weathered disasters, and highlight the new tools and technologies becoming available to help in these efforts.  The webinar will also look at how clean technologies factor into resilience plans – for example, to supply backup power at businesses and homes and to help with emergency load shifting.

Key Topics:

• Backup power options
• Load shifting
• User experiences in natural disaster responses
• Fuel cells for prime power
• Electric vehicles for energy storage

What does this webinar answer?

• What role do end-use customers play in assuring that their services are uninterrupted?
• Which clean technologies will be part of the solution for increased resilience during natural disasters and other disruptions?
• What are some recent examples of successful responses to disasters or other incidents?
• How did cleantech play a role in those episodes?
• What modifications need to be made for clean technologies to be useful in natural disasters?
• How are the responses of power grid operators, water utilities, telecommunications providers, and other critical infrastructure operators to disasters and disruptions changing?

Who needs to attend?

• Governments creating resilience strategies
• Businesses interested in learning how clean technologies can provide additional value beyond low emissions or reduce energy consumption
• Technology companies that want to understand how they can fit into resilience strategies and what they need to do to be capable
• Utilities and other operators of critical infrastructure
• Professionals involved in disaster response
• Cleantech vendors

During the 2008-2010 recession, vehicle miles traveled in the United States fell for the first time in 3 decades.  At the same time, the number of vehicles on the roads appeared to plateau.  This raised the real possibility that car sales have peaked, and that the total number of privately owned vehicles will flatten and start to gradually decline.  Some countries in Western Europe are even more likely to see Peak Cars in the coming decade, as a result of demographic changes, traffic congestion, and increased transportation alternatives.  Peak cars will have broad implications on demand for public transportation systems, urban planning priorities, vehicle manufacturing, fossil fuel consumption, and the cleantech industry; indeed, this trend will reshape our cities and our lifestyles.

Featuring principal research analyst Dave Hurst, along with research director Eric Woods, and Phineas Baxandall, senior analyst for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, this webinar will examine the evidence for peak cars, the implications for cities, governments, and citizens, and how this phenomenon will affect the transportation and cleantech industries.

Key Topics:

• Vehicle sales
• Metropolitan area growth rates
• Peak cars
• Urban planning
• Fossil fuel consumption
• Smart cities
• Urban sustainability

What does this webinar answer?

• What is the concept of peak cars and why is it important?
• Have the U.S. and Europe reached peak cars?
• What will peak cars mean for automobile manufacturers and suppliers?
• How will city infrastructure be impacted by the market hitting peak cars?
• How do demographics play a role in whether or not the markets have hit peak cars?
• How can cleantech stakeholders take advantage of peak cars?

Who needs to attend?

• Automotive OEM Strategy Planners
• Car Sharing Planning Managers
• Public Transportation Planners
• Urban Planners
• Gasoline/Diesel Refining and Distributor Managers
• Electric Vehicle Makers
• Cleantech Stakeholders
• Alternative Transportation Providers
• Investor Community

Ancillary services are the auxiliary services required to balance the grid in order to reliably maintain the electricity grid. Such applications include frequency regulation, voltage support, spinning reserve, electric supply reserve capacity, and load following.  Over the next 10 years the market for ancillary services, and the energy storage systems that enable them, will be driven by deregulation of electricity markets in high economic growth markets, such as Asia Pacific, and the growing volatility of load and generation.  As a result, the value of ancillary services to grid operators will become more explicit.

Featuring Senior Research Analyst Anissa Dehamna along with John Zahurancik, vice president of AES Energy Storage, this webinar details the key drivers for ancillary services, provides an overview of the market for energy storage for ancillary services, and explores the key characteristics of a service-based energy storage business model, as well as introducing examples that support the business case for ES for ancillary services.

Key Topics:

• Growth of the ancillary services market
• Growth of the market for energy storage for ancillary services
• Energy storage technologies for ancillary services
• Next generation ancillary services
• Applications for energy storage in ancillary services

What does this webinar answer?

• What are the macro trends that will influence ancillary services markets and the opportunity for energy storage systems in these markets?
• How large is the market, in terms of megawatts and revenue, by technology and region?
• What are the leading applications for energy storage in ancillary services?  How will the growth of these applications vary by region and technology?
• How are service providers commoditizing ancillary services using energy storage?
• What are the benefits of using energy storage for ancillary services, and how do these benefits help providers build a business case?
• What are the “next generation” ancillary services?

