View the UT Energy Week 2024 Program
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Keynotes, Panels & the Communications Fair
The University of Texas at Austin: Robert R. Rowling Hall (RRH), 300 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Austin, TX 78705 & AT&T Conference Center, 1900 University Ave., Austin, TX 78705
Note: UT Energy Week attendees have the opportunity to earn continuing education units (CEUs) for professional engineering (PE) licensing requirements, provided by Texas Engineering Executive Education at UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering. You may indicate your interest in this option when you register for Energy Week.
Quick Navigation
- Registration & Breakfast
- Morning Keynote
- Panel: A Nuclear Carol
- Free Course: Decision Quality (Concurrent Event)
- Panel: Decarbonization Strategies – From Science to Practice
- Energy & Climate Communications Fair
- Energy Journalism Keynote
- Panel: Energy’s Got an Image Problem – Can It Be Fixed?
- Panel: ERCOT Grid Resilience & Distributed Energy
- Between Two Cacti with Brian Korgel
- Keynote: A Journey of Energy Entrepreneurship
- Beautiful Energy: Public Art for Sustainable Cities
- Keynote: Ensuring an Equitable Energy Future
- Evening Reception
Registration & Breakfast
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Morning Keynote
Panel: A Nuclear Carol
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Panel: A Nuclear Carol – The Future of Nuclear via the Past & Present Perspectives of France, U.S., and Texas
It has been nearly 30 years since the installation of a new nuclear reactor in France. In 2023, the United States witnessed the completion of its first (from scratch) nuclear reactor in 27 years. The last of Texas’ four reactors came online in 1993, and in Texas’ and other wholesale electricity markets, there is little near-term prospect for current commercial nuclear reactor designs to be economically competitive outside of a considerable carbon constraint or incentive. While in the European Union and U.S., nuclear’s present is not what was once hoped, new options are on the horizon. Will France maintain its nuclear leadership in the EU? Can Texas lead the U.S. in use of new nuclear technology? Join three experts for this panel exploring what comes next.
Moderator: Dale Klein, Former Commissioner of Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Professor, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
Featured Panelists:
- Sunil Felix, French Atomic Commission, U.S. Embassy (Washington, DC)
- Jimmy Glotfelty, Commissioner, Public Utility Commission of Texas
Free Course: Decision Quality (Concurrent Event)
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Free Course Hosted by Texas Executive Education: Decision Quality
Pecos Classroom, RRH 3.224
Taught by Eric Bickel
Uncertainty makes decision-making difficult, but knowing how to effectively navigate it is a sought-after business skill, especially as you acquire more authority and accountability in your role. In this session, Professor Eric Bickel will break down the science of what makes decision-making and forecasting difficult and the skills and mindset necessary to excel in these tasks. He will introduce a framework for thinking about decisions and discuss biases that can degrade the quality of our forecasts.
Panel: Decarbonization Strategies – From Science to Practice
10:15 – 11:15 AM
Panel: Decarbonization Strategies – From Science to Practice
The operation of the modern economy is intimately linked to material and energy use, and global energy consumption remains dominated by a still-increasing rate of fossil fuel consumption. At the same time, the imperative to enact real reductions in carbon emissions grows more urgent every day, as carbon budgeting to meet 2°C targets necessitates the use of unprecedented technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. In this session, panelists explore how organizations are embracing science, the physical reality of the economy, and the carbon reduction imperative to inform decision-makers within both public and private organizations, and how perspectives might vary between the United States and the European Union.
Moderator: Carey King, Assistant Director, Research Scientist, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin
Featured Panelists:
- Matthieu Auzanneau, Executive Director, The Shift Project • View PDF slides
- Dr. Faye Gerard, Energy Transition Director, International Association of Oil & Gas Producers • View PDF slides
- Matt McDaniel, Engineering Project Manager, Carbon Direct • View PDF slides
Energy & Climate Communications Fair
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Energy & Climate Communications Fair
Featuring lunch from Austin Rôtisserie & Sandwicherie
11:45 AM – 1:15 PM
Lunch | Energy & Climate Communications Fair
Featured Guests:
- Alpheus Media
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
- Climate Fresk
- Disco Learning Media
- Energy Capital podcast
- Hudson Pacific
- Jackson School of Geosciences Office of Communications
- Jones-Dilworth
- Land Art Generator Initiative
- Power Trip
- Sun PR
- Texas Almanac
- Texas Energy & Power Newsletter
- Texas Monthly
- Texas Standard
- UT Press
Energy Journalism Keynote
Panel: Energy’s Got an Image Problem – Can It Be Fixed?
