What to Expect
Accelerating the Transition 2026 will unite leaders from every sector — government, business, finance, academia, and civil society — for three days of learning, collaboration, and action.
Through plenary sessions, keynote addresses, and 11 specialized conference tracks, participants will explore the technologies, policies, and partnerships needed to scale the clean energy transition.
The conference is not a talkfest — it’s designed for results: connecting decision-makers to financing, showcasing scalable innovations, and strengthening regional and state-level momentum for climate action.
Daily Agenda
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Registration |
| 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM | Welcoming Remarks & Opening Plenary Keynotes |
| 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM |
Plenary Keynote: Clean Energy Transition — Opportunities, Successes, Policies, and Stakes Moderator: Dan Reicher — Senior Researcher, Stanford University; former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Speakers: Mary Nichols — former Chair, California Air Resources Board; Tyrone Jue — Director, San Francisco Department of the Environment |
| 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM |
Plenary Keynote: Critical Obstacles to Clean Energy Expansion — Moving Faster Through Public-Private Collaboration Moderator: Dan Lashof — Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute; former COO, NextGen Policy Center Speakers: David Hochschild — Chair, California Energy Commission; Wade Crowfoot — California Secretary for Natural Resources; Ken Alex — Director, Project Climate, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM |
Plenary: Overview of the Day’s Three Conference Tracks Moderator: Dan Kammen — Professor, University of California; Director, Ralph O'Conner Renewable Energy Institute, Johns Hopkins University Speakers: Steve Nadel — Senior Advisor and recently retired Executive Director, ACEEE; Ian Monroe — President & Chief Investment Officer, Etho Capital; co-founder, Climate+Positive Investing Alliance |
| 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 1: Financing the Clean Transition |
| 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM |
Plenary Keynote: Energy Efficiency & Energy-Efficient Design — Our Greatest Energy Resource Speaker: Amory Lovins — Cofounder of Rocky Mountain Institute |
| 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 2: Reducing Building Sector Emissions |
| 5:00 PM – 5:50 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 3: Clean Power Supply, Utility Reform & Transmission Modernization |
| 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Free Public Lecture & Panel |
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Registration |
| 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM |
Plenary Session — Track 4: Smart Urban Development & Transportation Incentivizing commercial-residential co-development to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT); alternative personal transportation modalities Speaker: Steve Price |
| 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM |
Plenary Session — Track 4: Transportation Electrification Implementing faster deployment of EV charging for passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, shipping, and micro-mobility |
| 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM |
Plenary Session — Track 4: Light Rail & High-Speed Electrified Rail The case for light rail and high-speed rail; accelerating construction of high-speed rail systems and other public mass transit services |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM |
Plenary Session — Track 5: Reducing Industrial Emissions & Accelerating Industrial Innovation Technological approaches for eliminating emissions in steel, cement, chemicals, and manufacturing |
| 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM |
Plenary Session — Track 5: Industrial Energy Efficiency Opportunities Unexploited opportunities for cost-effective industrial energy efficiency, curated by Rocky Mountain Institute experts |
| 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM | Plenary Session — Track 5: Repurposing Captured Industrial Carbon |
| 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM |
Plenary Session — Track 5: University-Driven Climate Innovation & Industrial Carbon Storage Cutting-edge research on industrial carbon storage through nanotechnology and bioengineering |
| 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM |
Free Public Lecture Speaker: Jonas Birgersson — Chairman of ViaEuropa; Chair of the EnergyNet Task Force; Senior Fellow, Global Urban Development; Head of GUD’s office in Lund, Sweden |
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM | Registration |
| 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM |
Opening Plenary — Track 6: Natural Climate Solutions Reducing land use, agricultural, and forestry emissions while enhancing natural carbon storage (regenerative agriculture—carbon farming and carbon ranching) |
| 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM | Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 6: Forest Protection & Restoration |
| 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM |
Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 7: Environmental & Climate Justice Ensuring environmental and climate justice for indigenous, low-income and people of color Moderator: Cari Harris — Founder, The Butterfly Effect |
| 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM |
Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 8: Climate Resilience & Sustainable Communities Climate adaptation strategies; costs and benefits; climate-resilient urban design |
| 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM |
Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 9: California’s Front-Runner Clean-Transition Efforts Laws, policies, research, regulatory accomplishments, and challenges Moderator: Kate Gordon — CEO, California Forward |
| 2:40 PM – 3:30 PM |
Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 9: Key Implementation Challenges Proposed solutions and strategic actions needed to protect clean energy progress from federal countermeasures |
| 3:30 PM – 4:25 PM |
Breakout Sessions & Workshops — Track 9: California’s climate justice and climate resilience efforts ESG goals and programs; unmet needs and blueprints for action |
| 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
Closing Keynote: Strategies for Accelerating the Clean Transition at the State and Local Levels — Lessons Learned Speaker: Mark Z. Jacobson |
| 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM |
Evening Reception & Party Beverages and snacks at 9Zero Climate Hub & Co-Work Space Address: 350 California Street, San Francisco Welcoming remarks and initial presentation by Truong-Vi An-Gourfinkel on the importance of creating powerful and appropriate narratives to accelerate the clean transition. Festivities to follow 7:30 – 9:30 pm. |