Agenda

The Partner Forum agenda includes keynotes, panel sessions, lightning talks from experts and relevant industry leaders, and a demonstration of NREL's forecasting capabilities.

Check this page frequently for updates.

Tuesday, Aug. 6

8–8:30 a.m.
Registration, Breakfast, and Networking

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8:30–9 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Bill Farris, Associate Laboratory Director for Innovation, Partnering, and Outreach, NREL

NREL Overview
Martin Keller, Laboratory Director, NREL

Buildings Program Overview and Keynote Introduction
Johney Green, Associate Laboratory Director for Mechanical and Thermal Engineering Sciences, NREL

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9–9:30 a.m.
Keynote Address
Chris Migneron, Senior Vice President — National Design Director, JE Dunn Construction

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9:30–10:30 a.m.
Panel Discussion: Resilient Buildings Across Environments
The panel will discuss nuances and challenges with buildings in extreme and changing environments.

Moderator: Bruno Grunau, Regional Director, Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environments-Sustainable Buildings, NREL

Speakers include:

• Alexis Pelosi, Senior Adviser for Climate, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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10:30–10:45 a.m.
Break

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10:45–11 a.m.
Lightning Talk: A Path to Decarbonization and Electrification for Federal Buildings
A federal partner will share how they are approaching electrification under Executive Order 14057 while ensuring no disruption to mission-critical activities.

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11 a.m.–noon
Panel Discussion: Green Computing for an AI Future
Many firms and government agencies are initiating a boom in data center construction with tremendous electric power needs. Because of continued supply chain constraints, utilities are challenged to provide the needed electrical capacity expansion, losing profitable customers.

Moderator: Doug Arent, Executive Director, Strategic Public-Private Partnerships, NREL

Speakers Include:

• Marc Aveni, Assistant Director, Loudoun County Department of General Services
• Cullen Bash, Vice President of R&D, Hewlett Packard Labs
• Kathryn Valdez, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Planning and Carbon-free Tech Strategy, Xcel Energy

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Noon–1 p.m.
Lunch Service

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1-1:15 p.m.
Lightning Talk: Constructing Change Through Alternative Building Materials
Talk participants will discuss whether it's worth considering alternatives to cement or alternative chemical processes for Portland cement.

Speaker: Loren Burnett; President, CEO, and Co-Founder; Prometheus Materials

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1:15–2:15 p.m.

Panel Session: Expanding Electrical Capacity Without Breaking the Bank
Speakers will discuss load forecasting, and then a demonstration of NREL-developed analysis tools will show how NREL is providing solutions for partners that enhance not only affordability but also resilience.

Moderator:

Gene Rodrigues, Assistant Secretary for Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Speakers include:

• Matt Hubbard, Manager, Distributed Device Strategy, Portland General Electric
• Cristina Botero, Senior Manager, Beneficial Electrification, ComEd
• Justin Hill, Research Engineer, Intelligent Buildings Research, Southern Company Services

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2:15–2:30 p.m.
Break

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2:30–2:45 p.m.
Lightning Talk: Building Decarbonization in Urban, International Environments

Speaker: Andrew Fang, Energy Adviser, U.S. Agency for International Development

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2:45–3:45 p.m.

Panel Session: Accelerating Heat Pump Technology Adoption
Millions of homes and businesses can benefit from heat pumps, but costs could keep the technology out of reach for some. This panel discussion will focus on technology advancements that would lead to lower installation and operating costs such as:

• Higher discharge temperatures
• Higher thermal lift
• Lower cutoff temperatures
• Higher efficiency
• Reducing the frequency of faults and installation callbacks
• Low-global-warming-potential alternative refrigerants.

Moderator:

Roderick Jackson, Laboratory Program Manager, Buildings Technologies R&D, NREL

Speakers include:

• Erica Gallant, Technology Strategy and Partnerships Leader — Electrification of Heating, Trane Technologies
• David Jacot, P.E., Director of Distributed Energy Solutions, Power System, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

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3:45–4 p.m.
Closing Remarks

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5:30–9 p.m.
Reception and Partner Dinner at The Rose Event Venue, Buffalo Rose, Golden, Colorado

Wednesday, Aug. 7

9–11 a.m.

The second day of the Partner Forum allows for more personal connection and project ideation. Interactive demonstrations, tours, and targeted meetings will foster further exploration of potential project ideas and reinvigoration to tackle the most pressing energy challenges.

NREL Capabilities Showcase
Engage in one-on-one conversations with experts to learn about numerous tools and capabilities used when working with partners to decarbonize facilities, balance loads, support data centers, and add more renewables to a portfolio. Read more about NREL Buildings Data and Tools.

NREL Campus Tours
Join us to tour some of the high-performance buildings on NREL's South Table Mountain campus. Learn about NREL's facilities, its long history of sustainable building design and execution, and efforts to decarbonize its footprint over the next decade.

Tour 1: Energy Systems Integration Facility
The 182,500-ft² Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Energy Systems Integration Facility features 14 laboratories, an Insight Visualization Center, a High-Bay Control Room, and the world's most energy-efficient supercomputer.

Tour 2: Campus Buildings Tour
NREL's South Table Mountain campus features many high-performance sustainable buildings that have achieved LEED status. By incorporating state-of-the-art energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, these buildings are models for sustainability. In addition, the campus features native and xeriscape vegetation.