Hill Heat

The Biden administration is spending billions on the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy, even recently celebrating Hydrogen Day on October 8 (because hydrogen’s atomic weight is 1.008) to “mark a symbolic opportunity to celebrate hydrogen—clean hydrogen, specifically—and the crucial role this element plays in supporting a robust, equitable clean energy future for all Americans.”

“There’s a lot to like about hydrogen as a fuel source, climate journalists such as David Gelles gush.

The only problem is that “clean hydrogen,” also known as “green hydrogen”—that is, hydrogen gas generated using renewable electricity—isn’t particularly “clean” or “green,” although it’s less polluting than “gray” and “blue” hydrogen, produced from natural gas.

Unfortunately, even “green” hydrogen is a powerful greenhouse pollutant.

As an important paper from Environmental Defense Fund scientists Ilissa Ocko and Steven Hamburg explains, hydrogen is unavoidably leaky, because it’s such a small molecule, and like methane, has a high short-term warming effect. In fact, one of hydrogen’s main warming effects is to increase the atmospheric lifetime of methane. Methane breaks down in contact with the hydroxyl (OH) radical formed when ultraviolet light interacts with ozone (O₃) and water vapor (H₂O). Hydroxyl also reacts with hydrogen molecules (H₂), so significant hydrogen pollution means atmospheric methane doesn’t break down. Thus, Ocko and Hamburg find:

Hydrogen’s 100-year greenhouse warming potential (GWP) is twice as high as previously thought, and its 20-year GWP is 3 times higher than its 100-year GWP. Hydrogen’s maximum GWP occurs around 7 years after the initial pulse of emissions, with a range of 25 to 60 based on uncertainties, and a central estimate of 40.

In short, “green” hydrogen isn’t.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) presents findings of the new report from the Mindaroo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Public Health.

Please join for a briefing to review the findings of the new report on the impacts of plastics on human health. The authors of the report will describe the health and environmental implications of plastic at every stage of its lifecycle, including recommendations for the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty.

Thursday, April 27th, 2:00pm ET 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building

RSVP

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Energy and the Blue Economy: Emerging Technology Needs and Market Opportunities
	This “Energy and the Blue Economy” discussion will bring together representatives from across government, philanthropy, and ocean-based industries, who are all anticipated to drive significant growth in at-sea energy consumption over the coming decade. The panel will serve to connect the ARPA-E community to these diverse users of ocean energy technologies, whose operational requirements will motivate the development of innovative solutions in renewable marine energy generation, storage, and transfer. Discussion topics will include a) current marine energy technology limitations that could be overcome through focused development supported by ARPA-E; b) current and emerging Blue Economy markets that may offer high-risk, but high-growth potential for novel energy technologies; c) shared energy technology requirements across the many segments of the Blue Economy; and d) unique challenges and opportunities for funding and scaling energy technologies for use in ocean environments. Ultimately, this discussion will highlight the role that ARPA-E and its performers, in addition to the DOE at large, can have in supporting the energy needs of growing the Blue Economy, potentially illuminating new markets, novel sources of investment, and untapped technology development spaces. Julie Decker, Executive Director, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Jennifer Garson, Director, Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office Dr. Tom Fu, Head, Sea Warfare and Weapons, Code 33, Office of Naval Research Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jennifer States, Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Blue Sky Maritime Coalition
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Scaling up with SCALEUP
	Scaling up a start-up or small business presents multiple challenges. This is particularly true when commercializing hard engineering technologies due to the investment required to demonstrate cost and performance at commercial scale sufficient to address market adoptions risks. Through the SCALEUP program, first launched in 2019, ARPA-E has endeavored to help address these challenges and accelerate deployment of promising technologies previously funded by ARPA-E. In this panel you will hear from leaders of a few of the companies from the SCALEUP 2019 and 2021 cohorts. They will describe some of the key technical, commercial, and team development challenges they have confronted – and continue to confront – in their scale-up journey and how they are addressing them. Allan Bradshaw, Chief Manufacturing Officer, InventWood Danny Cunningham, Deputy Director for Commercialization, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Via Separations Lane Nelson, Co-Founder & Chief Financial Officer, Switched Source Dr. Greg Rieker, Chief Technology Officer, LongPath Technologies
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	DOE Foundations
	The Department of Energy has been tasked with setting up an independent foundation — the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) — per section 10691 of the CHIPS Act. FESI will be established as a non-profit 501©(3) organization. This panel will feature established organizations by other government departments. Attendees can gain an understanding of this new organization as panelists discuss what successes the department and organizations have created and how outside stakeholders interact with existing foundations. Dr. Vanessa Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy Maynard Holliday, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Dr. Sally Rockey, Chief Executive Officer, Rockey Consulting Jetta Wong, Co-Author of the 2020, ITIF report, Mind the Gap: A Design for a New Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation, Former Clean Energy
10:25 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Video Address
	Zoe Lofgren, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives, California
10:30 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.	Video Address
	Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senate, New Mexico
10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	Keynote Address
	Vicki Hollub, Chief Executive Officer, Oxy
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Keynote Address
	LTG Eric J. Wesley, U.S. Army, Retired
11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.	Fireside Chat
	John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, The White House Aliya Haq, Vice President, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
11:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
	Shomik Verma, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
11:30 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.	Keynote Address
	Brandon Williams, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, New York
11:35 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.	Keynote Address
	Charles Fleischmann, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee
11:40 a.m.	Closing Remarks
	Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)

