Energy Innovations: Conversations on Emerging Technologies

Want to geek out on the latest in emerging clean energy technologies? This session is your opportunity to uplevel your understanding and engage deeply with those at the forefront of the innovation ecosystem.

Join small group discussions led by experts, diving into a variety of clean energy innovations. We’ll cover a range of technologies including geothermal, long-duration energy storage, fusion, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and thermal energy storage.

Clean Baseload Energy Everywhere from Next-generation Geothermal // Lucy Darago, XGS Energy // Geothermal energy can provide the clean baseload energy required to maintain a reliable and resilient grid and accelerate the growth of energy-intensive industries like data centers. This table will discuss the technical advances unlocking new addressable markets for geothermal energy production plus permitting, financing and other considerations for large-scale geothermal deployment.

Accelerating the Momentum for Industrial Decarbonization // Theresa Christain, OCED // Decarbonizing steel, cement, and chemicals manufacturing requires sector-specific solutions, funding and implementation pathways. Discuss innovative projects, pathways for decarbonization and opportunities for increasing adoption in these critical sectors.

Carbon Dioxide Removal Now: Scaling Nature-Based Solutions // Elliot Chang, Lithos Carbon // The last five years have seen a rapid growth in the voluntary carbon markets, with nature-based projects unlocking new support through innovations in monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks. Discuss the state of the carbon removal ecosystem and how to balance scaling projects with investing in continued scientific progress and collaboration.

Decarbonizing Industrial Steam with Heat Batteries // Neal Donnelly, Rondo // Steam is the workhorse of many industrial processes, delivering heat wherever its needed. Electric boilers can replace gas-fired boilers for steam production, but their operational cost is much higher. This table will discuss the variety of emerging heat battery technologies that are filling this gap, producing industrial steam with low cost off-peak and renewable electricity.

Emerging Technologies and Innovating with Utilities // Quinn Nakayama, PG&E // When it comes to decarbonizing and electrifying the energy sector, new and exciting technologies are needed to create step-change impact that will enable utilities and states to meet their goals, while doing so at the lowest societal cost.  Whether it’s grid technologies (sensors, advanced conductors, drones, advanced power flow, DLR), advanced softwares (planning, ADMS/DERMS, AMI 2.0), or customer technologies (heat pumps, EVs V1G V2G, energy storage), let’s talk about new and exciting things coming down the pipe!  Also, learn how utilities think about innovation, startups, hardware testing, software integration, and the process of innovation!

Climate-Smart Agriculture // Jane Franch, Pivot Bio // Agriculture accounts for ~10% of US GHG emissions, and somewhere between 12-23% of global emissions. Methane and nitrous oxide make up nearly all the sector emissions, and yet research and mitigation efforts for these gasses have lagged. Discuss the emerging technologies in agriculture, including biotechnology, precision agriculture, and more. What will be required to scale these technologies and make climate smart ag practices business as usual?

Datacenter Waste Heat Reuse // Zachary Berquist, APRA-E // Datacenters account for 3-4% of United States electricity demand, and this will grow exponentially with continued demand of artificial intelligence. Although datacenters produce low-grade waste heat (< 60°C), some sites produce more than 100 MWs of it – enough to power 80,000 homes. This table will discuss the opportunities and hurdles for reusing low-grade waste heat on such a large-scale.

Industrial Decarbonization: Cement // Daniel Kopp, Queens Carbon // Cement production is responsible for >8% of global CO2 emissions, making decarbonization a critical challenge for the industry. We’ll discuss (1) existing decarbonization roadmaps and the associated pain points, and (2) strategies to reduce production costs and energy consumption, aiming to make carbon-neutral cement a reality.

Gigaton-Scale Carbon Removals with BECCS // Ross McKenzie, Elimini // Energy demand is growing with emerging AI markets, for sustainable aviation fuel and increasing electrification. At the same time carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever. To get us back on track we need more carbon removal technology, like BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) and renewable energy projects. How do we integrate these technologies to meet climate goals and protect the planet?

Roadmap to Cost Competitive Bio-based Chemicals // Chris Eiben, Perlumi // Synthetic biology is viewed as a key developing technology to make sustainable fuels and chemicals. However, reaching the economics to compete on price with incumbent petrochemicals has remained elusive. This table will discuss developments in biologic approaches to tackle the future of energy and materials needs.

Agrivoltaics for Climate Resiliency // Kiana Michaan, Okovate Sustainable Energy // How can land-use be optimized in the clean energy transition? Pairing agricultural production and solar together through agrivoltaics! Crop-integrated agrivoltaics provide a myriad of economic and climate resilient benefits for farmers and developers that are essential for the clean energy transition. Discuss the challenges and opportunities for the emerging agrivoltaics market in the US.