A Sectoral Approach to Climate Mitigation: Transportation and Buildings

Posted by Brad Johnson Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Analyzing climate change and proposing solutions at the nation-state level can obscure the path forward, as ambition varies widely across countries and can change dramatically as soon as the next election. Furthermore, coordinating the actions of nearly 200 nations (including more than a dozen major emitters) presents its own challenges. Viewing climate solutions as sectoral rather than “national,” may be more productive and give a clearer of how to cut the most emissions in the fastest manner.

This webinar series, sponsored by American University’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP) and the not-for-profit think tank Energy Innovation, reframes causes and solutions of climate change as “sectoral” issues.

Among the most evident sectors to most consumers, transportation and buildings both involve high expenditures on infrastructure to retrofit extant systems and build new ones. What are the successes and obstacles to date in these sectors? What is needed in these sectors to generate more effective climate mitigation?

Speakers:
  • Sarah Baldwin, Energy Innovation
  • Chris Busch, Energy Innovation
  • Discussant: David Levy, Director of Planning and Zoning, Town of Vienna, VA (confirmed)
  • Moderator: Danielle Wagner, Center for Environmental Policy, School of Public Affairs

Sara Baldwin is the Director of Electrification Policy at Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC®, where she leads the firm’s electrification policy practice area to advance economy-wide decarbonization through the electrification of buildings, transportation, and industry. She provides policy analysis and original research to support policymakers at the state, federal, and local levels. She previously served as Vice President of Regulatory for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and as a Senior Policy Associate for Utah Clean Energy. Sara is a member of GridLab’s advisory board and hosts Energy Innovation’s Electrify This! podcast.

Chris Busch is Director, Transportation and Senior Economist at Energy Innovation, where he leads the firm’s Transportation Program and the firm’s carbon market analysis for regions including California and China. Chris previously served as EI’s California lead and in this role, he led development of the California Energy Policy Simulator to strengthen policies in all major sectors, accelerating decarbonization while delivering social and economic benefits worth tens of billions. Chris is an expert in energy economics and carbon pricing policy, and his research accurately predicted the buildup in excess tradeable permits in California’s cap-and-trade program. Chris previously worked for the BlueGreen Alliance, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

David Levy is Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Vienna, VA. He has extensive experience both in government and the private sector. Before coming to Vienna, he served as Assistant Director and Chief of Long-Range Planning for the City of Rockville, MD. Previously, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Land Resources in Baltimore’s Department of Housing & Community Development; and as a consultant with both ICF International (a global consulting and technology-services company) and PA Consulting (formerly Hagler Bailly); as Brownfields Project Coordinator for the Baltimore City Department of Planning; and as Special Assistant to the Mayor of Quito, Ecuador. He has been Chair of the Planning Director’s Technical Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Vice President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and of the Urban Land Institute.

Danielle Miller Wagner serves as the Program Director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University, School of Public Affairs. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with local governments, universities, NGOs and federal agencies to facilitate collaborative solutions to complex environmental challenges. In her current role, Wagner works across the university as well as with a broad array of external stakeholders to research and communicate about data-driven equitable environmental solutions. Prior to joining American University, Danielle served as Program Director of Smart Cities Week, Brownfields Program Manager at ICMA and International Policy Manager at the GLOBE Program, among other positions.

RSVP

Tell the EPA: Strong Soot Protections Now!

Posted by Brad Johnson Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Toxic soot pollution affects millions, but it doesn’t need to be this way.

Right now thousands people are fighting hard to ensure the EPA doesn’t let big polluters off the hook when it comes to setting the strongest possible standards on soot pollution.

Join us at the EPA HQ for our final public testimony as the comment window on national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) closes.

And please spread the word about this event demanding clean air and healthier communities now

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day Three

Posted by Brad Johnson Fri, 24 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT

ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Energy and the Blue Economy: Emerging Technology Needs and Market Opportunities
This “Energy and the Blue Economy” discussion will bring together representatives from across government, philanthropy, and ocean-based industries, who are all anticipated to drive significant growth in at-sea energy consumption over the coming decade. The panel will serve to connect the ARPA-E community to these diverse users of ocean energy technologies, whose operational requirements will motivate the development of innovative solutions in renewable marine energy generation, storage, and transfer. Discussion topics will include a) current marine energy technology limitations that could be overcome through focused development supported by ARPA-E; b) current and emerging Blue Economy markets that may offer high-risk, but high-growth potential for novel energy technologies; c) shared energy technology requirements across the many segments of the Blue Economy; and d) unique challenges and opportunities for funding and scaling energy technologies for use in ocean environments. Ultimately, this discussion will highlight the role that ARPA-E and its performers, in addition to the DOE at large, can have in supporting the energy needs of growing the Blue Economy, potentially illuminating new markets, novel sources of investment, and untapped technology development spaces.
  • Julie Decker, Executive Director, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
  • Jennifer Garson, Director, Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office
  • Dr. Tom Fu, Head, Sea Warfare and Weapons, Code 33, Office of Naval Research
  • Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Jennifer States, Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Blue Sky Maritime Coalition
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Scaling up with SCALEUP
    Scaling up a start-up or small business presents multiple challenges. This is particularly true when commercializing hard engineering technologies due to the investment required to demonstrate cost and performance at commercial scale sufficient to address market adoptions risks. Through the SCALEUP program, first launched in 2019, ARPA-E has endeavored to help address these challenges and accelerate deployment of promising technologies previously funded by ARPA-E. In this panel you will hear from leaders of a few of the companies from the SCALEUP 2019 and 2021 cohorts. They will describe some of the key technical, commercial, and team development challenges they have confronted – and continue to confront – in their scale-up journey and how they are addressing them.
  • Allan Bradshaw, Chief Manufacturing Officer, InventWood
  • Danny Cunningham, Deputy Director for Commercialization, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Via Separations
  • Lane Nelson, Co-Founder & Chief Financial Officer, Switched Source
  • Dr. Greg Rieker, Chief Technology Officer, LongPath Technologies
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.DOE Foundations
    The Department of Energy has been tasked with setting up an independent foundation — the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) — per section 10691 of the CHIPS Act. FESI will be established as a non-profit 501©(3) organization. This panel will feature established organizations by other government departments. Attendees can gain an understanding of this new organization as panelists discuss what successes the department and organizations have created and how outside stakeholders interact with existing foundations.
  • Dr. Vanessa Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Maynard Holliday, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
  • Dr. Sally Rockey, Chief Executive Officer, Rockey Consulting
  • Jetta Wong, Co-Author of the 2020, ITIF report, Mind the Gap: A Design for a New Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation, Former Clean Energy
  • 10:25 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Video Address
  • Zoe Lofgren, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives, California
  • 10:30 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.Video Address
    Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senate, New Mexico
    10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Vicki Hollub, Chief Executive Officer, Oxy
  • 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Keynote Address
  • LTG Eric J. Wesley, U.S. Army, Retired
  • 11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Fireside Chat
  • John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, The White House
  • Aliya Haq, Vice President, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
  • 11:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
  • Shomik Verma, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 11:30 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Brandon Williams, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, New York
  • 11:35 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Charles Fleischmann, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee
  • 11:40 a.m.Closing Remarks
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day Two

    Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

    The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

    The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

    Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Fast Pitch: Nuclear & Materials
  • Dr. Ahmed Diallo, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Robert Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Grid Storage Beyond the Hype
    Intermittent resources such as wind and solar play a greater role in energy generation. Concurrently, consumer, commercial, and industrial power consumption increasingly electrifies. Energy storage will play a critical role in balancing supply and demand across the grid, regardless of time of day, weather, or season. This is reflected in the public funding and private capital flowing to the development of new battery and alternative energy storage technologies and projects. This panel will explore the role that storage currently plays in the grid and, more importantly, what to expect in the future, and when. Our panelists will discuss the technologies and the business cases behind recent high-profile long duration energy storage projects to provide an inside view into this key enabler of the energy transition.
  • Yayoi Sekine, Head of Energy Storage, BloombergNEF
  • Dr. Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
  • Julia Souder, Executive Director, Long Duration Energy Storage Council
  • TJ Winter, Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Fluence
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.What’s Behind the Corporate Curtain?
    This panel will examine large company absorption and adoption of companies and their technologies. When a company conducts an IPO or other type of capital raise, everything happens in the public eye. Conversely when one company acquires another’s technology – or the company itself – the process is opaquer and that technology sometimes doesn’t resurface for years, if ever. Large company executives will pull back the curtain and explain what happens to the energy technologies they acquire after the purchase and how they are absorbed or adopted into the acquirer’s operations. Learn more about this potential road to commercialization.
  • Christy Wyskiel, Director, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures
  • Dr. Patty Chang-Chien, Vice President & General Manager, Boeing Research and Technology
  • Roman Mueller, Executive Director and Principal, RTX Ventures
  • Limor Spector, General Manager, Incubation Technologies, GE Research
  • Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
  • 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Tech Demo: CHARGED: Commercialization of Highly Accelerated Reliable Grid-Networked Energy Delivery
    Team: Imagen Energy
    12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Predictive Data-Driven Vehicle Dynamics and Powertrain Control: from ECU to the Cloud
    University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
    This NEXTCAR project seeks to reduce vehicle energy consumption by 30%, via connectivity and automation technologies. If scaled to all on-road vehicles in the U.S., these technologies potentially eliminate 4.5 quads of energy consumption. Our project pursues three use-cases. The first leverages communication with signalized intersections to automate the speed profile and lane changing to minimize energy consumption, in arterial roads. Second, we automate the parking and charging behaviors in parking lots via vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Third, we minimize fleet vehicle energy consumption via optimized dispatching, routing, and charge scheduling in urban environments. We invite you to engage with us on scaling this technology to maximize impact.
    10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
    Pitchers:
  • Aditya Mishra, University of California, San Diego: “DERConnect: Voltage state estimation in partially known power network”
  • Bogdan Dryzhakov, University of Tennessee – Knoxville: ” Single Cells with Tandem Power”
  • Gustavo Marquez, Stanford University and Melissa Zhang, Harvard University: “RockFix”
  • Lindsay Walter, University of Utah: “Power at the nanoscale: Waste heat recovery using near-field thermophotovoltaics”
  • Shomik Verma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: ” High-temperature ceramic combustor with thermophotovoltaic power generation”
  • Sichao Cheng, University of Maryland: “Self-sustaining methane conversion facility for methane flaring sites with economical feasibility” Panel:
  • Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Paul Glaser, Hydrogen & Future Fuels Leader, GE Vernova Advanced Research
  • Dr. Brenda Haendler, Director of Technology Management, Breakthrough Energy Fellows
  • Gautam Phanse, Strategic Relations Manager, Chevron Tech Ventures
  • Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
  • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.American Energy Innovators Network: Designing Federal Policy for Energy Startups
    The American Energy Innovators Network (AEIN) is hosting a policy discussion for Summit participants. Join us for a brief overview of the policy landscape affecting clean energy startups, entrepreneurs, and investors, and discussion on policy priorities for the upcoming year. This conversation is open to anyone who is interested.
  • Dr. Tanya Das, Senior Associate Director of Energy Innovation, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • Natalie Tham, Policy Analyst, Energy Program, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • 1:15 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Arun Majumdar, Dean, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
  • 1:35 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.Fireside Chat
  • Mujeeb Ijaz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ONE
  • Alicia R. Knapp, President and Chief Executive Officer, BHE Renewables
  • Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • 1:55 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Wes Moore, Governor, State of Maryland
  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.Keynote Address
    * Dr. David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego, BP
    2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.Keynote Address
  • Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Alaska
