JP Ross
Vice President of Local Development for Electrification and InnovationAva Community Energy
JP Ross has been actively engaged with solar market development and commercialization since 1999. After completing a Masters Degree in Energy and Resources from the University of California at Berkeley from the Energy, JP joined Greenpeace to advocate for wind and solar as an alternative to 50GW of new gas plants in response to the California Energy crisis.
JP then moved to Vote Solar and successfully campaigned for California’s Million Solar Roofs initiative that helped make solar energy the most cost-effective source of energy. He lead Vote Solar’s activities in pro-solar rate design regulatory proceedings across the US. In 2007, he moved to Sungevity, where he helped grow the business from an idea to the third largest residential solar installer in the US. JP developed and managed Sungevity’s procurement and installation operations, market expansion, strategy ,and channel development.
In 2015, JP joined Origin Energy, Australia’s largest energy utility, where he lead the development of Origin’s Solar PPA, Solar Channel Strategy, and company-wide Salesforce deployments. He is now the Vice President of Local Development, Electrification and Innovation at East Bay Community Energy, serving electricity to 1.5M people in Alameda County and San Joaquin Valleys. In his spare time, he rides bikes, brews beer, and makes wood fired pizza with his wife Monique and children, Hazel and Keenan.
JP drives an Any one I can.
JP Ross’s Session(s):
8:45 am–9:45 am | Thu, March 19, 2026
EV Charging Infrastructure for High-Density Cities
Shop Talks are peer-to-peer, industry-focused conversations facilitated by speakers. In these smaller forums, attendees can ask questions, work through challenges, and share insights while tapping into the expertise of our speakers. Don't miss this unique opportunity to gain valuable feedback and network with your industry peers! Please note our Shop Talks often fill to capacity; registration is recommended to guarantee your seat.
As urban centers accelerate the shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), high-density cities face a complex policy landscape. The deployment of EV infrastructure must balance sustainability goals, equity, and the realities of limited curb space. This Shop Talk will explore the evolving policy frameworks that support EV infrastructure in dense urban environments, with a focus on practical implementation and governance challenges. Some of the areas covered:
- Curb space competition
- Enforcement complexity
- Legal and safety barriers
- Equity and access concerns
- Power/infrastructure concerns
2:35 pm–3:05 pm | Thu, March 19, 2026
How Ava Community Energy’s Virtual Power Plant Brings Value to Customers and the Grid
What if homes and businesses could work together to strengthen the electric grid—while saving money and cutting emissions? That’s exactly what Ava Community Energy is achieving through its groundbreaking Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project. By dispatching EV chargers and solar paired batteries, Ava is creating a flexible energy network that stores and manages power when and where it’s needed most.
In this session, JP Ross, Vice President of Local Development for Electrification and Innovation at Ava Community Energy, will share how this innovative approach supports both customers and the grid. From program design to customer participation, discover how Ava’s VPP model turns distributed energy resources into a win-win for resilience, reliability, and affordability—and what it means for the future of community-powered energy.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how Ava Community Energy’s VPP turns everyday devices into a collective grid resource.
- See how the program delivers real value for customers through savings and sustainability.
- Discuss challenges to making DERs operate like contracted commodities.
- Explore how distributed energy management can reduce strain on the grid during peak demand.
- Gain insight into how community partnerships and smart technology drive scalable energy solutions.