HÅKAN AGNEVALL

Wärtsilä
President & CEO

Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.

In his most recent role before joining Wärtsilä, he was the President of Volvo Buses and member of the Volvo Group Management.

In his earlier career Håkan has held senior management positions with ABB and Bombardier in the fields of power systems, robotics and industrial automation. He has extensive international experience, having worked and lived in the U.S., Canada, Thailand, Brazil, Switzerland and Sweden.

Håkan holds an MSc in Engineering Physics from the Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden paralleled with a BSc in Business Administration at the University of Lund, Sweden. He also holds an MBA from IMD, Switzerland.

Jussi Heikkinen

Wärtsilä
Director, Growth & Development, Americas

Jussi Heikkinen is the leader of Market Development and Marketing for Wartsila Energy Solutions (former power plant) business in the Americas. He is currently based in Houston, TX, USA.

Mr. Heikkinen has 35 years of professional experience in Wärtsilä Power Plant business in various managerial positions. He has lived in Finland, Sweden and USA. He has developed several new businesses for Wärtsilä through the years and has had a leader role in developing the skill set and approach on modelling power systems and quantifying the value of flexibility in power systems.

Mr Heikkinen holds a MSc degree in Energy and Power Plant technology.

Larry Holloway

Kansas Power Pool
Assistant General Manager – Operations

Larry joined the Kansas Power Pool (KPP) in 2009 as Operations Manager and was promoted to Assistant General Manager – Operations in 2014. Larry is responsible for managing the operations of the KPP, including the coordination of KPP load and resources in the SPP Integrated Market, acquisition of generation resources and transmission service, cost and load forecasting and development of the KPP budget and member rates, KPP member capacity accreditation testing and compliance, and participation in the Southwest Power Pool. Prior to joining the KPP, Larry was employed by the Kansas Corporation Commission as Chief of Energy Operations where he primarily served as the KCC’s electric utility policy expert. Before that Larry spent 12 years in the nuclear power industry working in nuclear power operation, construction, and startup. Larry holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical and Civil Engineering, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Kansas, as well as a Master of Engineering Management degree from Washington State University. Larry is also a registered Civil and Mechanical Professional Engineer in the State of Oregon.

Mia Adams

Wärtsilä
Senior Manager of Global Business Development

Mia joined Wartsila in the spring of 2021 in the energy storage and optimization team as a senior manager of global business development. Her focus is on large scale energy storage projects that leverage machine learning software solutions to optimize the dispatch of resources.

Prior to this role, Mia led market strategy and the MISO FORWARD efforts at MISO, standing up programs for distributed energy resources, wind, solar and storage. Earlier, Mia worked at 3M in Corporate Strategy and in Global Sustainability, at Siemens Gamesa in wind farm development and at Business Sweden for clean tech and renewable energy clients. Mia has a Masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University, an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Communications and Swedish from North Park University.

Jeff Damron

Wärtsilä
Senior Director, Business Development, Proposals and Marketing

Jeff Damron is an energy storage industry veteran with senior level sales and business development experience across all major storage market segments (excluding residential). He has been the commercial lead for over 100MW+ of contracted/installed energy storage projects, including at Enel X and previously Greensmith Energy. He currently leads the Business Development, Proposals and Marketing Teams for Wärtsilä Energy Storage and Optimization. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University.

Clyde Loutan

California ISO
Principle – Renewable Energy Integration
Market Quality & Renewable Integration

Clyde Loutan is presently a Principal Engineer at the California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) focusing on power system control performance, and was the Principal Investigator for several technical studies including the ISO’s renewable resource integration reports published over the years. He develop the ISO’s original “Duck Curve” to demonstrate how the increasing amount variable resources will change how the balancing of the grid is managed. He was also instrumental in working with NERC to identify ramping capability or flexibility as an essential reliability service needed to integrate higher levels of renewable resources. Mr. Loutan has been instrumental in developing several operating policies and was the lead engineer in charge of investigating the root cause of the California blackouts in 2000/2001.