Who needs to attend?

• Energy storage technology developers
• Advanced battery manufacturers
• Renewable energy technology providers and project developers
• Utilities and grid operators
• Government agencies
• Investor community

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is gearing up for the growth of fast direct current (DC) charging technology.  Fast DC technology, which offers charging times of less than an hour, compared to 6 to 8 hours for conventional AC systems, promises to accelerate sales of battery electric vehicles, but the barriers to widespread adoption remain high.  Specific challenges include the high cost of equipment and the emerging struggle between the CHAdeMO protocol, developed by Japanese automakers, and the new “combo charger” standard produced by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Featuring research director John Gartner and editorial director Richard Martin, along with Garrett Beauregard, senior vice president of engineering at ECOtality, this webinar examines the rapidly evolving market for fast DC charging, including key players and the industry’s efforts to mitigate the impact of charging on grid infrastructure, and the likely effects on the overall EV market.

Key Topics:

• Fast DC charging technology
• Standards for fast DC charging
• Sales of DC charging equipment
• Business models for vendors and hosts of DC charging equipment
• The effects of fast DC charging on EV adoption

What does this webinar answer?

• How does fast DC charging technology differ from conventional AC systems?
• What is the likely effect of the growth of fast DC charging on the wider EV market?
• How fast are sales of DC charging equipment likely to grow through 2020?
• How will the emerging standards conflict between CHAdeMO and the SAE’s combo charger affect the market for fast DC charging?
• What are the emerging business models for fast DC charging?
• Who are the key players in this market?
• How will the impact of fast DC charging on the grid be mitigated?

Who needs to attend?

• EVSE vendors
• Auto manufacturers
• Retailers and other hosts of charging stations
• Regulators and policymakers
• Utilities and grid operators
• Investor community

New technologies for the treatment and distribution of water promise to create “smart water grids.”  The market for smart water metering systems is poised for steady growth in the coming years.  New technologies can also help improve customer satisfaction with remote-disconnect capabilities and alert systems that notify customers of potential problems ahead of high bills.  But substantial deployment costs will force utilities to make tough choices.  Most of the growth will occur in North America and Western Europe, two regions where aging infrastructure will spur investments in the newest metering technology.

Featuring senior research analyst Neil Strother, along with Hassan Ali, vice president and general manager at Mueller Systems, and Brian Fiut, product line manager at Itron, this webinar examines the market for smart water systems, focusing on key drivers including decaying infrastructure, rising demand for treated water, and the need for greater conservation.  The webinar also explores the challenges facing water utilities as they plan to implement advanced technologies that require sophisticated data analytics capabilities.

Key Topics:

• Smart water meters
• Aging infrastructure
• Leak detection
• Customer engagement and satisfaction
• Operational efficiencies

What does this webinar answer?

• What is the current state of the smart water market?
• What are the key drivers for smart water meter and infrastructure deployments?
• What are the inhibitors to smart water meter deployments?
• What are the latest technologies involved in smart water systems?
• What are the longer-term prospects for smart water metering?

Who needs to attend?

• Water utilities
• Water meter manufacturers
• AMI/AMR infrastructure vendors
• Government agencies and regulators
• Industry associations
• Municipalities

The market for energy efficiency retrofits for commercial buildings, including energy services, HVAC and lighting system upgrades, and a range of other services, will grow from $35 billion today to over $55 billion by 2020, according to Pike Research’s forecasts.  Revenue for energy service companies (ESCOs), which specialize in using financial tools such as energy performance contracts to pay for the installation of energy efficient building systems, have reached nearly $35 billion worldwide.

However, the upfront capital costs of energy efficiency continue to discourage many commercial building owners from considering energy efficiency upgrades, and financing energy efficiency remains a perennial challenge.  New and innovative financing arrangements, such as property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs, on-bill financing, and others are promising – but how quickly will they become mainstream and what will their impact be on the market for energy efficiency products and services?  Featuring senior research analyst Eric Bloom, along with Jane Pater Salmon, an associate director for renewable energy and the environment at Navigant Consulting, and Kelly vanZutphen, founder of Ygrene Energy Fund, this webinar examines the dynamics of this challenge and how vendors and financiers, looking to play a more proactive role in offering attractive financing programs to potential adopters, are helping customers access the latent value locked up in their inefficient buildings.