  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.Keynote Address & Fireside Chat
  • Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Fredrick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Fast Pitch: Sustainability & Resilience
  • Dr. Simon Freeman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Anil Ganti, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Philseok Kim, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Marina Sofos, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Best Practices and Challenges for Product or Process Lifecycle Analyses
    The focus on sustainability across multiple industry sectors has enhanced the need for the development of highly sophisticated Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) tools for revenue generating products and processes. These tools help companies estimate and reduce their Scope 1-3 emissions to meet the sustainability scorecards they have been mandated to report on. Development of such models are a non-trivial task requiring a comprehensive understanding of cradle-to-grave supply chains and acquiring and analyzing data sources, for accurate reporting. This panel session will focus on identifying some of the challenges and best practices for the development of LCA tools for the aviation, datacenter, oil & gas, and materials manufacturing industries and what transformational technologies are needed. Perspectives from the panelists will focus on what is possible versus what is needed and how the uptake of these tools for future decision making can be enhanced.
  • Dr. Stephen McCord, Research Area Specialist Lead, University of Michigan Global CO2 Initiative
  • Michelle Krynock, Senior Life Cycle Analyst, National Energy Technology Laboratory
  • Laurette Lahey, Senior Director of Flight and Vehicle Technology, Boeing Research & Technology
  • Cory Tatarzyn, Global Zero Waste Program Manager, General Motors
  • 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.Nuclear Power for our Low Carbon Future: Rethinking the Nuclear Waste Challenge
    The energy transition will require a variety of low-carbon energy technologies and, while early in the transition, the premium for constant, on-demand power is becoming increasingly important. One option for low-carbon, baseload electricity is nuclear energy. Several advanced reactor companies are targeting deployment towards the latter part of this decade, though a common question relevant to their rapid deployment is, “What should we do about the waste?”. The current disposal plan, decided in the late 1970s and endorsed multiple times since, for nuclear waste is to permanently dispose of the material in a deep geological repository. However, the existing nuclear waste sits in interim storage at approximately 100 locations throughout the United States and the suitability of a potential deep geological repository to effectively sequester nuclear waste from advanced reactors is unclear. Fortunately, technologies, including waste forms, recycling, transmutation, etc., have dramatically evolved and the potential to reassess optimal disposal options is timely. This panel will discuss how potential technological innovations could have significant impact on the viability of various disposal options.
  • Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Dr. Per Peterson, Professor, U.C. Berkeley
  • Sylvia Saltzstein, Manager of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, Transportation, Security, and Safeguards R&D, Sandia National Laboratory
  • Jackie Siebens, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Oklo Inc.
  • Dr. Kris Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Holtec
  • 5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Tech Demo: Analytics Data Hub and the Intelligence Potential of Clarivate’s Global Research & Innovation Data
    Clarivate Partner Demo
    6:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Compact Diffusion Bonded Printed-Circuit Heat Exchanger Development Using Nickel Superalloys for Highly Power Dense and Efficient Modular Energy Production Systems
    Vacuum Process Engineering (VPE) will present progress on the design and manufacturing development of compact diffusion bonded microchannel heat exchangers using high nickel superalloys. Microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from laminating layers of sheet metal together in a solid-state joining process where the sheet metal layers contain small semicircular channels to accommodate fluid flow with alternating flow paths. Typically, microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from stainless steel alloys which limits their operating conditions to ~650 °C at ~20 MPa. The development of alternative channel forming and bonding techniques developed in this project for high nickel alloys such as IN740H allow for the operating envelope of microchannel heat exchangers to be extended to 800 °C at 28 MPa. A prototype 5-kW heat exchanger constructed from IN740H and operated at temperatures above 800 °C will be presented.
    7:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.Tech Demo: AERIALIST – 2nd generation motor for lArge ElectRIc Aircraft propuLsIon SysTems
    Team: Wright Electric
    5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.ARPA-E: The Team Transforming Energy
    ARPA-E has a history of making a difference – not just in the way the United States uses energy, but also in the lives and careers of those who join the ARPA-E team. The Program Director, T2M Advisor, and Fellow positions can play a decisive role in a career both by providing the opportunity to revolutionize the energy sector and positioning team members for future prospects that may have otherwise been out of reach or unimagined. These positions are term limited to drive a consistent influx of new ideas and perspectives into the agency and grow its alumni network throughout the energy innovation community. Join new ARPA-E Director Dr. Evelyn Wang as she sits with a panel of ARPA-E team members and alumni to discuss their experience working at the agency, how they decided that a role at ARPA-E was the right fit for them, and how ARPA-E served as a pivotal point in their career trajectory.
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Susan Babinec, Program Lead, Stationary Storage, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • Ashwin Salvi, Chief Operating Officer, Atmoszero
  • Roundtable: State of Federal Real Estate

