Climate Week: Powering Ahead

Energy demand is surging to power homes, manufacturing and the AI boom. EVs are revolutionizing the auto sector. And companies and consumers want more sustainable options to cut plastic waste.

These are some of the biggest challenges of our time. But solutions abound.

Newsweek’s “Powering Ahead” brings together the leaders who are making our power systems more affordable, reliable and clean, innovating automaking and working on elegant solutions that can cut waste from packaging and make a circular economy a reality.

Join us for a day of stimulating conversation and networking.

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Registration Opens, Light Breakfast & Networking 

10:00 AM – 10:05 AM

Opening Remarks 

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

10:05 AM – 10:25 AM

Fireside Chat: What’s Ahead for Clean Power

Renewable sources and energy storage are adding 90 percent of new power to the U.S. grid. But these energy solutions face harsh headwinds in a shifting policy landscape.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelist:

Jason Grumet, CEO, American Clean Power Association

10:25 AM – 10:55 AM

Red, White and Blue Growth Areas for Clean Energy 

Our panelists describe how clean energy companies are making progress across a divided political landscape.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Nick Chaset, CEO, Octopus Energy US

Carla J. Peterman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, PG&E Corporation

Mike Richter, President, Brightcore Energy

10:55 AM – 11:10 AM

Networking Break

11:10 AM – 11:35 AM

Tapping the Full Potential of Grid Batteries

Battery energy storage allows broader use of renewable energy and unlocks the potential of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), a growing way to meet energy demand. Our panelists represent a variety of approaches to energy storage and VPP application.

Moderator:

Mandy Taheri, Politics and Culture Reporter, Newsweek

Panelists:

Regan George, CEO, SOLRITE Energy

Marco Krapels, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Enphase Energy

Blake Richetta, CEO, sonnen, USA

Thomas Sisto, CEO and Co-founder, XL Batteries

11:35 AM – 12:00 PM

Powering Data and Tapping Data’s Power

Data centers have become a major source of energy demand, and some forecasts say data centers could use up to 12 percent of total U.S. electricity generation within a few years. Our panel explains how tech companies and electricity providers can work together to turn data centers into power partners.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Andreas Berthou, Global Head of HVDC, Hitachi Energy

Steven Carlini, Vice President of Innovation and Data Centers, Schneider Electric 

Stephen Lamm, Head of Sustainability, Bloom Energy

12:00 PM – 12:20 PM

Cutting Carbon with Amazon

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Sally Fouts, Global Leader, The Climate Pledge

Chris Roe, Director, Worldwide Environment for Carbon, Amazon

12:20 PM – 1:00 PM

Lunch

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Built for the Future: Driving Sustainability from Street to Storefront

Moderator:

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, Senior Autos Editor, Newsweek

Panelist:

Megan Farrell, Senior Director of Sustainability, Rivian

1:15 PM – 1:45 PM

Charged for Change: Building the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem

This panel discussion explores the transition from gas vehicles to electric mobility, focusing on infrastructure, battery innovation, and policy collaboration, highlighting the need for widespread charging networks, resilient grid systems, and sustainable battery supply chains.

Moderator:

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, Senior Autos Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Andrew Cornelia, President & CEO, Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging

Kyler Schmitz, Chief Revenue Officer, Electric Era

Jigar Shah, Director of Energy Services, Electrify America

1:45 PM – 2:05 PM

Innovating to End Plastic Waste

Our panelists offer insights into emerging policy changes that can support better waste collection and recycling to disruptive new technologies to provide more sustainable packaging materials.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Nick Mallos, Vice President of Conservation, Ocean Plastics for the Ocean Conservancy

Nick Sandland, Chief Business Officer, Algenesis Labs

2:05 PM – 2:20 PM

Networking Break

2:20 PM – 2:45 PM

Meeting The Surge in Power Demand

With an AI boom and more parts of the economy electrifying, power providers are challenged to bring more electricity onto the grid and find ways to deliver that power to the places that need it. We’ll hear from leaders in the electric industry about how they are powering ahead.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Panelists:

Kathleen Barrón, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Constellation

Richard Donaldson, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Duke Energy

Ricardo Manuel Falú, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, AES

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

A New Asset Class: Nature as Infrastructure

Natural resources have long been undervalued in financial markets because they’re viewed in silos—energy, carbon, resilience—rather than as interconnected systems. This session explores how assets like coastal environments, geothermal energy, and circular fuels can be reframed as bankable infrastructure, unlocking capital, reducing risk, and driving long-term returns. By integrating ecological, financial, and technological perspectives, we’ll examine how natural systems can shift from undervalued commodities to resilient, revenue-generating assets for sustainable economies.

Moderator:

Aurora Chiste, Head of Strategy and Transformation, ACTUAL

Panelists:

Angus Garbutt, Principal Scientist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Sophie Hunter, Artist, Director, Cultural Innovator, Salt of the Earth

Jason Libersky, Founder & CEO, Quotient Markets, Inc

Rachel Moré-Oshodi, Managing Director & CEO, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment LTD

Karen Sack, Executive Director, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM

Cleantech Investing with Andrew Steer

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

Speaker:

Sir Andrew Steer, Advisory Board, Angeleno Group | Professor in Practice, London School of Economics and Political Science

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM

5 Things We've Learned and Closing Remarks

Join us for a dynamic wrap-up highlighting the five most important insights from the day’s discussions. We’ll distill key takeaways across sessions—spotlighting emerging trends and opportunities ahead—before offering closing reflections and leaving you with actionable ideas to apply in your own work.

Moderator:

Jeff Young, Environmental Sustainability and Governance Editor, Newsweek

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Networking Reception 

Sponsored by KIA

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