Mr. Loutan previously worked at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for 14 years in various capacities such as Real Time System Operations, Transmission Planning and High Voltage Protection.

Mr. Loutan is a licensed professional engineer in the State of California. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Howard University in Washington D.C., and is a senior member of the IEEE.

Dr. Karl Meeusen, PhD

Wärtsilä
Director – Markets, Legislative and Regulatory Policy

Dr. Karl Meeusen, PhD is the Director, Markets, Legislative and Regulatory Policy, North America for Wärtsilä. In this role, Karl advises policy makers and market participants on high-Renewable Energy Systems power system modelling requirements and resource capabilities.
Karl has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. Before joining Wartsila, Karl worked at the California ISO (CAISO) developing and evaluating new wholesale electricity market designs for a variety of issues related to the CAISO’s ongoing efforts to integrate renewable resources into the CAISO electricity market and electric grid, including the changing resource adequacy needs to accommodate the increased presence of renewable resources and maintaining flexible capacity resources for resource integration. Prior to joining the CAISO, Karl served as Energy Advisor to California PUC President Michael Peevey, advising on issues such resource adequacy, long-term resource procurement, demand response, and FERC related issues. Karl has also held positions at the National Regulatory Research Institute and the U.S Department of Justice, Antitrust Division and independent consulting.
Karl is a graduate of the SUNY Brockport (B.S., Economics and Philosophy), and The Ohio State University (M.A. Economics, Ph.D., Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics).

Alex Morris

CESA
Executive Director

Alex has more than 10 years of experience in policy and regulatory work, leading major efforts to shape and promote policy or regulatory outcomes at the California legislature, the CAISO, FERC, and other agencies. Alex also brings years of utility-focused strategic consulting experience and has worked closely with utility, private, and trade groups to shape and execute on strategic business plans. Alex has focused on a broad range of cutting-edge topics such as Storage Legislation, Electric Market Design, Renewables Integration, FERC Policy, Smartgrid, Electric Transportation and Plug-in Vehicles, Rate Design, the California Solar Initiative, and more.

Alex joined the Strategen and CESA teams in 2015 and previously worked for electric utilities PG&E and SCE after receiving his MBA from the University of California, Davis.

Risto Paldanius

Wärtsilä
Vice President, Americas

Risto Paldanius brings over 20 years of energy and power generation experience to Wärtsilä. For the last decade, Risto advanced the flexible generation energy business strategy and development in the Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia markets. He played a key role in the Greensmith Energy acquisition and integration with Wärtsilä Energy Business positioning the company as the leading global energy system integrator. He has also lead the global Business Development and proposal team for Wärtsilä Energy Storage and Optimization unit. In his current role he leads Wärtsilä Energy in Americas Area.
Enthusiastic ambassador of 100% Renewable Future enabled by Flexible Power Generation and Energy Storage!

Kenneth Ragsdale P.E.

ERCOT
Principal – Market Design and Development

Kenneth Ragsdale is a Principal at ERCOT and has over 30 years of experience in the electric utility industry, including experience in Market Design and Implementation, Settlements and Billing, Market and Utility Operations, Power Marketing, Resource Planning and Alternative Energy. He has been at ERCOT since 2000 and was part of the start-up teams for the ERCOT Zonal Market and the ERCOT Nodal Market.

Prior to joining ERCOT, he worked at Austin Energy and at the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Kenneth Ragsdale is a Registered Professional Engineer and earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jason Salmi Klotz