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

    This a roundtable of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

    Participant List:
    • Nina Albert, Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration (GSA)
    • David Marroni, Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
    • Michael Capuano, Public Buildings Reform Board
    • David L. Winstead, Public Buildings Reform Board
    • Derrick Mashore, Senior Vice President, Advisory and Transaction Services, CBRE
    • Chad Habeeb, Principal, Director of Leasing, FD Stonewater, LLC
    • Kay Sargent, Director of WorkPlace, HOK
    • Timothy O. Horne, EVP, Portfolio Management, Head of Denver Office, Boyd Watterson Asset Management, LLC

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Day One

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

    ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

    The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

    The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

    Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

    10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.Opening Remarks & Keynote Address
  • Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
  • 10:15 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy , U.S. Department of Energy
  • Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer , Via Separations
  • Dr. Leah Ellis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Sublime Systems
  • Joe Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Quidnet Energy
  • 10:50 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce
  • David Turk, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy
  • 11:15 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.Keynote Address
  • Ernest J. Moniz, MIT Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Post-Tenure
  • 11:35 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.Fireside Chat
  • Arati Prabhakar, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
  • Dr. David M. Hart, Professor of Public Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
  • 11:55 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.Keynote Address
    Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures
    11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.Government Agency Networking Program (GANP)
    The Government Agency Networking Program (GANP) at the annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit provides an opportunity to meet with representatives from federal government agencies to discuss research interests, funding solicitations, grants, and other potential partnership opportunities.
    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Fast Pitch: Batteries & Storage
  • Dr. Peter de Bock, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Julia Greenwald, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jack Lewnard, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Laurent Pilon, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Lab to Impact: Maximizing Success with Technology Licensing Offices
    In this panel, we will delve into best practices for how and when to engage with Technology Licensing Offices, and what common pitfalls to avoid. We will hear from a diversity of stakeholders representing an inventor, investor, lawyer, and licensing office, who will share their successes and failures – drawing from decades of experience. Whether you are looking to spin out a startup or license a technology, this panel will help provide practical takeaways on how to maximize success and impact.
  • Dr. Christina Chang, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital
  • Dylan Adams, Patent Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine
  • Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, Co-Founder, Form Energy, Sublime Systems, Desktop Metal, 24M Technologies and A123 Systems
  • Deirdre Zammit, Associate Director, Licensing, MIT Technology Licensing Office
  • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy Given the Recent Achievement of Ignition at the National Ignition Facility
    This panel will address the following questions about the prospects for inertial fusion energy (IFE): Can lasers be made efficient enough to enable a commercial IFE power plant? Can targets be made inexpensively and at scale? Are the physics challenges going from indirect drive (as is done on the National Ignition Facility) to direct drive (or another concept) tractable?
  • Dr. Tammy Ma, Lead, Intertial Fusion Energy Initiative, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Dr. Kramer Akli, Program Manager, DOE Office of Science
  • Dr. Carly Anderson, Principal, Prelude Ventures
  • Dr. Susana Reyes, VP of Chamber and Plant Design, Xcimer Energy
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Fast Pitch: Industrial Processes
  • Dr. Katharine Greco, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Jonathan Melville, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. James Seaba, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Douglas Wicks, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • Dr. Olga Blum Spahn, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Decarbonizing the “Bus Stop” of the Future: Innovations in Urban Transportation
    As cities strive to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban transportation, defining the “bus stop” of the future, and with it, the necessary technology innovations and infrastructure, is becoming increasingly important. In high population density areas, where large metro systems are not available, the energy implications of the shift towards electrified and on-demand mobility options must be considered. Ride-hailing services currently optimize for pick-up proximity, but what does the equivalent approach for passenger transit look like in these situations and what role does energy efficiency need to play when the most convenient option is continued reliance on privately owned, personally driven cars? How does the increase in car sales during the pandemic further factor into future solutions? This thought-provoking panel will explore the disruptive innovations and flexible options that can address the energy consumption of future modes of urban transportation and tackle the question of how to ensure equity for all.
  • Dr. Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Benjamin de la Peña, Chief Executive Officer, Shared-Use Mobility Center
  • Carolyn Gonot, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
  • Gabe Klein, Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Beyond VC: Alternative Funding Sources for Startups
    Panelists from a range of non-dilutive (federal, state and non-profit) and “less-dilutive” (venture debt, in various structures) funding sources will discuss how energy- and climate-tech startups can navigate non-traditional funding sources to best support their companies’ growth plans.
  • Hilary Flynn, Managing Director, Investments, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
  • Jackie Logan, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Raise Green
  • Max Tuttman, Principal, The Ad Hoc Group
  • Jonah Wagner, Chief Strategist, Department of Energy Loan Program Office National Harbor 10
  • 5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.Tech Demo: Advanced Operation & Maintenance Techniques implemented in the Xe-100 Plant Digital Twin to reduce Fixed O&M Cost
    X-energy is an Advanced Reactor design company and an awardee of the ARPA-E GEMINA Program. The main objective of the GEMINA Program is to demonstrate how Digital Twins can reduce Fixed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs for the Advanced Reactors (i.e. the Xe-100). X-energy’s 3D Immersive Digital Twin Experience demonstrates the integration between the physics-based Xe-100 Simulator and a 3D virtual representation of the Xe-100 plant. Users can walk through and interact with the Virtual Reality (VR) model as if it were the real Xe-100 plant. During the design phases of the Xe-100, the 3D model is being used for iterative design reviews to incorporate feedback, optimize layouts, and inform future work. During the operation phase of the Xe-100, the 3D model will be used for training of plant staff, particularly Maintenance crews. Combined with X-DATA™, X-energy’s Digital Twin product, the 3D Immersive Environment supports the implementation of “Central Maintenance” concepts that will ultimately lead to a safer, more reliable, and more economic nuclear plant for the 21st century.
    5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.Tech Demo: Low-cost non-destructive plant root phenotyping
    Tomographic Electrical Rhizosphere Imager (TERI) is a technology aiming to make plant root phenotyping easier and faster. Root digging, washing, photographing, counting, and analysis have been the standard practice for field scale root phenotyping for a very long time. This is a process that is low throughput and very time and labor consuming. TERI aims to disrupt this practice to significantly accelerate plant root phenotyping at field scales to help accelerate the development of new root-superior plant varieties that are more resource efficient and climate resilient. TERI technology is based on the dialectic properties and behavior of plant root systems and can work under almost any type of soil, moisture, and plant species conditions. The lightweight of the hardware system and the user-friendly software interface make the system very easy to use by anyone without the technical background.
    6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.Tech Demo: Basin-SCAN: Basin Scale Continuous oil and gas emissions mitigAtion Network
    Founded in 2018 through the ARPA-E MONITOR program, LongPath Technologies is the “5G” of methane measurement and abatement, providing a proven and standardized approach across the value chain. Our specialized laser systems detect, locate and quantify site-level emissions across 20+ square mile regions with a single laser tower, and the continuous emissions monitoring networks provide actionable real-time alerts and quantitative emission rates to oil and gas operators. LongPath’s innovative regional-scale solution provides continuous, reliable data at the lowest cost to the customer.
    7:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Tech Demo: Pilot Production for Commercial Sampling of Rare-Earth-Free Iron Nitride Permanent Magnets
    Niron Magnetics has developed the first powerful permanent magnets free of rare earths and other critical materials. Niron’s Iron Nitride-based Clean Earth Magnet® technology makes use of globally available commodity raw material inputs. As an ARPA-E SCALEUP awardee, Niron is expanding its pilot production to support commercial design partnerships, including those with GM, Volvo Cars, Western Digital, Tymphany Audio, and Premium Sound Solutions.

