SUMMIT PROGRAM

Buildings Panel (Building 70A, Room 3377): 

Buildings use 74% of the United States’ electricity and account for 39% of our total energy use and 35% of our carbon emissions (NIST, 2021). As a result, to achieve net-zero emissions, buildings need to become flexible, resilient, and smarter. There are five crucial trends driving zero-carbon building innovations: decarbonization, resilience, electrification, efficiency, and digitalization. New technologies promise to increase energy efficiency by eliminating fossil fuels for heating, using renewable energy sources, grid integration, and more effective materials. This panel delves into emerging technology, policy, and investment focus areas for buildings.

Moderator:

Tianhzen Hong, Computational Senior Scientist/Engineer, Berkeley Lab

Panelists: 

• Dr. Glen Junor, Program Manager, Sublime Systems

• Yi Jean Chow, Investment Principal, Clean Energy Ventures 

• Nicholas Ryan, Tech-to-Market Lead, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Nuclear Panel (Building 59, Room 4101): 

Nuclear power accounts for 18% of generation in advanced economies and is the largest low-carbon source of electricity (NIA, 2022). Nuclear power provides 56% of America’s clean energy and is the most reliable energy source and a zero-emissions clean energy source. Advancements in nuclear technology are essential for addressing critical energy security concerns, dramatically expanding energy access, and ultimately achieving decarbonization. This panel will discuss the US nuclear power market and future outlooks, as well as advice for technology innovators looking to impact the nuclear power sector through advanced nuclear reactor technologies that are essential to maintaining a clean, resilient, reliable, and affordable energy system in the United States.

Moderator:

Ryan Benitez, Partner, Decisive Point

Panelists: 

• Lori Braase, Business Development Executive & Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear advisor, Idaho National Laboratory

• Brian Gitt, Head of Business Development, Oklo

• Christine King, Director, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, Idaho National Laboratory

• Michelle Brechtelsbauer, Vice President, Strategy, Last Energy

• Chris Colbert, Chief Executive Officer, Elementl Power

Grid Modernization and Energy Storage Panel (Building 50B, Room 4205)

This panel delves into modernizing the grid to make it ‘smarter’ and more resilient through the use of cutting-edge technologies, equipment, and controls that communicate and work together to deliver electricity more reliably and efficiently can greatly reduce the frequency of outages, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to achieving net-zero emissions through efficient energy allocation and usage. It focuses on barriers, trends, and frontiers for advanced emerging grid modernization technology, and the required policy and investment.

Moderator: 

Ben Downing, Vice President of Public Affairs, The Engine

Panelists: 

• Christian Okoye, Investor in Emerging Technologies, Generate Capital

• Robert Kostecki, Scientific Division Director, Berkeley Lab

• Ayman Fawaz, Innovation Consultant, National Grid

• Ram Narayanamurthy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy 

Renewables Panel (Building 70, Room 191): 

Renewable energy generates about 20% of all US electricity; the United States is a resource-rich country with renewable energy resources 100x that of the nation’s annual electricity need; it just remains a matter of harnessing and utilizing these resources through advanced technology. Expanding current technology deployment and emerging technology research will increase access to the Nation’s renewable energy potential. This panel assembles inventors, policymakers, investors, and other major players across the clean energy space in the US to discuss the status quo and the future of renewable energy generation and circularity.

Moderator:

Alec Wright, Chief Product Officer, One Valley

Panelists:

• Julie Mulvaney Kemp, Policy Research Scientist, Berkeley Lab

• Katherine He, Investment Associate, TDK Ventures

• Jennifer Distefano, Solar Innovation Technical Advisor, U.S. Department of Energy

• Shomik Dutta, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Overture VC