Portland General Electric
Manager, Portfolio Development & Engagement

Jason holds a JD and Masters in Environmental Policy and Law from Vermont Law School. Jason has worked for the Office of General Counsel for the FERC and the Vermont Public Service Board. While in Vermont Jason worked on GHG issues in preparation for Vermont’s participation in the Regional Green House Gas Initiative and on clean energy deployment and development. Subsequent Jason worked for the California Public Utility Commission on demand response and wholesale market interface. Jason’s work with the CPUC involved restructuring and re-establishing the State’s demand response programs. Jason then worked for the Bonneville Power Administration where he led the entities efforts to initiate and establish the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project. Through this project Jason worked with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on early development of transactive control. Jason then worked as the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s policy advisor, before heading to Salem where he worked for the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Jason had a broad portfolio of work for the Commission including GHG regulation, environmental compliance, electric vehicles, energy storage and demand response. Jason now works for Portland General Electric managing emerging technology work the utility. Jason is currently leading PGE’s work to establish a Test Bed for the acceleration and development of carbon free demand side resources. Jason also works as an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon School of Law where he teaches energy law and policy. Jason lives in Door County Wisconsin with his wife and two children. Jason enjoys people and the great outdoors.

Wade Shafer

IHS Markit
Director—North America Power and Renewables

Wade Shafer researches North American power markets and electric power decarbonization strategies. Based in Washington, DC, he analyzes power market fundamentals and follows policy, technology, and generation trends. His decarbonization strategy work includes net zero generation portfolios, resource adequacy in low-carbon power systems, hydrogen for seasonal energy storage, electrification, and the implications of electric vehicles for the power grid. Utilities, power plant developers, energy and automotive companies, and private equity firms use his work and seek his advice for resource and strategic planning, generation asset valuations, and public policy. Wade holds a BS from The George Washington University and an MS from Johns Hopkins University. He has more than a decade of experience working in electric power and other infrastructure industries.

Dan Shelledy

Wärtsilä
Senior Business Development Manager, Energy Solutions

Kate Sherwood

Wärtsilä
Business Director, Energy Storage

Kate Sherwood is Wärtsilä Energy’s North America business director for energy storage, providing market-leading hardware, software, and services solutions to large-scale project clients. She has over 20 years of general management, sales, and marketing experience, with a proven track record of accelerating growth and profit. Prior to joining Wärtsilä, Ms. Sherwood served as Vice President of Sales-North America at Centrica Business Solutions, P&L leader at 3M, and spent over a decade in the energy storage, solar, & demand response industries, holding leadership roles with Advanced Microgrid Solutions, SolarCity, SunPower, and Voltus. Prior to her work in the energy industry, Ms. Sherwood spent over a decade in finance, marketing, and strategy consulting with the U.S. Department of Justice, Sun Microsystems, and Accenture. Ms. Sherwood holds a MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. cum laude from George Mason University. She is based in Austin, Texas.

Luke Witmer

Wärtsilä
General Manager, Data Science, Energy Storage and Optimization

As a kid growing up in the heart of Africa, energy access and reliability could not be taken for granted. During the 5-month city-wide power outage caused by a fire at the local power plant, solar powered DC lighting enabled Luke’s family to maintain their quality of life in the heart of darkness. In 2014, Luke earned a PhD in solar energy engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. After a year and half with a data fusion startup company in the Washington D.C. area, Luke found his way to Wärtsilä where he has been ever since. In his current role, Luke manages the R&D of automated hybrid power plant dispatch systems for island grids and autobidding systems for merchant electricity markets, plus leads energy and power system simulation efforts.

Megan Walker

OPPD
Manager of Construction Management

Megan Walker is the Manager of Construction Management at OPPD within the Energy Production and Nuclear Decommissioning Division. As part of OPPD’s Power with Purpose project, her team has responsibility for the construction of two backup natural gas generation facilities, Standing Bear Lake Station and Turtle Creek Station, both anticipated to be completed in 2023. With OPPD for nine years, her previous roles included System Engineering and Engineering Management at OPPD’s Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station. Megan has also worked in the telecom and biomedical industries. She has a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Walden University, a M.B.A. from University Nebraska at Omaha, and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with the American Cancer Society and spending time with her husband, Chris, and twins, Hayden and Blake.

