Meet 26 experts charging the super grid: GreenBeat 2010’s latest speakers

We’ve written a lot about what it will take to transform today’s energy infrastructure into the super grid of tomorrow, from cleaner, cheaper energy sources to smarter networks and support for fleets of electric vehicles. But the ultimate requirement is people. We’ll have to tap our collective brainpower like never before. That’s why VentureBeat is assembling a superstar cast of speakers for our GreenBeat 2010 conference, at the academic powerhouse of Stanford University on November 3 and 4.

We’ve talked about some of our speakers, like cleantech-investing geniuses John Doerr and Vinod Khosla, Google green energy czar Bill Weihl and Duke Energy’s Mark Wyatt, Grid Net’s Andres Carvallo, and others. But we haven’t revealed the full roster of speakers, from utilities to startups, academe to investing, government and media.

The best and brightest of the cleantech sector will be at GreenBeat 2010. Will you join them in charging the Super Grid? Register now, as time is short and space is limited.

Meet more of GreenBeat’s speakers:

Paul De Martini, VP & CTO, Smart Grid, Cisco Systems

De Martini is currently leading a team of industry experts in the Smart Grid Business Unit at Cisco. Smart Grid is a project that aims to enable connected utilities to supply electricity in a more efficient and sustainable way, allowing consumers to gain better efficiency and control of their energy consumption. In his role as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, De Martini leads the development of Cisco’s Smart Grid vision for end-to-end IP architecture and technology.

Byron Shaw, GM of Advanced Technology, General Motors

Shaw is currently responsible for building and developing GM’s advanced technology office in Silicon Valley. Previously, he was instrumental in developing the charter of BMW’s Technology Office in Palo Alto, CA, where he oversaw the discovery and implementation of new and advanced technologies into BMW’s vehicle development process. After leaving BMW, Byron was the co-founder and CTO of a Photovoltaic Solar startup where he led the development team in

Danny Kennedy, Founder, Sungevity

Kennedy is a globally recognized environmental activist and long-time social entrepreneur who founded Sungevity to spread solar to the mainstream market. Prior to starting Sungevity, Danny was the Campaigns Manager for Greenpeace Australia Pacific. In 2001, he ran Greenpeace’s California Clean Energy Campaign, the success of which helped lead to the current California Solar Initiative.

Kevin Dasso, Senior Director, Transmission & Distribution Engineering, PG&E

Dasso is senior director of smart grid and technology integration at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He is currently responsible for developing strategy and policies for the utility related to electric system reliability, planning, renewable resource integration and the Smart Grid.

James L. Sweeney, Director, Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency, Stanford University

Besides his role at the Precourt Institute, Sweeney is Professor of Management Science and Engineering; Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research; Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace; and Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for International Studies. His professional activities focus on economic policy and analysis, particularly in energy, natural resources, and the environment. He has focused his professional activities on the application of economics methods and mathematical modeling, particularly to natural resource issues, energy economics, environmental economics, competitive analysis, and policy analysis.

Nat Goldhaber, Managing Director, Claremont Creek Ventures

Goldhaber’s focus on energy conservation and management systems as investment areas is built on twenty years of experience in IT as CEO of Cybergold, founder of Centram Systems West, founding CEO of Kaleida Labs, and a vice president at Sun Microsystems. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, as a member of the US Secret Service Electronics Crime Taskforce and is a Board Member of the Federation of American Scientists.

Navin Chaddha, Managing Director, Mayfield Fund`

Chaddha is a proven serial entrepreneur and venture investor. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009. He invests in the enterprise, telecom, energy tech, Internet, and semiconductor sectors in the U.S. and is the founder of Mayfield’s dedicated India Fund, which he oversees. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of CPower, Gigya, Pano Logic, StorSimple, Tejas Networks, and Wide Orbit and is also involved with Mayfield investments in Consim, Lattice Power, SeedFund and SMIT. Navin has made over 30 investments of which 11 have had IPOs and another 9 have been acquired.

John Voelcker, Senior Editor, High Gear Media

Voelcker analyzes the auto industry and covers advanced automotive technologies and energy policy. He has been invited to speak on those topics to automakers and at industry events. As senior editor at venture-funded startup High Gear Media, he edits GreenCarReports.com and AllCarsElectric.com, and contributes to TheCarConnection.com and other sites. He writes market analysis reports for British firm Just-Auto.com, covering mild and full hybrids, plug-in and electric vehicles. He is a regular guest on Fox Car Report and Sirius Satellite Radio. John’s work appears in various print, online and broadcast outlets, including Wired, Popular Science, Technology Review, and other periodicals.