This hearing will serve as a legislative hearing for three bills that would authorize research, development, and demonstration activities carried out or supported by the U.S. Department of Energy in the areas of grid security, hydrogen, and pipelines. Attached are discussion drafts of bills under consideration.

Opening Statements:

• Subcommittee Chairman Brandon Williams
• Chairman Frank Lucas

Witnesses:

• Spencer Nelson, Managing Director – Research and New Initiatives, ClearPath
• Dr. Richard Boardman, Directorate Fellow, Idaho National Laboratory, Energy and Environmental Science & Technology
• Cliff Johnson, President, Pipeline Research Council International
• Dr. Arvind Ravikumar, Co-Director, Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab Research Associate Professor, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, the University of Texas at Austin
• Jason Fuller, Chief Energy Resilience Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Legislation:

• Discussion draft: Grid Security
• Discussion draft: Hydrogen
• Discussion draft: LNG pipelines

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Fast Pitch: Nuclear & Materials
	Dr. Ahmed Diallo, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Robert Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Grid Storage Beyond the Hype
	Intermittent resources such as wind and solar play a greater role in energy generation. Concurrently, consumer, commercial, and industrial power consumption increasingly electrifies. Energy storage will play a critical role in balancing supply and demand across the grid, regardless of time of day, weather, or season. This is reflected in the public funding and private capital flowing to the development of new battery and alternative energy storage technologies and projects. This panel will explore the role that storage currently plays in the grid and, more importantly, what to expect in the future, and when. Our panelists will discuss the technologies and the business cases behind recent high-profile long duration energy storage projects to provide an inside view into this key enabler of the energy transition. Yayoi Sekine, Head of Energy Storage, BloombergNEF Dr. Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University Julia Souder, Executive Director, Long Duration Energy Storage Council TJ Winter, Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Fluence
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	What’s Behind the Corporate Curtain?
	This panel will examine large company absorption and adoption of companies and their technologies. When a company conducts an IPO or other type of capital raise, everything happens in the public eye. Conversely when one company acquires another’s technology – or the company itself – the process is opaquer and that technology sometimes doesn’t resurface for years, if ever. Large company executives will pull back the curtain and explain what happens to the energy technologies they acquire after the purchase and how they are absorbed or adopted into the acquirer’s operations. Learn more about this potential road to commercialization. Christy Wyskiel, Director, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures Dr. Patty Chang-Chien, Vice President & General Manager, Boeing Research and Technology Roman Mueller, Executive Director and Principal, RTX Ventures Limor Spector, General Manager, Incubation Technologies, GE Research Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.	Tech Demo: CHARGED: Commercialization of Highly Accelerated Reliable Grid-Networked Energy Delivery
	Team: Imagen Energy
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Tech Demo: Predictive Data-Driven Vehicle Dynamics and Powertrain Control: from ECU to the Cloud
	University of California, Berkeley (UCB) This NEXTCAR project seeks to reduce vehicle energy consumption by 30%, via connectivity and automation technologies. If scaled to all on-road vehicles in the U.S., these technologies potentially eliminate 4.5 quads of energy consumption. Our project pursues three use-cases. The first leverages communication with signalized intersections to automate the speed profile and lane changing to minimize energy consumption, in arterial roads. Second, we automate the parking and charging behaviors in parking lots via vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Third, we minimize fleet vehicle energy consumption via optimized dispatching, routing, and charge scheduling in urban environments. We invite you to engage with us on scaling this technology to maximize impact.
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Student PITCHES (Proposing Ideas for Technologies that Can Harness Energy Sustainably)
	Pitchers: Aditya Mishra, University of California, San Diego: “DERConnect: Voltage state estimation in partially known power network” Bogdan Dryzhakov, University of Tennessee – Knoxville: ” Single Cells with Tandem Power” Gustavo Marquez, Stanford University and Melissa Zhang, Harvard University: “RockFix” Lindsay Walter, University of Utah: “Power at the nanoscale: Waste heat recovery using near-field thermophotovoltaics” Shomik Verma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: ” High-temperature ceramic combustor with thermophotovoltaic power generation” Sichao Cheng, University of Maryland: “Self-sustaining methane conversion facility for methane flaring sites with economical feasibility” Panel: Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) Dr. Paul Glaser, Hydrogen & Future Fuels Leader, GE Vernova Advanced Research Dr. Brenda Haendler, Director of Technology Management, Breakthrough Energy Fellows Gautam Phanse, Strategic Relations Manager, Chevron Tech Ventures Mark Szendro, Director, Battery Materials North America, BASF
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.	American Energy Innovators Network: Designing Federal Policy for Energy Startups
	The American Energy Innovators Network (AEIN) is hosting a policy discussion for Summit participants. Join us for a brief overview of the policy landscape affecting clean energy startups, entrepreneurs, and investors, and discussion on policy priorities for the upcoming year. This conversation is open to anyone who is interested. Dr. Tanya Das, Senior Associate Director of Energy Innovation, Bipartisan Policy Center Natalie Tham, Policy Analyst, Energy Program, Bipartisan Policy Center
1:15 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.	Keynote Address
	Arun Majumdar, Dean, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
1:35 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.	Fireside Chat
	Mujeeb Ijaz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ONE Alicia R. Knapp, President and Chief Executive Officer, BHE Renewables Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
1:55 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.	Keynote Address
	Wes Moore, Governor, State of Maryland
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Keynote Address
	* Dr. David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego, BP
2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.	Keynote Address
	Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Alaska
2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Keynote Address & Fireside Chat
	Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Fredrick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Fast Pitch: Sustainability & Resilience
	Dr. Simon Freeman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Anil Ganti, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Philseok Kim, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Marina Sofos, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Best Practices and Challenges for Product or Process Lifecycle Analyses
	The focus on sustainability across multiple industry sectors has enhanced the need for the development of highly sophisticated Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) tools for revenue generating products and processes. These tools help companies estimate and reduce their Scope 1-3 emissions to meet the sustainability scorecards they have been mandated to report on. Development of such models are a non-trivial task requiring a comprehensive understanding of cradle-to-grave supply chains and acquiring and analyzing data sources, for accurate reporting. This panel session will focus on identifying some of the challenges and best practices for the development of LCA tools for the aviation, datacenter, oil & gas, and materials manufacturing industries and what transformational technologies are needed. Perspectives from the panelists will focus on what is possible versus what is needed and how the uptake of these tools for future decision making can be enhanced. Dr. Stephen McCord, Research Area Specialist Lead, University of Michigan Global CO2 Initiative Michelle Krynock, Senior Life Cycle Analyst, National Energy Technology Laboratory Laurette Lahey, Senior Director of Flight and Vehicle Technology, Boeing Research & Technology Cory Tatarzyn, Global Zero Waste Program Manager, General Motors
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Nuclear Power for our Low Carbon Future: Rethinking the Nuclear Waste Challenge
	The energy transition will require a variety of low-carbon energy technologies and, while early in the transition, the premium for constant, on-demand power is becoming increasingly important. One option for low-carbon, baseload electricity is nuclear energy. Several advanced reactor companies are targeting deployment towards the latter part of this decade, though a common question relevant to their rapid deployment is, “What should we do about the waste?”. The current disposal plan, decided in the late 1970s and endorsed multiple times since, for nuclear waste is to permanently dispose of the material in a deep geological repository. However, the existing nuclear waste sits in interim storage at approximately 100 locations throughout the United States and the suitability of a potential deep geological repository to effectively sequester nuclear waste from advanced reactors is unclear. Fortunately, technologies, including waste forms, recycling, transmutation, etc., have dramatically evolved and the potential to reassess optimal disposal options is timely. This panel will discuss how potential technological innovations could have significant impact on the viability of various disposal options. Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) Dr. Per Peterson, Professor, U.C. Berkeley Sylvia Saltzstein, Manager of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, Transportation, Security, and Safeguards R&D, Sandia National Laboratory Jackie Siebens, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Oklo Inc. Dr. Kris Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Holtec
5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.	Tech Demo: Analytics Data Hub and the Intelligence Potential of Clarivate’s Global Research & Innovation Data
	Clarivate Partner Demo
6:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Tech Demo: Compact Diffusion Bonded Printed-Circuit Heat Exchanger Development Using Nickel Superalloys for Highly Power Dense and Efficient Modular Energy Production Systems
	Vacuum Process Engineering (VPE) will present progress on the design and manufacturing development of compact diffusion bonded microchannel heat exchangers using high nickel superalloys. Microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from laminating layers of sheet metal together in a solid-state joining process where the sheet metal layers contain small semicircular channels to accommodate fluid flow with alternating flow paths. Typically, microchannel heat exchangers are constructed from stainless steel alloys which limits their operating conditions to ~650 °C at ~20 MPa. The development of alternative channel forming and bonding techniques developed in this project for high nickel alloys such as IN740H allow for the operating envelope of microchannel heat exchangers to be extended to 800 °C at 28 MPa. A prototype 5-kW heat exchanger constructed from IN740H and operated at temperatures above 800 °C will be presented.
7:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.	Tech Demo: AERIALIST – 2nd generation motor for lArge ElectRIc Aircraft propuLsIon SysTems
	Team: Wright Electric
5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.	ARPA-E: The Team Transforming Energy
	ARPA-E has a history of making a difference – not just in the way the United States uses energy, but also in the lives and careers of those who join the ARPA-E team. The Program Director, T2M Advisor, and Fellow positions can play a decisive role in a career both by providing the opportunity to revolutionize the energy sector and positioning team members for future prospects that may have otherwise been out of reach or unimagined. These positions are term limited to drive a consistent influx of new ideas and perspectives into the agency and grow its alumni network throughout the energy innovation community. Join new ARPA-E Director Dr. Evelyn Wang as she sits with a panel of ARPA-E team members and alumni to discuss their experience working at the agency, how they decided that a role at ARPA-E was the right fit for them, and how ARPA-E served as a pivotal point in their career trajectory. Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) Susan Babinec, Program Lead, Stationary Storage, Argonne National Laboratory Dr. Bob Ledoux, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) Ashwin Salvi, Chief Operating Officer, Atmoszero

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its thirteenth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

The summit is taking place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Agenda: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Opening Remarks & Keynote Address
	Evelyn Wang, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E)
10:15 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.	Fireside Chat
	Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy , U.S. Department of Energy Dr. Shreya Dave, Chief Executive Officer , Via Separations Dr. Leah Ellis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Sublime Systems Joe Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Quidnet Energy
10:50 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.	Fireside Chat
	Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Turk, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy
11:15 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.	Keynote Address
	Ernest J. Moniz, MIT Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Post-Tenure
11:35 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.	Fireside Chat
	Arati Prabhakar, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Dr. David M. Hart, Professor of Public Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
11:55 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.	Keynote Address
	Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures
11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.	Government Agency Networking Program (GANP)
	The Government Agency Networking Program (GANP) at the annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit provides an opportunity to meet with representatives from federal government agencies to discuss research interests, funding solicitations, grants, and other potential partnership opportunities.
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Fast Pitch: Batteries & Storage
	Dr. Peter de Bock, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Halle Cheeseman, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Julia Greenwald, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Jack Lewnard, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Laurent Pilon, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Lab to Impact: Maximizing Success with Technology Licensing Offices
	In this panel, we will delve into best practices for how and when to engage with Technology Licensing Offices, and what common pitfalls to avoid. We will hear from a diversity of stakeholders representing an inventor, investor, lawyer, and licensing office, who will share their successes and failures – drawing from decades of experience. Whether you are looking to spin out a startup or license a technology, this panel will help provide practical takeaways on how to maximize success and impact. Dr. Christina Chang, Partner, Lowercarbon Capital Dylan Adams, Patent Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, Co-Founder, Form Energy, Sublime Systems, Desktop Metal, 24M Technologies and A123 Systems Deirdre Zammit, Associate Director, Licensing, MIT Technology Licensing Office
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy Given the Recent Achievement of Ignition at the National Ignition Facility
	This panel will address the following questions about the prospects for inertial fusion energy (IFE): Can lasers be made efficient enough to enable a commercial IFE power plant? Can targets be made inexpensively and at scale? Are the physics challenges going from indirect drive (as is done on the National Ignition Facility) to direct drive (or another concept) tractable? Dr. Tammy Ma, Lead, Intertial Fusion Energy Initiative, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Dr. Kramer Akli, Program Manager, DOE Office of Science Dr. Carly Anderson, Principal, Prelude Ventures Dr. Susana Reyes, VP of Chamber and Plant Design, Xcimer Energy
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Fast Pitch: Industrial Processes
	Dr. Katharine Greco, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Jonathan Melville, Fellow, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. James Seaba, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Douglas Wicks, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Dr. Olga Blum Spahn, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Decarbonizing the “Bus Stop” of the Future: Innovations in Urban Transportation
	As cities strive to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban transportation, defining the “bus stop” of the future, and with it, the necessary technology innovations and infrastructure, is becoming increasingly important. In high population density areas, where large metro systems are not available, the energy implications of the shift towards electrified and on-demand mobility options must be considered. Ride-hailing services currently optimize for pick-up proximity, but what does the equivalent approach for passenger transit look like in these situations and what role does energy efficiency need to play when the most convenient option is continued reliance on privately owned, personally driven cars? How does the increase in car sales during the pandemic further factor into future solutions? This thought-provoking panel will explore the disruptive innovations and flexible options that can address the energy consumption of future modes of urban transportation and tackle the question of how to ensure equity for all. Dr. Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation Benjamin de la Peña, Chief Executive Officer, Shared-Use Mobility Center Carolyn Gonot, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Gabe Klein, Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Beyond VC: Alternative Funding Sources for Startups
	Panelists from a range of non-dilutive (federal, state and non-profit) and “less-dilutive” (venture debt, in various structures) funding sources will discuss how energy- and climate-tech startups can navigate non-traditional funding sources to best support their companies’ growth plans. Hilary Flynn, Managing Director, Investments, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Jackie Logan, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Raise Green Max Tuttman, Principal, The Ad Hoc Group Jonah Wagner, Chief Strategist, Department of Energy Loan Program Office National Harbor 10
5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.	Tech Demo: Advanced Operation & Maintenance Techniques implemented in the Xe-100 Plant Digital Twin to reduce Fixed O&M Cost
	X-energy is an Advanced Reactor design company and an awardee of the ARPA-E GEMINA Program. The main objective of the GEMINA Program is to demonstrate how Digital Twins can reduce Fixed Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs for the Advanced Reactors (i.e. the Xe-100). X-energy’s 3D Immersive Digital Twin Experience demonstrates the integration between the physics-based Xe-100 Simulator and a 3D virtual representation of the Xe-100 plant. Users can walk through and interact with the Virtual Reality (VR) model as if it were the real Xe-100 plant. During the design phases of the Xe-100, the 3D model is being used for iterative design reviews to incorporate feedback, optimize layouts, and inform future work. During the operation phase of the Xe-100, the 3D model will be used for training of plant staff, particularly Maintenance crews. Combined with X-DATA™, X-energy’s Digital Twin product, the 3D Immersive Environment supports the implementation of “Central Maintenance” concepts that will ultimately lead to a safer, more reliable, and more economic nuclear plant for the 21st century.
5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Tech Demo: Low-cost non-destructive plant root phenotyping
	Tomographic Electrical Rhizosphere Imager (TERI) is a technology aiming to make plant root phenotyping easier and faster. Root digging, washing, photographing, counting, and analysis have been the standard practice for field scale root phenotyping for a very long time. This is a process that is low throughput and very time and labor consuming. TERI aims to disrupt this practice to significantly accelerate plant root phenotyping at field scales to help accelerate the development of new root-superior plant varieties that are more resource efficient and climate resilient. TERI technology is based on the dialectic properties and behavior of plant root systems and can work under almost any type of soil, moisture, and plant species conditions. The lightweight of the hardware system and the user-friendly software interface make the system very easy to use by anyone without the technical background.
6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.	Tech Demo: Basin-SCAN: Basin Scale Continuous oil and gas emissions mitigAtion Network
	Founded in 2018 through the ARPA-E MONITOR program, LongPath Technologies is the “5G” of methane measurement and abatement, providing a proven and standardized approach across the value chain. Our specialized laser systems detect, locate and quantify site-level emissions across 20+ square mile regions with a single laser tower, and the continuous emissions monitoring networks provide actionable real-time alerts and quantitative emission rates to oil and gas operators. LongPath’s innovative regional-scale solution provides continuous, reliable data at the lowest cost to the customer.
7:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Tech Demo: Pilot Production for Commercial Sampling of Rare-Earth-Free Iron Nitride Permanent Magnets
	Niron Magnetics has developed the first powerful permanent magnets free of rare earths and other critical materials. Niron’s Iron Nitride-based Clean Earth Magnet® technology makes use of globally available commodity raw material inputs. As an ARPA-E SCALEUP awardee, Niron is expanding its pilot production to support commercial design partnerships, including those with GM, Volvo Cars, Western Digital, Tymphany Audio, and Premium Sound Solutions.