Cassandra Heller

Wärtsilä
Senior Business Development Manager, Energy Storage and Optimization, Americas

Cassandra Heller is the Senior Business Development Manager with Wartsila Energy Solutions, focused on Energy Storage and Optimization in the America’s region. She has 15 years of experience in the global energy Industry, focusing on various aspects over the years such as thermal power, network distribution management, and offshore oil & gas before moving into the energy storage and renewables sector a few years ago. She has managed projects in many global markets over the years, however a large portion of her experience has been based in Latin America with a strong presence also in the US.

In her current role, she supports all Energy Storage and Optimization projects including hybrid systems paired with renewable and thermal assets, as well as standalone and islanded systems. She is passionate about lighting the path to higher penetration of renewable energy while making systems more resilient and reliable in today’s changing markets and climates. She holds a Corporate MBA from Florida International University with undergraduate degrees in International Business, and languages.

Ryan S. Kennedy

Wärtsilä
Business Development Manager

Ryan Kennedy manages sales and business development of power generation assets throughout the Midwest region of the United States and has 10 years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to joining Wartsila in 2017, Ryan worked for Kiewit as a Business Development Manager and was responsible for sales in the Midwest region of the United States. Ryan holds an MBA in Finance from UMKC and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps..

Calvin McSweeny-Pourtalet

RWE Renewables
Lead Energy Storage Modeler

Past experience includes working on enhancements for utility-grade capacity expansion models while at the EDF Innovation Lab (Bay Area) and pursued an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Jessica Harrison

Midcontinent Independent System Operator
Senior Director of Research and Development, Market and Grid Strategy

Jessica Harrison is the Senior Director of Research and Development (R&D) in the Market and Grid Strategy division of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). In this role, she coordinates MISO’s R&D policies, objectives and initiatives. Her focus includes pursuing R&D initiatives and partnerships, researching emerging technologies and supporting the integration of future grid resources. Ms. Harrison holds dual Master of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Technology and Policy and in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Michigan.

Clif Lange

STEC
Manager of Wholesale Marketing and QSE

Clif Lange holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston – Victoria and has 20 years of experience in the electric industry. He began his career with STEC in February 2000 as a Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE) Operator where he learned the basics of wholesale market function and resource operation before becoming the Assistant Manager of Wholesale Marketing and QSE in 2006. In 2015, he was promoted to the position of Manager of Wholesale Marketing and QSE. He is responsible for designing and implementing strategies related to wholesale electric markets and he also manages natural gas procurement and hedging strategies. He oversees QSE operations at STEC, which includes both day-ahead and real-time functions, as well as the financial settlement of all wholesale market transactions, natural gas transactions, and purchase power agreements. He is heavily involved in the ERCOT stakeholder process and is currently a standing member of the Wholesale Market Subcommittee and is the vice-chair of the Technical Advisory Committee which advises the ERCOT Board of Directors on matters pertaining to reliability as well as wholesale and retail market operation.

Gabe Murtaugh

California ISO
Storage Sector Manager, Market and Infrastructure Policy

Gabe has 10 years of electricity industry experience, and is currently the storage sector manager at the California Independent System Operator. In that role Gabe oversees storage related policy and acts as a liaison for storage related issues inside and outside of the ISO. Gabe also has experience developing resource adequacy and backstop procurement policy for the ISO. Prior to developing policy Gabe worked in the market monitoring group and compiled detailed annual reports on overall market performance. Gabe holds a master’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s of science degree in computer science and engineering.

Sushil Purohit

Wärtsilä
President

Sushil Purohit is the President of Wärtsilä & EVP. As a member of the Global Energy Business Management Team, Sushil brings an innovative expertise in assessing profit and loss of new energy infrastructure and services. He will start our event with remarks about the resilience and sustainability built into the power of Wärtsilä’s smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions.

Yayoi Sekine

BNEF
Head of Decentralized Energy

Brett Seube

Entergy Services
Manager, Capital Projects

Jon Rodriguez

Wärtsilä
Energy Business Director, Engine Power Plants