Agenda & Venue

TIME

DESCRIPTION

SPEAKERS & DISCUSSANTS

ROUNDTABLE 1
Decarbonizing the energy system: key issues in grid stability, management, and expansion in a world of growing renewable energy including nuclear

Decarbonizing the energy system is pivotal in addressing climate change and achieving sustainable energy goals. A significant shift toward renewable energy sources—including wind, solar, and nuclear—introduces new challenges in grid stability, management, and expansion. The intermittent nature of renewables necessitates advanced solutions for balancing supply and demand, such as grid-scale energy storage, flexible demand response systems, and improved forecasting technologies. Furthermore, the integration of nuclear energy as a reliable, low-carbon baseload source offers unique opportunities to complement renewables but requires strategic planning to harmonize operations with variable generation. Expanding grid infrastructure to accommodate distributed energy resources, electrification of end-use sectors, and cross-border energy trading is essential for a resilient and robust energy network. This work explores the critical technical, economic, and policy issues in transforming the energy grid, emphasizing innovations and strategies required for managing an increasingly renewable-driven future while ensuring energy security and reliability.

Co-Chairs: Ermin Wei ‧ Jennifer Dunn

Speaker Colleen Wright, Constellation Energy

Speaker Aniket Shah, Jeffries

Speaker Michael Hursh, Schneider Electric

Discussant Ashley Grosh, Breakthrough Energy

Discussant William Haas, WSP

Lunch + Keynote speaker

Introduction: President Michael Schill ‧ Northwestern University

Keynote: Christy George ‧Intersect Illinois 

ROUNDTABLE 2
The design and scaled manufacturing of materials and devices to decarbonize the electricity supply: Achieving reliability and energy availability in solar harvesting and storage

The design and scaled manufacturing of advanced materials and devices are critical to decarbonizing the electricity supply and achieving global sustainability goals. Solar energy harvesting, combined with efficient energy storage systems, presents a transformative pathway to a low-carbon future. This work focuses on the development of high-performance photovoltaic materials, including perovskites and tandem cells, designed for enhanced efficiency and reliability under diverse environmental conditions. Scaled manufacturing techniques, such as roll-to-roll processing and additive manufacturing, are explored to reduce production costs and enable widespread adoption. Equally essential are innovations in energy storage technologies, including high-capacity batteries and novel thermal and chemical storage systems, to address the intermittency of solar power. Emphasis is placed on achieving grid-level reliability and energy availability, integrating these technologies seamlessly into existing infrastructure. This study underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in materials science, engineering, and policy to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy system.

Co-Chairs: Jeffrey Lopez ‧ Dayne Swearer

Speaker Tom Hellstern, McKinsey & Company

Speaker Z. Jason Yu, Beyond Silicon

Speaker Jonathan Pistorino, Volexion

Discussant Dane deQuilettes, Optigon

Discussant Charlie Hasselbrink, Caelux Corporation

Break

ROUNDTABLE 3
Industrial decarbonization: Critical challenges in green hydrogen production, storage, transport, and deployment

Industrial decarbonization is a cornerstone of global efforts to mitigate climate change, with green hydrogen emerging as a key enabler for reducing emissions across hard-to-abate sectors. However, the widespread adoption of green hydrogen faces critical challenges in production, storage, transport, and deployment. Producing hydrogen via water electrolysis powered by renewable energy demands significant advancements in efficiency, scalability, and cost reduction to compete with fossil fuel-derived alternatives. Storing hydrogen safely and effectively requires breakthroughs in materials and systems, such as high-pressure tanks, cryogenic solutions, or chemical carriers like ammonia or liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs). Transporting hydrogen over long distances involves substantial infrastructure investments in pipelines, liquefaction facilities, and carrier vessels, as well as overcoming energy losses. Deployment at scale necessitates integrating hydrogen into existing industrial processes, developing hydrogen-ready equipment, and addressing regulatory, economic, and public acceptance barriers. This work examines these challenges holistically and highlights innovative technologies, strategies, and policy interventions critical for advancing the role of green hydrogen in decarbonizing industries globally.