1:15 – 2:00 PM
Panel: Energy’s Got an Image Problem – Can It Be Fixed?
Moderator: Russell Gold, Senior Editor, Texas Monthly
Featured Panelists:
- Lucy Atkinson, Associate Professor, School of Advertising & Public Relations; Associate Director, UT Global Sustainability Leadership Institute
- David Iannelli, Partner, Hudson Pacific
- Andy Uhler, Energy Journalism Fellow for the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University
Panel: ERCOT Grid Resilience & Distributed Energy
2:00 – 2:45 PM
Panel: ERCOT Grid Resilience & Distributed Energy
As technology progresses, more distributed energy resources (DERs) are being deployed on the grid. These resources not only can reduce emissions but can also help improve the resiliency of electricity service to homes and businesses. This panel explores questions such as: What are some of the technologies that are becoming economically viable? How do we make sure these DERs are available to the widest possible population? What are the foundational business models to enable better coordination of DERs? And what funding sources can accelerate deployment?
Moderator: Doug Lewin, Founder, The Texas Energy & Power Newsletter
Featured Panelists:
- Bill Barnes, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs, NRG • View PDF slides
- John Padalino, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, Bandera Electric Cooperative • View PDF slides
- Tiffany Wu, Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) • View PDF slides
Between Two Cacti with Brian Korgel
2:45 – 3:15 PM
Between Two Cacti with Brian Korgel: Insights about the Inflation Reduction Act Clean Energy Tax Incentives
Luke Bassett (Senior Advisor and Director of Policy and Program Impact, IRA Implementation, U.S. Department of the Treasury), in conversation with Brian Korgel (Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin)
Keynote: A Journey of Energy Entrepreneurship
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Keynote: A Journey of Energy Entrepreneurship and Discovering the Solar Trifecta
Omeed Badkoobeh, CEO, Yotta Energy
Beautiful Energy: Public Art for Sustainable Cities
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Planet Texas 2050 Presents Beautiful Energy: Public Art for Sustainable Cities
In this session, the founding directors of Land Art Generator share the theoretical framework and programmatic highlights from their work at the intersection of art, infrastructure, and energy. Established in 2008, Land Art Generator focuses on the co-design of our energy future through international open-call design competitions, centering the integration of climate solutions and placemaking — often in the form of large-scale public art as renewable energy infrastructure. In Houston, for example, the Arch of Time by artist Riccardo Mariano will be a regenerative and permanent sculptural installation providing 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to power neighboring homes. A panel discussion with public art expert Constance Y. White and Jim Walker, UT Austin’s Director of Sustainability, follows.
Featured Speakers:
- Robert Ferry, Founding Director, Land Art Generator • View PDF slides
- Elizabeth Monoian, Founding Director, Land Art Generator • View PDF slides
- Constance Y. White, Art + Music Manager, Austin International Airport
- Jim Walker, Director, Office of Sustainability, The University of Texas at Austin
Keynote: Ensuring an Equitable Energy Future
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Keynote: Ensuring an Equitable Energy Future
Anissa Rodriguez Dickerman, CEO, Pecan Street
Featuring guest appearances from members of the Austin Youth Climate Equity Council, this special keynote presentation from Pecan Street CEO Anissa Rodriguez Dickerman explores the multifaceted realm of energy equity within the innovative landscape of Pecan Street, an Austin-based research and development organization that collects and provides access to the world’s best data on consumer energy behavior. Drawing from Pecan Street’s work pioneering data-driven initiatives in electricity consumption and leading groundbreaking research in water conservation, transportation systems, and soil carbon in agriculture, this session explores the intersectionality of energy equity, economics, and societal impact, as well as the challenges and opportunities for a more inclusive and sustainable energy future. With insights into the federal Justice40 Initiative, unprecedented investments in climate and energy, and the burgeoning influx of talent and young people dedicated to transformative change, this session promises to inspire actionable strategies for academic researchers, industry, and youth to work together toward a more equitable energy paradigm.Evening Reception
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Energy Institute & KBH Energy Center Evening Reception
AT&T Conference Center Courtyard