10:30 – 10:55AM
Clean hydrogen can reduce U.S. carbon emissions by up to 10% by 2050 as reported by the Department of Energy Liftoff Reports, particularly in sectors without other cost-effective decarbonization options, such as ammonia production and heavy-duty transport. Over the last year, total announced clean hydrogen production capacity has increased roughly 26% to 14 million metric tons per annum (MMTpa); at the same time, developers now face higher costs associated with electrolyzer installation, clean electricity and financing, in addition to plant design adjustments needed to meet the requirements to qualify for 45V as proposed in the December 2023 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). This panel will discuss the future development of clean hydrogen technologies in this environment and the factors that need to be considered in building successful hydrogen uplift and deployment.
Frank Wolak, President & CEO, Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association
Val Miftakhov, Founder & CEO, ZeroAvia
11:00 – 11:25AM
U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow significantly in the next decade, largely driven by data center expansion and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that data centers could grow to consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation annually by 2030. Data centers are competing to procure sufficient electricity to meet their needs and sustainability goals while utilities are working to supply reliable electricity to its customers. The panel will explore the potential opportunities with artificial intelligence driving this demand, the challenges faced by data centers in securing sufficient power, and some ideas that are emerging to address these issues.
May Jaramillo, Managing Director and Head of Energy Transition & Climate Tech, Wells Fargo & Company
Mike Kramer, VP of Data Economy Strategy, Constellation Energy
Nat Sahlstrom, Chief Energy Officer, Tract
Tom Hucker, Senior Consultant, Loan Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Sara Axelrod, Head of External Affairs, Crusoe
11:30 – 11:55AM
A widespread surge in electricity demand after decades of stasis has increased the need for and interest in nuclear. Much of this load growth is being driven by artificial intelligence and data centers with a particular need for carbon-free 24/7 generation concentrated in a limited footprint. Even if SMRs may be more expensive than large reactors as measured by $/MW and $/MWh, they offer advantages for certain applications. For example, since SMRs are small and flexible, they can be deployed widely and built quickly on-site at an existing data center campus and can be scaled to meet a data center’s evolving demands. This panel will explore the potential opportunities and challenges in deploying SMRs at scale to meet clean, firm power needs, especially for data centers.
Rick Springman, President, Global Clean Energy Opportunities Division, Holtec
Glenn Davis, Director, Virginia Department of Energy
Dr. Rian Bahran, Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy, The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy
Minwoo Han, Senior Engineer, New Energy, Hyundai E&C