This hearing has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a date to be announced.

This is a virtual hearing.

Witnesses

• Richard Murray, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Vice President for Science and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Laure Katz, Blue Nature Vice President, Conservation International
• Fertram Sigurjonsson, Founder and CEO, Kerecis

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Dr. Eric K. Lin, Director, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Dr. Ariel Stein, Acting Director, Global Monitoring Laboratory and Director, Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Dr. Karen M. St. Germain, Earth Science Division Director, Science Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Dr. Bryan Hubbell, National Program Director for Air, Climate, and Energy, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Hearing page

Witnesses:

• Dr. Asmeret Berhe, Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy
• Dr. Brian Greene, Director of the Center for Theoretical Physics, Columbia University
• Dr. Lia Merminga, Director, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• Jim Yeck, Associate Laboratory Director and Project Director for the Electron-Ion Collider, Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Michael Guastella, Executive Director, The Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals

The purpose of this hearing is to assess the challenge of oil and gas sector methane leaks from a scientific, technological, and policymaking perspective. The hearing will discuss the current scientific consensus regarding the role of methane leaks as a driver of oil and gas sector methane emissions. The hearing will highlight recent advances in innovative leak detection and repair technologies, as well as the importance of deploying such technologies broadly throughout oil and gas sector operations to achieve large-scale reductions in methane emissions. Finally, the hearing will examine research gaps related to oil and gas sector methane emissions and opportunities for the Federal government to support scientific research activities pertaining to oil and gas sector methane leaks.

Hearing charter

Committee report

Committee staff conclude that oil and gas companies are failing to design, equip, and inform their Methane Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) activities as necessary to achieve rapid and large-scale reductions in methane emissions from their operations. The sector’s approach does not reflect the latest scientific evidence on methane leaks. Oil and gas companies must change course quickly if the United States is to reach its methane reduction targets by the end of this decade. The Committee staff also learned that oil and gas companies have internal data showing that methane emission rates from the sector are likely significantly higher than official data reported to EPA would indicate. A very significant proportion of methane emissions appear to be caused by a small number of super-emitting leaks. One company experienced a single leak that may be equivalent to more than 80% of all the methane emissions it reported to EPA – according to EPA’s prescribed methodology – for all of its Permian oil and gas production activities in 2020.

Witnesses:

• Dr. David Lyon, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund
• Riley Duren, Chief Executive Officer, Carbon Mapper
• Dr. Brian Anderson, Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory
• Dr. Greg Rieker, Co-Founder and CTO, LongPath Technologies, Inc.