Key Topics:

• Energy Performance Contracting
• Energy Service Companies
• PACE Financing
• On-Bill Financing
• Energy Efficiency Financing

What does this webinar answer?

• What impact will next-generation energy efficiency financing instruments have on the market for energy efficient products and services?
• Where does PACE financing stand today?
• What has the uptake been for PACE financing, on-bill financing, and other financing instruments?
• How large is the market for financed energy efficiency projects?
• Are other innovative energy efficiency financing models under development?

Who needs to attend?

• Finance companies
• Building equipment vendors and service providers
• Property owners and managers
• Government agencies and policymakers
• Energy service companies

According to the mainstream media, 2012 was the year of the “cleantech bust.”  Beyond the headlines, however, a number of government mandates, business developments, and technological shifts are combining to bring a new level of sophistication to cleantech businesses worldwide.  Priorities in the cleantech market are shifting quickly.  With the U.S. economy stabilizing, stringent emissions limits looming in the European Union, and nations in Asia Pacific – particularly China – taking a newly aggressive role in clean energy markets, utilities, investors, and end users have shifted their focus away from grandiose projects and bleeding-edge technologies and onto workable technologies that can be funded and brought to market quickly.  The coming year will usher in a period of accelerated commercialization and real-world experience.

This webinar examines key emerging cleantech trends to watch in 2013, with a focus on smart energy technologies, the evolution of the utility business model, and applications for clean technologies in large cities.  Featuring research directors Kerry-Ann Adamson and Eric Woods, along with senior research analyst Bob Lockhart, this webinar provides key insights on the overall evolution of the cleantech industry as well as a more detailed analysis of the major forces that are driving investment, adoption, and regulatory change.

Key Topics:

• Major business model shifts in the cleantech sector in 2013
• Major technological developments in the cleantech sector in 2013
• Trends in smart energy, smart utilities, and smart cities in 2013
• The future of smart meter shipments, post-ARRA funding
• Utility efforts to incorporate data analytics into their business processes
• Regulatory developments to respond to in 2013
• Cleantech investment trends in 2013

What does this webinar answer?

• What are the major trends and developments in cleantech to watch for in 2013?
• How is the cleantech market shifting its areas of focus?
• What are some of the most prominent examples of this shift?
• How will the smart cities movement gain traction in 2013?
• Which companies, vendors, and end users will be especially prominent in 2013?
• Which sectors are likely to see significant growth in 2013?
• Which sectors are likely to see significant contraction in 2013?
• How should investors respond to the turmoil in the clean energy sector?
• How will macroeconomic forces shape the cleantech sector in 2013?
• What will be the major technological developments in smart energy, smart utilities, and smart industry in 2013?

Who needs to attend?

• Utility executives
• Cleantech investors
• Government agencies
• Cleantech entrepreneurs
• Technology companies
• Urban planners

The market for grid-connected microgrids, systems that provide uninterruptible backup power for critical infrastructure, is more widely understood than the larger but less visible and more complex remote microgrid market, which includes systems that provide localized power to villages and islands, industrial mines and to military installations.  Remote power systems in all corners of the world number in the tens of thousands, with the vast majority powered by diesel generation.  Once distributed renewable energy generation (RDEG) is added to the mix, though, these remote systems begin to look like classic microgrids.  The U.S. Department of Defense is also exploring the remote microgrid opportunity, both for its worldwide forward operating bases and for mobile, tactical applications in combat in Afghanistan and other far-flung theaters.

Driven largely by the falling price of solar photovoltaics, the global remote microgrid market will expand from 349 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity in 2011 to over 1.1 gigawatts (GW) by 2017, an amount that at least equals all other microgrid segments combined. The remote microgrid market is expected to grow to $10.2 billion by 2017, and investors and suppliers are starting to take notice.

Featuring senior research analyst Peter Asmus along with Peter Lilienthal, the CEO of HOMER Energy, this webinar breaks down the remote microgrid market by market applications and system requirements, and examines the emerging opportunities in telecom, developing economies, the military, and industrial settings.  The webinar also details the challenges of cost, systems design, and regulatory issues, and forecast the size and the structure of the remote microgrid market going forward.

Key Topics:

• Overview of the key enabling technologies for remote microgrids
• Capacity and vendor revenue forecasts for remote microgrids
• Market drivers & challenges for the remote microgrid sector
• The role of the DOD in advancing remote microgrids
• The benefits to publicly owned utilities of remote microgrids

What does this webinar answer?