Sally Benson, Director, Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project

Benson was appointed Global Climate and Energy Project Director in January 2009 after holding the Executive Director post since March 2007. Benson has been a member of Stanford’s faculty since 2007. Her research group in the Department of Energy Resources and Engineering investigates fundamental characteristics of carbon dioxide storage in geologic formations as a means of climate change mitigation. She teaches courses on carbon dioxide capture and storage and greenhouse gas mitigation technologies.

Michael Terrell, Policy Counsel, Google

Terrell helps lead Google’s efforts to contribute to the public debate on clean energy and climate change issues. Most recently, he has led Google’s efforts to empower energy consumers with better information and control over their energy use, including building a coalition of leading businesses and NGOs in support of national energy information goals. Prior to joining Google in 2007, Michael was an Associate at Van Ness Feldman and has served in a variety of positions in the U.S. government.

Ed Cazalet, Vice President and Cofounder, MegaWatt Storage Farms

Cazalet has more than 40 years of electric power experience as an executive, board member, consultant, and entrepreneur. He served for three years as a member of the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator, a body charged with safe and reliable real-time operation and planning of the state’s high-voltage transmission system. He also founded APX, which provides independent transaction services for electric power and environmental registries, in 1996 and served for many years as CEO.

Philip Mezey, SVP & COO, Itron North America

Mezey is responsible for the direction and strategy of Itron’s software and hardware solution lines, including the operations of advanced metering, R&D, marketing, and sales. He has served the company in several capacities including vice president and general manager for Software Solutions, followed by senior vice president, Software Solutions. Philip Mezey joined Itron as managing director of software development for Itron’s Energy Management Solutions group upon Itron’s acquisition of Silicon Energy in March 2003.

Eric Wesoff, Senior Analyst, Greentech Media

Eric Wesoff is a Senior Analyst at Greentech Media and Author of the Greentech Innovations Report. Prior to joining Greentech Media, Eric Wesoff founded Sage Marketing Partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing-consulting services to venture-capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors. Eric Wesoff has become a well-known, respected authority and speaker in these fields. He also was the publisher of the Venture Power newsletter, a subscription-only newsletter covering venture-capital investment in renewable energy. Eric Wesoff’s expertise covers solar power, fuel cells, biofuels and advanced batteries.

Paul Holland, General Partner, Foundation Capital

Holland coordinates the cleantech practice at Foundation Capital. He helped take public two venture-funded software start-ups, Kana Communications and Pure Software. Paul currently serves on the board of directors for Bella Pictures, CalStar Products, Serious Materials, Coverity, Chegg, Ketera, and Serious Materials. Prior to joining Foundation Capital, was senior vice president of worldwide sales at Kana Communications.

Michael Kanellos, Editor-in-Chief, Greentech Media,

Michael Kanellos is the editor-in-chief at Greentech Media, where he covers emerging technologies and companies in the green world. Prior to joining the company in 2008, he worked for CNET Network’s News.com for eleven years. Among other jobs at CNET, he launched the company’s push into clean technology. He has appeared on NPR, CBS, CNBC, Fox News and other media outlets.

Mozhi Habibi, Strategy Manager, Emerging Solutions Global Energy and Utilities, IBM

Habibi is the global strategy manager responsible for leading IBM’s emerging energy and utility solutions for clients worldwide. In her role, she is focused on working with utility companies, industry partners and others to accelerate the development of an intelligent utility network, integration of renewable energy sources and distributed energy assets, implementation of a smarter grid and smarter cities worldwide. Previously, Habibi was the head of Product Management at Space-Time Insight, a provider of geospatial situational awareness software, responsible for overall product strategy.

Ron Van Dell, President and CEO, SolarBridge Technologies

Ron Van Dell serves as president and CEO of SolarBridge Technologies. With more than 30 years of experience, Van Dell has an exceptional track record of success and proven leadership skills. Since joining the company in 2008, Van Dell has been leading SolarBridge in executing a very capital-efficient business model, as well as launching the company’s ground-breaking microinverter solution on the market. Before Van Dell joined SolarBridge, he served as president and CEO at Primarion, president and CEO at Legerity, general manager for Dell Computer’s Dimension product line, and vice president-general manager of the Communication Products Business at Harris Semiconductor (now Intersil Corporation).

