by Alyson Powell Key
The second day of INTERSECT 2019 opened with welcome remarks from Georgia Representative Don Parsons, R-Marietta, chairman of the Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications Committee, as well as a big announcement from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
ARPA-E Technology to Market Director James Zahler announced a new Request For Information to “help frame a potential new funding opportunity for public-private partnerships supporting the further refinement, scaling, and piloting of successful ARPA-E technologies,” according to the ARPA-E website. “The potential program would collaborate with investors and private sector partners to advance promising technologies developed under ARPA-E awards (both prior and ongoing) to pre-pilot and pilot R&D projects.”
Read more about the ARPA-E Request For Information
John Rice, vice chair, GE and president & CEO, GE Global Growth Organization, delivered the morning keynote, including a discussion with Georgia Tech’s Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki Abdallah. They examined The New Energy Ecosystem: A Global View Looking In.
Globally, one billion people lack access to reliable electricity, what Rice called a “fundamental building block” for emerging countries. He said demand for electricity is growing, especially in China and India.
Although these countries are currently “committed to coal” out of necessity according to Rice, they’re exploring other options including nuclear energy. He encouraged a diverse “portfolio of power generation choices” for emerging countries.
INTERSECT 2019 keynote: John Rice, Vice Chair, GE and President & CEO, GE Global Growth Organization; Chaouki Abdallah, Executive Vice President for Research, Georgia Tech
The first panel of the day, New Energy Producers and Consumers, focused on the energy consumer of the future. Nicole Holmes, senior vice president of sales and contracts at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy led the discussion, asking “Who are the energy prosumers [producers and consumers] in the market of the future?”
“The division between consumers and producers will become blurred,” said Moe Khaleel, associate lab director for energy & environmental science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the Energy Storage Association, agreed that consumers will continue to “make decisions in terms of control, resilience, and choice.” She also said that energy storage will lessen the division between consumers and producers.
INTERSECT 2019 New Energy Producers and Consumers panel: Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO, Energy Storage Association; Susan Kennedy, Founder, Director & CEO, Advanced MicroGrid Solutions; Nicole Holmes, Senior Vice President of Sales and Contracts, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy; Moe Khaleel, Associate Lab Director for Energy & Environmental Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; John Jones, Senior Vice president of development & Strategy, Extol Energy Services
INTERSECT 2019 wrapped up with a final panel, The New Transportation Ecosystem. Moderator Tom Madden, retired chairman of ScottMadden, asked: “What does the future hold for transportation?”
Mike Hunter, professor of Transportation Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, outlined “ACES” – autonomous, connected, electric, and shared – as a future goal of the transportation industry. He said there will also be more emphasis on last mile connection and delivering goods to consumers.
The executive director of the Alliance for Transportation Electrification, Phil Jones, expects growth in the electric vehicle market and that the demand will “put a substantial load on the electric grid.” He said development of EVs will happen at the state level, and encouraged state leaders to partner with utility companies to develop critical infrastructure and educate consumers about the benefits of electric vehicles.
INTERSECT 2019 The New Transportation Ecosystem panel: Tom Madden, retired Chairman, ScottMadden; Phil Jones, Executive Director, Alliance for Transportation Electrification; Mike Hunter, Professor of Transportation Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech; Arshad Mansoor, Senior Vice President of Research & Development, EPRI; Mike Whitlatch, Vice President of Global Energy & Procurement, UPS
GE Power, ScottMadden, Inc., and Southern Company co-sponsored INTERSECT 2019. View conference presentations on the INTERSECT website and see additional conference photos on the Strategic Energy Institute Facebook page.