Entrepreneurs, Scientists Gather at National Harbor for ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3,000 of the nation’s leading scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are expected to be in attendance this week as the annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit once again takes center stage at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
The three-day event is both a showcase for cutting-edge energy technology and an opportunity for attendees to forge relationships to move their technologies to market.
At the same time, interactive breakout panels and numerous networking opportunities afford participants ample opportunity to discuss the unique challenges they face and what the energy sector may look like in the near-, middle- and long term.
Among Monday’s highlights was an opening address by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who spoke of his passion for energy and its role in creating ever-greater opportunities to live and prosper.
“It’s what has allowed the luckiest 1 billion people here in America and around the world to live longer and healthier lives,” he said.
He also spoke of the Trump administration’s approach to energy policy, which he described as being “about more energy and more opportunity, not less energy and less opportunity.”
Also addressing the conference Monday were Dr. Daniel Cunningham, the acting director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy; Jim Gable, vice president of innovation at Chevron Corporation; John Kotek, senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute; and Grace Stanke, a nuclear fuels engineer at Constellation Energy.
If there is a particular area that seems top of mind at this year’s conference, it is the surge in growth of data centers, itself an outgrowth of the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence and advanced computing.
Also high on the list of conversation starters is nuclear power as a reliable, domestic source of baseload power, and the growing push to accelerate the deployment of next-generation reactors.
There was also much discussion among early conference arrivals about how plants — the nation’s biomass — will continue to play a key role in America’s energy future.
Currently, plant-based energy resources supply about 5% of America’s energy needs, while playing a transformative role in aviation fuels, critical minerals accumulation and carbon products.
“A conference like this is a great catalyst for getting people to come together and talk about where all this ends up,” Gable said at one point.
“Clearly understanding our business units and what their specific technology needs are is really fundamental,” he added.
On Tuesday, the focus will be on how American infrastructure is being reimagined.
The day’s general session will center on fostering dynamic discussions and remarks from thought leaders about groundbreaking energy advancements and opportunities to scale disruptive technology from lab to market.
On Wednesday, attention will shift to how AI is shifting the energy landscape.
Among other things, the day’s general session will seek to highlight opportunities for energy researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists and innovators to utilize AI to advance American-made energy.
Numerous other sessions during the event include a women in energy breakfast, a forum on what it takes to move from an innovative idea to bringing an actual new technology to market, several technology demos, and even a fraud awareness briefing.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
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