Michael Zimmerman, CEO, BuildingIQ

Zimmerman has spent the last 20 years working with high growth companies as an executive, board member, investor or advisor. Prior to BuildingIQ, Michael was a General Partner at Technology Venture Partners where he invested and worked with internet, software and mobile companies. Prior to TVP, he was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Altos Ventures, and a senior executive at iOwn Holdings, one of the leading internet mortgage and real estate companies (sold to Citigroup in 2001). Previously, Michael worked with Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs and The Mentoring Partnership.

Alfonso Valdes, Senior Computer Scientist, SRI International

Valdes has led several projects in information security for such clients as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Advanced Research and Development Activity. On a recently completed project sponsored by the Department of Energy, Mr. Valdes led development of innovative learning and anomaly based techniques for monitoring process control systems. Valdes has also participated in cybersecurity research roadmap efforts for the Departments of Homeland Security Energy.

Alan Salzman, CEO, VantagePoint Venture Partners

Salzman cofounded VantagePoint Venture Partners in 1996 and serves as CEO and chair of the investment committee. As a leading venture investor for more than 20 years, Salzman has had hands-on involvement in more than 300 companies and has held overall management responsibilities for a dozen venture funds with over $5 billion of committed capital. He oversees the country’s largest cleantech investment team, a portfolio of innovative cleantech companies, and strategic partnerships with a dozen leading companies focused on cleantech commercialization. He currently serves on the Leadership Council of The Climate Group, the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Selection and Green Investment Committees, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Ben Kortlang, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Kortlang focuses on growth-stage greentech investing with KPCB. Prior to KPCB, he worked at Goldman Sachs for eight years, most recently co-heading Goldman’s Alternative Energy Investing business, and managed Goldman’s multi-billion dollar portfolio of alternative energy investments including Horizon Wind Energy, SunEdison, First Solar and Iogen. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Ben Kortlang was an Associate with A.T. Kearney and a Business Analyst at National Australia Bank in strategic planning and macroeconomic forecasting.

Jana Corey, Director, Integrated Demand-Side Management Policy Planning, PG&E

Corey’s team is responsible for providing strategic direction to PG&E’s growing portfolio of customer offerings. Previously, she led PG&E’s efforts to lay the business, policy, and technical foundations for future automated energy management offerings and served as Director of PG&E’s SmartMeter program.

Katie Fehrenbacher, Founding Editor, Earth2Tech

Before she launched Earth2Tech, a site within the GigaOm network focused on cleantech, Fehrenbacher was a reporter for GigaOM where she covered broadband and mobile technology, a reporter for Red Herring, and an editor at Engadget. She began her journalism career as a reporter for Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest daily newspaper, where she covered Silicon Valley. Her work has appeared online for the New York Times, Business Week, CNN, Reuters, the BBC, and the Economist.

Saul Zambrano, Director, Integrated Demand-side Management Core Products, PG&E

Zambrano’s team is responsible for developing new products within existing energy efficiency product categories such as lighting and appliances, electronics, HVAC, and energy management. In addition, Saul’s team is responsible for PG&E’s customer offerings in the emerging area of electric vehicles. Prior to joining PG&E, Mr. Zambrano was director of the Global Finance Transformation Initiative for Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Director of WiMax Solutions Commercial Marketing for Intel Corporation. Mr. Zambrano began his career as an IT consultant and business development and finance professional with Nortel Networks, IBM Consulting, and JP Morgan.

Lee Krevat, Director of the Smart Grid Initiative, Sempra Energy

Krevat leads enterprise-wide smart green grid strategy, policy and project alignment. Krevat’s prior positions at SDG&E include director of program delivery, where he was responsible for overseeing IT for advanced technology projects and the development of new systems to improve operating efficiency and customer experience. Krevat was also the director of IT strategy and business partnership where he worked to align strategic direction between IT and the utility business units, as well as director of infrastructure engineering & operations. Before joining Sempra, Krevat led the Technology Transfer Team and Software Process Improvement Team at Tandem Computers.

Craig Tighe, Partner, Corporate & Finance Groups, DLA Piper

Craig Tighe is a partner in DLA Piper’s Corporate and Finance Groups, based in its Silicon Valley office. He works with cleantech companies from inception to deployment of their products and services. He also represents green and renewable technology-focused venture capital firms and lenders.