The Mintz 2024 Energy Transition Summit – Catalyzing the Energy Transition Through Financing

Our 2024 Energy Transition Summit brought together 200 attendees, including distinguished speakers from the policy, financing, and technology sectors, to share insights and collaboratively address some of the climate industry's most pressing challenges.

As a pioneering law firm in the energy transition sector, Mintz is uniquely positioned to connect innovators, industrial partners, and capital providers to drive meaningful change. Guided by the theme “Catalyzing the Energy Transition Through Investment, Innovation, and Adoption,” this year’s Summit focused on the pivotal role of financing — from both private and public sources — in shaping the future of the energy transition.

The Summit began with a fireside chat moderated by Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts and current Principal at ML Strategies, which featured John F. Kerry, 68th U.S. Secretary of State and former United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. “Secretary Kerry’s global influence in combating climate change and promoting business solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions cannot be overstated,” noted Tom Burton, Member and Chair of the Mintz Energy & Sustainability Practice, who gave opening and closing remarks at the Summit. Following the fireside chat, a series of sessions explored various aspects of the energy transition, from the regulatory landscape to financing and sustainability.

• The first session, led by Paul Dickerson, Member of the Mintz Energy & Sustainability Practice, focused on private equity investment trends and sustainable infrastructure. James Blake of Breakthrough Energy, Stephan Feilhauer of Antin Infrastructure Partners, and Frank O’Sullivan of S2G Ventures joined Dickerson on this panel.
• The second session, moderated by Steven Shparber, a Member specializing in energy and regulatory matters at Mintz, addressed the impact of interconnection regulations on clean energy. Shparber was joined by Melissa Alfano of the Solar Energy Industries Association, Zander Bischof of MN8 Energy, and Kim Smaczniak of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
• Continuing the discussion on regulations and policy, John Lushetsky, Senior Vice President of ML Strategies, moderated the third session about the future of government clean energy policy and financing. Lushetsky was joined by Christina Baworowsky of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), Jim Cabot of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Tanya Das of the Bipartisan Policy Center.
• Shifting the focus back to company financing, Sahir Surmeli, Member and Co-Chair of the Mintz Energy & Sustainability Practice, led the fourth session on navigating equity capital markets within the energy transition. Alongside Surmeli sat Dan Coyne of Canaccord Genuity and Fabrizio Wittenburg of Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
• The day concluded with a session moderated by Ayaz Shaikh, Member and Chair of the Project Development & Finance Practice at Mintz, who discussed how clean energy is powering data centers alongside Sayles Braga of Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners and Liz Schwab of Google.
• Attendees also had the pleasure of hearing remarks from Dr. Luiz Ortiz of the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) for an update on the agency.

The Summit fostered important conversations among public and private companies, innovators, and industry financiers who are committed to finding solutions within the energy transition. Our third annual Summit was a resounding success, and we look forward to continuing these vital discussions with everyone involved.

Mintz extends a heartfelt thanks to all of our speakers, panelists, Mintz affiliates, and attendees for their contributions to this important effort. Learn more about the event here.
 

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