Foley Hoag LLP partner Mark Barnett will be part of a delegation of Northeast clean energy company executives to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21, in Paris. The group is being led by the Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute (NECEC).

Barnett and fellow delegates will participate in a panel discussion, "Enabling Clean Energy Implementation Through Policy, Technology/Innovation and Finance,” on December 5. With the proliferation of advanced clean energy technologies – from the energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors and distributed energy resources such as demand response and rooftop solar - changing how the United States’ electricity system operates, this panel of American companies and local government leaders will discuss how these elements have enabled the sustainable energy transformation and simultaneously driven economic growth.

“The need to take action on global climate change is urgent and COP21 represents the best opportunity yet to galvanize the global community towards addressing the challenge,” said Barnett, who co-Chairs Foley Hoag’s Energy & Cleantech Group. “As a founding sponsor and counsel to NECEC, Foley Hoag is proud to join this delegation to help highlight the innovative solutions emerging from the Northeast clean energy ecosystem, and to learn from other innovators around the world.”

Joining Barnett on a side-panel specifically focusing on the role of finance in clean energy implementation are Dan Lashof, COO of Next Generation Climate America and Dan Esty, Professor & Director of Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Andrew Herscowitz, U.S. Government Coordinator for Power Africa and Trade Africa, will serve as moderator.

NECEC is the premier voice of businesses building a world-class clean energy hub in the Northeast region of the United States, helping clean energy companies start, scale and succeed with its business, innovation and policy leadership. NECEC includes the Northeast Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute (a nonprofit focused on industry research, innovation, policy development and communications initiatives). The organizations brings together business leaders and key stakeholders to engage in influential policy discussions and business initiatives while building connections that propel the clean energy industry forward.