    Building the Green Transition: A Justice-Centered Vision for Permitting Reform

    Posted by Brad Johnson Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

    Efficiently greenlighting the development of renewable energy projects is crucial to the clean energy transition. But the conversation about how to reform permitting processes has been dominated by proposals that aim to speed the permitting process by limiting democratic participation and weakening environmental review. These proposals risk leaving frontline communities more vulnerable to exploitation—particularly from polluting industries—and making it faster and easier to develop fossil fuel projects.

    On March 21, the Roosevelt Institute hosted a one-day, in-person conversation in Washington, DC, to discuss the need for permitting reform that centers climate justice and highlights progressive ideas for how to hasten the green transition.

    10:00 am SESSION 1: WELCOME
    • Marissa Guananja, Chief Programs Officer, Roosevelt Institute
    • Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Director of Climate Policy, Roosevelt Institute

    10:15 am SESSION 2: PANEL – WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PERMITTING?

    Moderator: Hannah Vogel, Policy Advisor, Office of Senator Edward Markey

    Panelists:
    • Jungwoo Chun, Postdoctoral Impact Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Climate and Sustainability Consortium
    • Adam Cohen, Co-founder and CEO, Ranger Power
    • Jamie Pleune, Associate Professor of Law (Research) and Wallace Stegner Center Fellow at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
    • Anthony Rogers-Wright, Director of Environmental Justice, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

    11:15 am SESSION 3: PANEL – WHAT ABOUT COMMUNITIES? PERMITTING AS A TOOL FOR JUSTICE.

    Moderator: Adrien Salazar, Policy Director, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

    Panelists:
    • Aminah Ghaffar, Community Organizer, 7 Directions of Service
    • Fermina Stevens, Director, Western Shoshone Defense Project
    • Naomi Yoder, Staff Scientist, Healthy Gulf

    12:00 pm LUNCH

    12:45 pm SESSION 4: KEYNOTE
    • Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts

    1:15 pm SESSION 5: PANEL – NEPA REFORM: HOW CAN PERMITTING SUPPORT EQUITY AND IMPROVE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION?

