​YOU’RE INVITED!

​2026 Clean Energy Affordability Summit

​Co-hosted by: Deploy Action, California Forward (CA FWD), UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI)

​Tuesday, April 14, 2026 · 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM

​Evening Reception from 6:00 - 8:00 PM

​Deploy Action, California Forward (CA FWD), and UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI) are pleased to invite you to the inaugural 2026 Clean Energy Affordability Summit — a half-day policy convening focused on the legislative priorities and system-level reforms needed for a true "California Fix" in a critical election year.

​This summit will bring together leading industry, legislative, and regulatory decision-makers to address grid reform, clean energy deployment, economic uncertainty, global volatility and climate resilience — all through the lens of affordability, durability, and long-term economic resilience. As the state advances major infrastructure and industrial development, these cross-cutting issues are central to achieving sustainable economic growth and environmental progress.

​Discussions will explore the most pressing energy policy proposals before the Legislature, including advanced transmission and distribution technologies, Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS), distributed energy resources, infrastructure financing, workforce and economic development strategies, and Pathways Initiative implementation.

​We hope you join us as we help shape California's energy and climate legacy for 2026 and beyond.

​Full Agenda

​1:00 PM  |  Guest Arrival & Networking

​Doors open | Light refreshments | Informal networking

​1:15 PM  |  Welcome & Opening Remarks by State Treasurer Fiona Ma

​1:25 PM – Recognition of Co-Organizers

​Brief acknowledgment of:

• ​Deploy Action

• ​UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI)

• ​California Forward (CA FWD)

​1:45 – 2:45 PM  |  Panel 1: Grid Reform, Deployment & Affordability (Closed to Press)

​Moderator: CEC Commissioner Andrew McAllister

​Featured Panelists:

• ​Rebecca Lee, NRG

• ​James McGarry, Coalition for Community Solar Access

• ​Matt Freedman, TURN

• ​Amy Mmagu, Schneider Electric

• ​Julia Pyper, Goodleap

​2:45 – 3:45 PM  |  Panel 2: Economic Transition Amid Global Volatility (Open to Press)

​Moderator: Kate Gordon, CEO, California Forward

​Featured Panelists:

• ​John Keisler, Sunstone

• ​Priyanka Mohanty, UAW/CMGE

• ​Daniel Payares-Montoya, PPIC

• ​Betony Jones, UC Berkeley Labor Center

​3:45 – 4:05 PM  |  Break & Networking

​Refreshments | Networking | Media availability

​4:05 – 5:30 PM  |  Panel 3: The Future of California Energy Policy with Jigar Shah, Phil Ting, Siva Gunda, & California Elected Officials

• ​Part 1: Rethinking How We Approve and Build Grid Infrastructure (4:05-4:50)
  This session will examine how California’s current approach to grid planning, infrastructure approval, and utility incentives shapes both costs and system performance. Framed by a brief overview from Arnab Pal (Deploy Action), the discussion will explore the intersection of grid utilization and utility return on equity, including how existing regulatory structures influence investment decisions, infrastructure buildout, and deployment timelines. Moderated by Jigar Shah (former Director, U.S. DOE Loan Programs Office), panelists Senator Josh Becker, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, CEC Commissioner Siva Gunda, PG&E President Carla Peterman, and CPUC Director for Distributed Energy Resources, Natural Gas, and Retail Rates, Kerry Fleisher, will discuss how evolving legislative and regulatory efforts around transmission planning, permitting reform, and grid optimization interact with CPUC oversight and broader affordability challenges.

• ​Part 2: Clean Energy, Affordability, and System-Level Solutions (4:50 - 5:30)
  This discussion will take a broader look at how both supply- and demand-side solutions can contribute to improving energy affordability, focusing on the implementation of pathways and near-term opportunities. Moderated by Noah Baustin from Politico, the panel will feature Jigar Shah, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, Senator Ben Allen, and Senator Henry Stern. Panelists will explore how initiatives such as Pathways implementation, Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS), and other emerging tools fit into a comprehensive strategy to balance reliability, cost containment, and clean energy deployment, while addressing fiscal constraints and real-world execution challenges across California’s energy system.

​5:45 – 8:00 PM  |  Evening Networking Reception — The Citizen Hotel

​Co-organized by the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute