Hill Heat

With energy and environmentalism weighting heavily on the minds of all Americans, The New Republic will be hosting a two-part discussion series at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. This series will allow convention attendees a rare opportunity to engage with policy leaders and key innovators at the forefront of the energy and environmental debate. The series is open to all convention attendees and within walking distance to the Denver Convention Center and surrounding hotels.

• Carl Pope, Executive Director, The Sierra Club
• Representative George Miller (D-CA)
• Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)
• Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
• Matt Bennett, Vice President for Public Affairs, Third Way
• Brian F. Keane, President, SmartPower
• Ted Nordhaus, Chairman, The Breakthrough Institute; Co-author, Break Through
• Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University Law Professor and Author, Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment
• Franklin Foer, Editor of The New Republic, moderator

Tattered Cover Book Store, 16th & Wynkoop, Denver

08/26/2008 at 04:00PM

Facilitator: Vijay Vaitheeswaran

Introduction: The Government’s Role in the New Energy Economy

• Sen. Jeff Bingaman
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer
• Rep. Ed Markey
• Gavin Newsom
• Greg Nickels
• Federico Peña
• Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.
• Sen. Ken Salazar

Topic Expansion: Corporate and Community Initiatives in the New Energy Economy

• Dan Arvizu
• Mark Falcone
• Van Jones
• Carl Pope
• Jon Ratner
• Rhone Resch
• Heather Stephenson

Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO

08/26/2008 at 01:30PM

Sir Nicholas Stern delivers the Climate Change Roundtable keynote.

Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO

08/26/2008 at 12:00PM

Moderator: Ray Suarez

Introduction: Three Carbon Sources

• Robert A. Hefner III
• Dick Kelly
• Steven Leer
• Andrew Liveris
• Fred Palmer

Topic Expansion: Addressing the Economic Constraints

• William S. Becker
• Carol Browner
• Jerome Ringo
• Tim Wirth

Topic Expansion : Challenges and Opportunities

• D. James Baker
• Rep. Richard Gephardt
• Kevin Knobloch
• David Lester
• Sen. Claire McCaskill
• Michael Northrop
• Randy Udall

Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO

08/26/2008 at 10:00AM

Moderator: Rick Stengel

Introduction: Practical Examples of the Business Impact

• Dan Hendrix
• Mike Kaplan
• Dr. Jeff Kenna
• Rose McKinney James
• Dan Reicher

Topic Expansion: Resources for Business Leadership

• Frances Beinecke
• Leo Gerard
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar
• Ira Magaziner
• Navin Nayak
• John Podesta
• Dan Sperling

Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO

08/26/2008 at 08:00AM

From rising water levels to increasing water temperatures and changing fish populations, global warming’s impact on Narragansett Bay is measureable, growing, and in need of urgent action. To raise Rhode Islanders’ awareness of the effects of climate change on the Bay, our coastal areas, and our communities, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will chair a field briefing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) at the University of Rhode Island’s Bay Campus to discuss the implications of global warming for Narragansett Bay.

“Left unchecked, climate change will affect every community in every nation on earth, altering our Ocean State – and the entire world – in ways we are only beginning to understand, and coastal communities will be among those at greatest risk,” said Whitehouse. “This issue is real, time is of the essence, and action is called for.”

08/21/2008 at 10:30AM

EnergyPlus—DOE’s building energy simulation program—includes many building energy-simulation features that previously have not been available together in a mainstream program. Features include variable time steps, configurable modular systems integrated with a heat balance-based zone simulation, on-site power, hybrid natural/mechanical ventilation, and under-floor air distribution (UFAD). The underlying heat balance load calculation method is included in the 2005 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Fundamentals. In 2007, DOE began working on a plug-in for Google’s SketchUp software, which Google describes as “3-D for everyone.” SketchUp is used by a majority of architects during early design to facilitate studies of shape and massing. The Energy Design Plug-In integrates EnergyPlus with SketchUp, allowing easy evaluation of building energy performance. This presentation, by Drury Crawley of EERE, introduces EnergyPlus and its simulation methodologies, capabilities, utilities, and interfaces that facilitate using it.

Drury B. Crawley is acting team leader for the Commercial Buildings area of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He leads DOE’s team that is working to achieve net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. He also is responsible for managing DOE’s building energy software tools research and development activities including EnergyPlus, Energy Design Plug-In, and DOE-2, among others. He has more than 30 years of experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability for buildings; and is active in ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the American Institute of Architects. He serves on the editorial boards of three international journals, has published more than 100 papers and articles, and has given more than 175 presentations throughout the world.

901 D Street SW (adjacent to the Forrestal Building) or 370 L’Enfant Promenade. Ninth Floor. Please contact Wanda Addison, of Midwest Research Institute (MRI), at [email protected] or 202-488-2202

08/14/2008 at 12:00PM

BMW, Daimler, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and VW will showcase their latest hydrogen vehicles. Rides will also be available from 12 – 3pm.

The Hydrogen Road Tour is a two-week trip across the U.S. with more than 30 planned stops beginning on August 11 to showcase clean, efficient, hydrogen powered cars. The tour, organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Hydrogen Association, and California Fuel Cell Partnership, seeks to highlight progress made with the development of hydrogen vehicle and fueling technologies. Hydrogen, in addition to biofuels and hybrids, is one of many options that can play an important role in our future energy portfolio. Among these options, hydrogen can make the greatest long-term impact on reducing pollution and fuel imports from vehicles.

999 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024. (Between 9th ST and 12th ST SW, across from the DOE Forrestal Building and in front of the Smithsonian Castle).

08/14/2008 at 12:00PM

With rapidly rising energy costs changing the way Americans live and work, and global warming threatening even greater harm to our future prosperity and well-being, it is clear that a fundamental change in America’s energy policy is needed. Bold new policies and leadership can turn these twin crises into historic opportunities.

In that spirit, NDN is pleased to announce that on Friday, Aug. 1, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin will deliver an address on the economic benefits for America in moving from carbon-based fuels to renewable energy sources. Senator Durbin’s remarks will be followed by a panel discussion on “Energy and the American Way of Life.” Both events are hosted by the NDN Green Project.

During the panel discussion, energy leaders and experts will discuss how this transition can take place. The discussion will be moderated by NDN Green Project Director Michael Moynihan. Michael also will be discussing his new paper entitled, Solar Energy: The Case for Action.

Senator Durbin will speak at 11:15 a.m., and the panel will follow the senator’s remarks.

NDN’s Green Project is a program of the Globalization Initiative and seeks to develop the legislative and regulatory framework to address climate change, enhance energy security, and accelerate the development of green technologies to promote economic growth. Through this initiative, NDN serves as a bridge between key stakeholders such as the new clean technology community and public leaders as we build a post-carbon economy. For more on the Green Project’s work, please visit our blog.

Joining us will also be:

• Roger Efird, President of Suntech America and Solar Energy Industry Association Chairman, and a renewable energy pioneer with over 20 years experience in the solar industry.
• Greg Kats, head of Good Energies’ Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency investment cluster.
• Jack D. Hidary, Chairman of Americans for Renewable Energy.
• Shyam Kannan, LEED® AP, Vice President – Director of Research and Development, RCLCO, a real estate consulting company.

Location:

The Phoenix Park Hotel Ballroom 520 N. Capitol Street, NW Washington, D.C.

RSVP==

08/01/2008 at 11:15AM

For decades, consumers have been teased with fantastical visions of the future. From the “kitchen of tomorrow” to flying cars, predicting the technological wonders ahead is as American as apple pie made by an automated oven. With gas prices soaring and climate concerns growing, America and the planet don’t have the option to keep the future of energy wrapped within magazine pages or celluloid reels. And the good news about clean energy is that the future is already here.

On Thursday, Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will peer into the possibilities of current technologies flourishing into a new clean energy age, and what America and the world must do to advance this era. The CEO of Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection will discuss his ambitious proposal to be carbon-free within a decade, and the “father of plug-in hybrids” and experts in superconductors and other important technologies will offer expertise on current and future technologies that can break our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, create jobs, save money and save our planet from global warming.

Witnesses

• Cathy Zoi, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for Climate Protection
• Dr. Andrew Frank, Professor, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of California at Davis
• Gregory Yurek, Ph.D, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, American Superconductor Corporation
• Aristides A. N. Patrinos, Ph.D, President, Synthetic Genomics Steve Lockhard, CEO, T.P.I Composites

07/31/2008 at 01:30PM