Spotlighting Our Speakers: Exploring Peaker Power Plants – Inequities and Solutions

Authored By: Lauren Kroell

Ever wondered just how big of an impact your energy consumption patterns can have? Many of us may be familiar with the reminder to turn off the light when you leave a room, or turning down the air conditioning overnight so that your electricity bills aren’t as high as they would otherwise be. However, some of us may not be as aware of the environmental justice impacts of doing so, and how timing can play a crucial role.

That’s why on Thursday, November 10th, 2022 from 7-8PM, Sustainable Westchester will host a webinar on the role that peaker power plants (sometimes known as “peakers”) play in supplying our energy demand, and the severe environmental and social justice impacts that accompany them. Today, we wanted to highlight the incredible speakers who will be talking about their respective group’s efforts to raise awareness and tackle these important issues. Learn more about them below:

Shelley Robbins: Shelley Hudson Robbins is a Project Director at Clean Energy Group. Her work focuses on the Phase Out Peakers Project and the Resilient Power Project. Shelley joined Clean Energy Group after working for Upstate Forever in South Carolina for more than 13 years. At UF, she created the organization’s energy program, fought natural gas pipeline expansion, supported clean energy in both the statehouse and at the Public Service Commission, and worked on energy burden and just transition issues. Shelley has also worked for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Florida Governor’s Office (defending the state from offshore drilling), and the Florida Public Service Commission. She has an economics degree from Duke University and an MBA from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Victor Davila: Victor Davila has been a Bronx based community organizer for over 16 years and attended the University of Vermont. They are the co-founder of the environmental education skate group Eco Ryders, Community organizer and ACTION program manager at The Point CDC, and a member of the New York Renews organizing committee.

David Klatt: As the COO of Logical Buildings, David is responsible for analyzing and optimizing building energy performance through the implementation of software and cleantech capital projects across thousands of buildings. He sits on the CREtech Climate Leadership Board, is cleantech 40 under 40 and is a member of the cleantech leaders roundtable. David is passionate about making energy efficiency fun, easy and accessible and using data analytics and technology to effectuate positive environmental change in buildings.

Prior to co-founding Logical Buildings, David was an associate at Castleton Commodities International where he focused on derivatives trading and asset acquisition opportunities across the energy landscape. Before joining Castleton, David began his career as an analyst in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Power and Energy Investment Banking group working primarily on power generation, electric and gas utilities, and renewable energy M&A.

David graduated summa cum laude from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

If you’re interested in participating and learning more, we invite you to visit the Facebook Event page and register for the event at https://bit.ly/PeakerPlantWebinar.

We hope to see you there!