    Moderator: Dana Johnson, Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy, WE ACT

    Panelists:
    • Raul Garcia, Legislative Director for Healthy Communities, Policy and Legislation, Earthjustice
    • Maria Lopez-Nuñez, Deputy Director of Organizing and Advocacy, Ironbound Community Corporation
    • Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, Executive Director, Western Environmental Law Center
    • Nicky Sheats, Director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research, Kean University

    2:00 pm SESSION 6: PANEL – HOW CAN WE REFORM PERMITTING PROCESSES RELATED TO TRANSMISSION?

    Moderator: Jennie Chen, Senior Manager, Clean Energy, World Resources Institute

    Panelists:
    • Nathanael Green, Senior Renewable Energy Advocate, Climate & Clean Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
    • Suedeen Kelly, Partner & Co-chair, Energy Practice, Jenner & Block LLP
    • Tyler Norris, Vice President of Development, Cypress Creek Renewables
    • Christine Powell, Deputy Managing Attorney, Earthjustice
    2:45 pm SESSION 7: CLOSING KEYNOTE
    • Abbie Dillen, President, Earthjustice

    This Is Climate: Water

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT

    World Water Day, marked every March, was established by the United Nations to focus attention on the importance of fresh water around the globe. On Wednesday, March 15 at 9:00 a.m. ET, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Melissa Ho, World Wildlife Fund senior vice president for freshwater and food, Alexia Leclercq, Start:Empowerment co-founder, and Julie Waechter, DigDeep co-CEO, join Washington Post Live to discuss possible solutions that address global water inequities and the role of water in sustainable development.

    Speakers:
    • Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)
    • Melissa Ho, Senior Vice President, Freshwater & Food, World Wildlife Fund
    • Alexia Leclercq, Co-Founder, Start:Empowerment
    • Julie Waechter, Co-CEO, DigDeep

    In a segment presented by Ecolab, Calvin Emanuel, vice president and general manager of Sustainable Growth Solutions at Ecolab, and Glenn Prickett, president and CEO at World Environment Center, will discuss how industry can be a positive force in supporting a water-secure future while driving business outcomes. The conversation will cover the central tenets of corporate sustainability programs that conserve water, foster business resilience, and create positive impacts in support of communities around the world.

    Speakers:
    • Calvin Emmanuel, Vice President & General Manager, Sustainable Growth Solutions, Ecolab
    • Glenn Prickett, President & CEO, World Environment Center
    • Moderated by Kathleen Koch, Journalist

    Register

    At the The Washington Post, 1301 K Street, NW

    Congressional Climate Camp: Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

    Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 09 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT

    What to learn more about climate policy? But not sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for our start-of-the-new Congress briefing series, Climate Camp. We will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for climate mitigation and adaptation policy.

    Our fourth session in EESI’s Congressional Climate Camp series is on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These laws provide billions of dollars to confront the climate crisis and strengthen critical infrastructure. Panelists will provide an update on the status of their implementation, describe how state and local governments and organizations are accessing funds, and explain the oversight role Congress must play to maximize these investments.

    Speakers
    • Dr. Henry McKoy, Jr., Director, Office of State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Department of Energy
    • David Terry, President, National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
    • Sarah Kline, Consultant, Bipartisan Policy Center
    • Kevin Rennert, Fellow; Director, Federal Climate Policy Initiative, Resources for the Future
    • Duanne Andrade, Executive Director, Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF)
    • Jana Barresi, Head of Washington, D.C., Office, Lowe’s Companies Inc.

    This event, at 2168 Rayburn, 2 PM-3:30 PM, is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to expedite check-in.

    A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast.

    Rising Risks: Managing Volatility in Global Commodity Derivatives Markets

    Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:00:00 GMT

    Hearing page

    Witnesses:
    • Michael Gelchie, Group Chief Executive Officer, Louis Dreyfus Company
    • Derek Sammann, Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Commodities, Options & International Markets, CME Group
    • Alicia Crighton, Chair of the Board, Futures Industry Association
    • Christopher Edmonds, Chief Development Officer, Intercontinental Exchange
    • Dan Berkovitz, Former Commissioner, Commodities Futures Trading Commission

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