Home / Events / Conferences / 2009 / Fall Energy / Speakers Area

Detailed Agenda with Speaker Assignments

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Day One
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. Welcome and Audience Introductions

Stephen Tracy, Novogradac & Company LLP (moderator)
Jim Duffy, Nixon Peabody LLP
Marc Hirshman, U.S. Bank
Thomas Jensen, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Keith Martin, Chadbourne & Parke LLP
9:40 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Washington Wire
  • Report card on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
  • How the renewable energy industry is responding to ARRA
  • Update on the Treasury grant program
  • The types of deals Treasury is seeing
  • Federal loan guarantee program update
  • Additional issues

Stephen Tracy, Novogradac & Company LLP (Moderator)
Ethan Zindler, New Energy Finance
Keith Martin, Chadbourne & Parke LLP
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Market Outlook from the Experts
  • What is and is not happening in the market place
  • Factors driving transactions
  • The Stimulus and its renewables provisions
  • A look ahead: the future of the renewable energy

Forrest Milder, Nixon Peabody LLP (Moderator)
Billy Lee, SunEdison
12:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. Keynote Luncheon
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. Solar Transactions – Current Developments
  • Hear from active developers
    • How the economy halted development and what is being done
  • Expectations for the remainder of 2009 and prognosis for 2010

Jerry Breed, Bryan Cave (Moderator)
David Arfin, Solar City
Mike Hall, Borrego Solar
David Kunhardt, Solar Power Partners
Norris Lozano, Pure Power Distribution Inc.
3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. Wind Transactions – Current Developments
  • ITC in lieu of PTC
  • Treasury grants
  • Done deals
  • What the future holds

Dan Smith, Novogradac & Company LLP (Moderator)
Jim Duffy, Nixon Peabody LLP
Tyler Fairbank, EOS Ventures
Andrew Stern, Vayu Power Corporation
4:00 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. Tax Equity Market Update
  • State of the tax equity market
    • How ARRA has changed the game
    • How the industry is adapting to ARRA
  • Structures used to close transactions
  • Emerging Investors

Eli Katz, Chadbourne & Parke, LLP (Moderator)
Marc Hirshman, US Bancorp CDC
Jerry Peters, TD BankNorth
Herb Stevens, Nixon Peabody LLP
5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Networking Reception

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Day Two
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Networking Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. Combining the Subsidies – Pairing PTC, ITC (or Treasury Grants) with New Markets Tax Credits
  • Marrying PTCs and ITCs with NMTCs
    • Benefits
    • Challenges
  • Intricacies particular to using NMTCs in a renewable energy transaction

Brad Elphick, Novogradac & Company LLP (Moderator)
Chris Hasle, United Fund Advisors
Jim Howard, Dudley Ventures
Tom Stephens, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Karen Williams, Lane Powell

9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. Investment Structures – A Closer Look
  • Transaction Structures
    • Sale leaseback
    • Lease-pass-through
    • Partnership “flip”
  • Choosing the appropriate structure for your project
    • Factors that motivate parties to choose one over the other
      • Enhancing yields
      • Responding to underwriting concerns
      • Complying with tax requirements

Forrest Milder, Nixon Peabody LLP (Moderator)
Eli Katz, Chadbourne and Parke LLP
Tom Stephens, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Donna Rodney, Bryan Cave
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. Valuations of Solar Facilities / GAAP Issues Affecting Investors
  • Preparing appraisals of solar installations
    • methodologies and practitioner insights
  • Accounting for GAAP purposes
    • preferred methods

Stephen Tracy, Novogradac & Company LLP (Moderator)
Tony Grappone, Novogradac & Company LLP
Charlie Rhuda, Novogradac & Company LLP
Brad Weinberg, Novogradac & Company LLP
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. Ask The Experts – Legal and Accounting Q&A

Stephen Tracy, Novogradac & Company LLP (Moderator)
Jerry Breed, Bryan Cave
Eli Katz, Chadbourne and Parke LLP
Forrest Milder, Nixon Peabody LLP
Tom Stephens, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
12:00 p.m. Conference Concludes