• What are the benefits and advantages of remote microgrids for communities, industrial facilities, and operators?
• How do vendor revenues compare between grid-tied microgrids and remote microgrids?
• What are the drivers and challenges to growth in the remote microgrid sector?
• How will public power utilities benefit from the spread of remote microgrids?
• Which regions of the world are expected to lead the remote microgrid market – and why?
• What are the key enabling technologies for remote microgrids?

Who needs to attend?

• Utility executives
• Policymakers
• Technology vendors
• Solar PV suppliers
• Wind turbine manufacturers
• Research institutions
• Government agencies (including military departments)
• Investor community

The electric vehicle market faces a chicken-and-egg dilemma.  For plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) to reach their market potential, a robust network of electric vehicle charging stations is needed; but for investments in charging stations to make sense, a critical mass of EVs must be on the roads.  While governments have played a major role in the initial deployment of charging stations to date, the private sector faces many uncertainties in developing profitable business models for operating charging networks.

Featuring research director John Gartner and senior research analyst Lisa Jerram, along with EV activist Chelsea Sexton, the founder of the Lightning Rod Foundation, this webinar examines the complex and controversial issues surrounding the EV charging sector, including the amount of charging infrastructure needed per vehicle, the appropriate role of local and national governments, the financial hurdles for achieving a suitable return on investment, and the impact of new technology, including faster DC charging equipment, data-sharing between charging networks, and wireless EV charging.  The webinar also provides market forecasts for the United States and for world regions.

Key Topics:

• The future of EV charging technology
• Controversies surrounding public EV charging stations
• The role of government in deploying public EV charging stations
• Drivers and barriers for the spread of EV charging equipment
• Utilities’ roles in the EV charging sector

What does this webinar answer?

• What are the barriers facing the EV charging station sector?
• What are the emerging business models for EV charging networks?
• How will the EV charging market develop through 2020?
• What return should property owners expect when offering EV charging services?
• How are utilities embracing the EV charging market… or not?
• How will new/emerging technology influence the EV charging market?
• What is the appropriate role for government in deploying public EV charging stations?

Who needs to attend?

• Utilities
• Charging equipment manufacturers
• Automotive OEMs and suppliers
• Building owners and managers
• Municipal transit authorities
• Industry associations
• Government agencies
• Investor community

Though utility distribution microgrids have historically been viewed as existential threats to utilities, a handful of brave utility innovators are moving forward with microgrid projects despite immense regulatory obstacles.  Ironically enough, public power entities implementing remote microgrids are leading the charge in Alaska, Australia, and Canada.  The conservative, risk-averse mindset of the electric utility industry is being challenged by microgrids, just as telecommunications network operators were challenged by Silicon Valley and IT innovators over a decade ago.

Featuring senior research analyst Peter Asmus, along with Steve Pullins, president of Horizon Energy Group, this webinar takes a close look at the emerging microgrid market through the eyes of utilities, explores the tug-of-war between competing visions of the future, and examines the ways in which these scenarios will be reconciled for utilities.  The webinar includes case studies of utilities that are shaking up the one-way relationship between conservative monopoly electricity providers and their once passive customers, via disruptive technologies, new business models, and regulatory reform.  In addition, the presenters explain how recent smart grid trends are paving the way for utility distribution microgrids.

Key Topics:

• Overview of the enabling technologies for utility distribution microgrids
• Capacity and vendor revenue forecasts for investor-owned grid-tied microgrids
• Capacity and vendor revenue forecasts for public power grid-tied microgrids
• Capacity and vendor revenue forecasts for public power remote microgrids
• Profiles of leading utility innovators: SDG&E; SMUD; AEP & DONG Energy

What does this webinar answer?

• What are the segments of utility distribution microgrids that Pike Research has identified and forecasted?
• How do vendor revenues compare between grid-tied microgrids and remote microgrids?
• Why are public power entities leading in microgrid deployments?
• What are the key regulatory obstacles for private utilities to develop microgrids?
• Which regions of the world are expected to lead the microgrid market – and why?
• What benefits flow to utilities from microgrids?

Who needs to attend?

• Utility executives
• Policy makers
• Smart grid vendors
• Vendors of advanced energy storage and demand response technologies
• Research institutions
• Community leaders