CPS Energy CEO joins other industry leaders at ARPA_E Energy Innovation Summit

CPS Energy President and CEO Doyle Beneby will sit down with Ahmad Chatila, president and chief executive officer of SunEdison for a “fireside chat” at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit on Feb. 10 to discuss new utility industry trends and business models.

Beneby joins other influential private sector leaders, government and military officials, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moñiz, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, University of California President Janet Napolitano, Lyndon Rive, founder and CEO of SolarCity and others for the annual conference and technology showcase.

The event brings together experts from a variety of technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy – better known as ARPA-E –  is a federal government entity that promotes and funds research and development of advanced energy technologies. It is modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

ARPA-E invests in disruptive ideas to develop America’s future energy technologies. Its programs address critical challenges in energy innovation, and ARPA-E-funded project teams receive hands-on guidance to help move their technologies into the marketplace.

Utilities can either fight the disruptive changes facing the energy industry or innovate to stay relevant and create value out of coming new technologies. Under Beneby’s leadership, CPS Energy has embraced the latter path, deploying new technologies to create programs and partnerships that bring value to customers without risking the utility’s enviable financial status.

“The world is changing rapidly,” Beneby said. “We are facing a low-carbon, interconnected future where innovation is key. Energy providers that pivot quickly and embrace that change will thrive in this new energy economy.”