CREA Hosts its 14th Annual Energy Innovations Summit
October 30 was the 14th annual Energy Innovations Summit hosted by CREA. This year’s event was held at the Westin Westminster Hotel in Westminster. At the Energy Innovations Summit, attendees heard more than two dozen experts discuss the latest development in today’s dynamic energy industry. .Breakout sessions gave attendees a greater understanding of industry issues such as the latest in hydrogen technology, grid automation, and commercial fleet electrification. There were also great conversations with the panelists about critical minerals and supply chains, agrivoltaincs and aquavoltaics, and smart homes and buildings.
An expo gave attendees a chance to interact with vendors from across the state and learn about innovative products and services to help their businesses grow.
The 15th Annual Summit will be October 28, 2024 at Westin Westminster Hotel.
Summit Materials
2023 Presenter Powerpoint
GENERAL SESSION – NUCLEAR FUSION: WILL IGNITION LEAD TO LIFTOFF?
Dr. Félicie Albert, Director-Jupiter Laser Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Zabrina Johal, Senior Director of Strategic Development, General Atomics
Moderator: Dr. Jeffrey King, Professor, Nuclear Science & Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
SESSION #1 – HYDROGEN UPDATE
Crystal Heter, Chief Operating Officer, Tallgrass Energy
Matt McMonagle, CEO & Founder, NovoHydrogen
Mark Ruth, Laboratory Program, Manager II-Policy Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Dr. Will Toor, Executive Director, Colorado Energy Office
SESSION #2 – GRID AUTOMATION
Astrid Atkinson, CEO & Co-Founder, Camus Energy
Dr. Santosh Veda, Manager-Grid Solutions, Dominion Energy
Marc Spieler, Senior Director of Energy, NVIDIA
Moderator: Bryan Hannegan, CEO, Holy Cross Energy
SESSION #3 – CRITICAL MINERALS & SUPPLY CHAINS
Dr. Roderick Eggert, Deputy Director, Critical Materials Institute
Marc LeVier, President, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration
Samantha Bench Reese, Senior Engineer/Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Ashley Perkins, Senior Manager Supply Chain Services, Tri-State G&T
SESSION #4 – COMMERCIAL FLEET ELECTRIFICATION
Carly Filler, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer, Gage Zero
Matt Lerman, Infrastructure Program Manager, Colorado Energy Office
Quin O’Brien, Telematics & EV Specialist, Fluid Truck
Moderator: Steve Rooney, Intelligent Vehicle Briefs
LUNCH – NEXT GENERATION GEOTHERMAL POWER
Sarah Jewett, Vice President, Strategy, Fervo Energy
SESSION #5 – SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN: AGRIVOLTAICS AND AQUAVOLTAICS
Byron Kominek, Owner & Manager, Jack’s Solar Garden
Jordan Macknick, Lead Energy-Water-Land Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Brandi McKuin, Assistant Project Scientist, UC Merced
Moderator: Sen. Chris Hansen, Ph.D., Senator, Colorado General Assembly
SESSION #6 – SMART HOMES & BUILDINGS
Ryan Elarton, General Manager, San Isabel Electric Association
Amy Jiron, Director of Building Decarbonization, Colorado Energy Office
Lisa Reed, Manager-Energy Programs, Holy Cross Energy
Dr. Katelyn Stenger, Researcher III-Mechanical Engineering, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Teri Viswanath, Lead Economist, Power Energy & Water, CoBank
GENERAL SESSION – QUANTUM COMPUTING: HOW WILL IT MODERNIZE THE GRID?
Dr. Amin Khodaei, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Denver
Dr. Rob Hovsapian, Research Advisor II-Mechanical Engineering, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Kortny Rolston-Duce, Director of Marking Communications, Atom Computing
2022 Presenter Powerpoint
Welcome – Ginny Buczek, President, Colorado Rural Electric Association
General Session – Navigating the Energy Transition: A Conversation with Colorado Utility Leaders
Duane Highley, Chief Executive Officer, Tri-State G&T
Robert Kenney, President, Xcel Energy Colorado
Moderator: Kent Singer, Executive Director, CREA
Breakout Session #1 – Small Modular Reactors: The Key to a Carbon-Free Future?
Dr. Ron Faibish, Senior Director Strategic Development, General Atomics
Mike Miller, Project Director, NuScale Power
Tara Neider, Sr. Vice President & Project Director, Natrium Demonstration Reactor, TerraPower
Moderator: Dr. Jeffrey King, Professor, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Breakout Session #2 – Electric Vehicles: Technology Update
Mike Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Prieto Battery, Inc.
Gurmesh Sidhu, Chief Product Officer, Moment Energy
Dr. James Trevey, Chief Technology Officer, Forge Nano
Moderator: Steve Rooney, Editor/Publisher, Intelligent Vehicle Briefs
Breakout Session #3 – The Business Case for Microgrids
Cameron Brooks, Executive Director, Think Microgrid
Bryan Hannegan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Holy Cross Energy
Margaret Miller, Director of Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs, ENGIE North America and Vice Chair Microgrid Resources Coalition
Moderator: Tim Coleman, Manager Government Relations, CREA
Breakout Session #4 – Hydrogen Possibilities and Roadblocks
J. Doug Arnette, Operations and Maintenance Manager, Georgia Power Company
Joe Beach, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Starfire Energy
Keith Wipke, Laboratory Program Manager-Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies Program, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Holly Krutka, Executive Director, School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming
Lunch with Guest Speaker
Breakout Session #5 – Battery Storage & Supply Chain Challenges
David Millar, Director of Consulting Services, Ascend Analytics
Dr. Caitlin Murphy, Senior Energy Policy Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Simon Price, Chief Executive Officer, Exawatt
Moderator: Teri Viswanath, Lead Economist, Power Energy and Water, CoBank
Breakout Session #6 – The Heat Beneath Our Feet: The Potential of Geothermal Energy
Ryan Dougherty, President, Geothermal Exchange Organization
Dr. William Fleckenstein, Director of Strategic Business Development, Office of Global Initiatives and Business Development, Colorado School of Mines
Dr. Amanda Kolker, Laboratory Program Manager – Geothermal Technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Moderator: Keith Hay, Director of Policy, Colorado Energy Office
Emerging Co-op Business Models
Mark Gabriel, President & Chief Executive Officer, United Power
Jessica Matlock, Chief Executive Officer, La Plata Electric Association
Brad Zaporski, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, San Miguel Power Association
Moderator: Craig Johnson, Director of Government Relations-General Counsel, CREA
