UT Energy Week 2024
What Starts Here Energizes the World
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.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27
The University of Texas at Austin, Robert R. Rowling Hall (RRH), 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78705
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8:00 – 8:30 |
Registration & Breakfast | |
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8:30 – 8:45 |
Opening Remarks – View recording |
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8:45 – 9:15 |
Opening Keynote Address: Unconventional Approaches for Unconventional Times Ezra Yacob Chief Executive Officer and Director, EOG Resources |
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9:15 – 10:00 |
Panel: Progress Toward Energy Independence: 50 Years Since the Oil Embargo– View recording This panel will explore how the U.S. has achieved energy independence due to innovations in oil and gas and greater electrification of the transport sector
JR DeShazo (Moderator)
Dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin Buzz Smith Executive Director, Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (TXETRA) Michael Webber Professor and John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin |
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10:00 – 10:15 |
Break | |
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10:15 – 11:00 |
HyVelocity: Rapidly Scaling Clean Hydrogen Supply & Demand in Texas & Beyond – View recording Building on decades of public-private partnerships, Texas and the Gulf Coast represent a massive opportunity to build momentum for the clean hydrogen industry, not only in the region, but across the United States and globally. In this panel, we will hear from the U.S. Department of Energy and members of the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub (HyVelocity) on the opportunity to scale the Texas clean hydrogen economy and deliver jobs and economic benefits to communities across the region.
Brian Korgel Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin Crystal Perkins Senior Regional Advisor, U.S. Department of Energy Gaurav Sinha Vice President, Green Hydrogen Origination, The AES Company Charlie Trivette Business Venture Advisor, ExxonMobil Liz Ramsay Dalton (Moderator) Executive Director, HyVelocity Hub, GTI Energy |
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11:00 – 11:45 |
Panel: Low-Carbon Aviation Solutions: Is the Sky the Limit? – View recording Aviation is one of the most difficult end-uses of energy to decarbonize. The high energy-density (per volume and mass) of fuels refined from oil, combined with more efficient jet engines, enables individual aircraft to fly nonstop for over 15 hours. To decarbonize aviation, we must decarbonize the life cycle of the fuels and enable new technologies in aircraft propulsion that can use low-carbon fuels. This panel will discuss progress in the use of sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen, and electric drive trains for personal and commercial aviation.
Monica Karamagi NAM Biofuels Business Development Lead, Shell Danielle McLean (Moderator) Founder, HYSKY Society |
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11:45 – 1:15 |
Lunch | Career Engagement Mix-&-Mingle
Participating Companies: If your company would like to participate in this event, email nora@energy.utexas.edu. Students: Find more info and upload resume here. |
Campus Energy Tour Weather-permitting. Powered by the Carl J. Eckhardt Combined Heating & Power Complex, the UT Austin campus is one of the nation’s largest microgrids, giving students a unique edge in learning about energy solutions. Join UT’s Ryan Thompson, Director of Utilities Operations; Clay Looney, Assistant Director of Utilities Operations; and Jim Walker, Director of the Office of Sustainability for a quick Lunch & Learn session at Energy Week headquarters (Rowling Hall Atrium), before taking a guided walk (about 15 mins) to the power plant, where you and the group will be treated to a walk-through tour of the plant before returning together to Rowling. This hands-on experience allows students and energy professionals to see firsthand how UT’s power plant generates 100% of the campus’ electricity, heating, and cooling. (Note: The power plant tour can accommodate up to 30 people.) For those interested in UT’s other activities supporting energy and climate innovation, UT Sustainability Director Jim Walker will guide a separate group on a campus trek to visit and learn about these initiatives. Tour schedule |
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1:15 – 2:00 |
Panel: Rethinking Materials: Embodied Carbon & Beyond – View recording Over half of a new high performance building’s total lifetime emissions come from the materials themselves. This “embodied carbon” represents greenhouse gas emissions resulting from sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal of construction materials. This panel will share views on opportunities to decarbonize the material sector from academic, research, and practitioner perspectives, and the intersection with material health and ethical sourcing.
Juliana Felkner Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin Dirk Kestner Principal, Director of Sustainable Design; Walter P. Moore Jennifer Wong Director, Materials Lab, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin Gail Vittori (Moderator) Co-Director, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems Additional panelists TBA |
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2:00 – 2:30 |
BETWEEN TWO CACTI WITH BRIAN KORGEL – View recording Ira Ehrenpreis (Founder and managing partner, DBL; Independent Director, Tesla Board) in conversation with Brian Korgel (Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin) |
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2:30 – 3:00 |
Fireside Chat: Decarbonization Roadmapping: The Why, What, & How – View recording – View PDF Ryan Macaluso (Manager of New Energies & Carbon, Motiva Enterprise) and Jerry Price (Managing Director, Green Star BCS) in conversation with Drew Higgins (Board Chair, Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance [TXETRA]) |
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3:00 – 3:15 |
Break | FREE COURSE Hosted by Texas Executive Education Creative Solutions to Complex Problems, Taught by Gaylen Paulson Elegant solutions may appear obvious in hindsight but are difficult to identify in the moment. Learn very practical strategies for discovering creative solutions. Explore individual problem-solving methods and tactics, along with ways to overcome barriers to innovative thinking. Go beyond brainstorming to harness the creative energy of the group while avoiding “analysis paralysis” and the dreaded “groupthink.” |
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3:15 – 4:00 |
Panel: Got Heat? The Earth as a Versatile Energy Source – View recording This panel will explore the fast-evolving landscape of geothermal energy use beyond straight electricity generation. The panelists will discuss agricultural/industrial heat use as well as companies working in the distinct sectors of large-scale heating and cooling (Bedrock Energy) and subsurface energy storage (Sage Geosystems). They will also address the economic advantages and disadvantages of this approach (Ross).
Silviu Livescu Co-Founder, CTO Bedrock Energy View PDF Malcolm Ross Strategic Advisor, Eavor Technologies View PDF Cindy Taff CEO, Sage Geosystems Inc. View PDF Ken Wisian (Moderator) Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin |
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4:00 – 4:45 |
Panel: When Community Engagement Works: Success Stories & Best Practices – View recording Dorian Cockrell Vice President, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Nagruk Harcharek President, The Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat Juliet Stipeche Executive Director, Gulf Coast Workforce Board Marilu Hastings (Moderator) Executive Vice President, The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation; Advisory Board Chair, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin |
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4:45 – 5:30 |
Panel: Sunshine, Wine, & Wool: Agrivoltaics in Texas’ Energy Transition – View PDF – View recording Achieving Texas’ renewable energy goals while maintaining land for agriculture requires strategic cross-sector collaboration. In this session, researchers, ranchers, and developers will discuss opportunities and challenges at the energy-agriculture nexus—specifically, emerging trends in agrivoltaics, Texas-relevant considerations, R&D opportunities, and the potential role of agrivoltaics in Texas’ energy transition.
JR Howard CEO, Texas Solar Sheep Blake Mendez Board President, CleanCo Energie Alexis Pascaris Agrivoltaic Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Kyle Simpson (Moderator) Advisory Board Member, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin; Board Member, Permian Basin Energy Development Laboratory (PEDL); Principal, KSE Holdings |
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5:30 – 7:30 |
Evening Reception Student-Led Energy Research Poster Competition –Hosted by the Longhorn Energy Club (LEC), Switch Energy Club, and UT American Nuclear Society Student Club Showcase & Mixer Connect with UT student organizations in energy, environment, and entrepreneurship. Participating Clubs: Students: You can sign up your club here to participate. |
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