Chair: Sossina Haile 

Speaker Kathy Ayers, Nel Hydrogen   

Speaker Linn Sommer, Topsoe

Speaker Dhaval Shah, SABIC

Discussant Jon Horek, Invenergy

Discussant Paul Glaser, GE Vernova

Discussant Brian McCarthy, WSP

Transition/move to offsite dinner in downtown Evanston

Cocktails & networking in downtown Evanston

Limited capacity: speakers/discussants, industry attendees, faculty, and invited guests only

Dinner & networking in downtown Evanston

Limited capacity: speakers/discussants, industry attendees, faculty, and invited guests only

TIME

DESCRIPTION

SPEAKERS & DISCUSSANTS

ROUNDTABLE 4
Carbon reuse and circularity: Materials, feedstocks, conversion technologies, and scaling

*Note: time allotted for roundtable 4 is longer than the other roundtables (2hr 30min) due to the scope of the topic.

Carbon reuse and circularity are transformative approaches to decarbonization. Key pathways for carbon reuse are examined, including the utilization of industrial CO₂ emissions, biomass, and waste-derived feedstocks for the synthesis of fuels, chemicals, and materials. Emphasis is placed on the use of polymers and plastics as feedstocks. Advances in catalytic and electrochemical technologies, such as carbon dioxide reduction, gasification, and bioconversion, are highlighted as enablers for efficient carbon transformation. Challenges in process scaling, including energy demands, infrastructure requirements, and economic feasibility, are assessed alongside emerging solutions. This DWG highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration, policy support, and technological innovation to achieve scalability and maximize carbon circularity.

Co-Chairs:  John Torkelson ‧ William Dichtel ‧ Justin Notestein ‧ Linsey Seitz

Speaker Peter Kotiadis, Fortune Brands

Speaker Rich Cohen, Elevate Packaging

Speaker Perry Eyster, Heritage Research Group

Speaker Zara Summers, LanzaTech

Speaker Linn Sommer, Topsoe

Discussant Christopher Thurber, Dow Chemical

Discussant Frank Reinhold, BASF

Discussant Shanu Mathew, Lazard Asset Management

Lunch & Poster session & talent recruitment event with the Northwestern community

LOCATION: East Terrace Tent, Kellogg Global Hub (outside 1st floor)

View student and scholar profiles.

ROUNDTABLE 5
Critical R&D materials challenges in sorbent chemistry and engineering along the NetZero Roadmap: from carbon capture to water harvesting to H2 storage

The development of advanced sorbent materials is crucial for achieving the NetZero Roadmap, addressing critical challenges in carbon capture, water harvesting, and hydrogen storage. Each of these applications requires tailored sorbent materials with unique properties, such as high selectivity, capacity, and stability under operating conditions. For carbon capture, sorbents must efficiently adsorb CO₂ from flue gases while withstanding repeated cycles of capture and release. In water harvesting, sorbents need to selectively absorb water vapor from the atmosphere, operating under varying humidity conditions with high efficiency. For hydrogen storage, materials must exhibit high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen uptake while maintaining stability and reversibility over many cycles. This work highlights the critical R&D challenges in sorbent chemistry and engineering, including the design of novel materials with enhanced performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. It also examines the integration of these materials into practical systems and the need for innovations in synthesis, regeneration, and system design. Achieving breakthroughs in these areas will be key to advancing sustainable technologies for carbon capture, water harvesting, and hydrogen storage, essential for realizing a NetZero future.

Co-Chairs:  Omar Farha ‧ Randall Snurr

Speaker Ben Hernandez, NuMat

Speaker Jeffrey Parkey, TOTAL Energies

Speaker Matt Grandbois, AirJoule

Discussant Jay Lomeda, 3M

Discussant Paul Glaser, GE Vernova

Closing remarks

Ted Sargent ‧ Executive Director, Trienens Institute

Adjourn