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Final Report

Findings from the discussions are now available in a SE Decarbonization Workshop Report.

The report discusses "priority decarbonization solutions for partnerships in the Southeast" and "partnership principles". It also highlights partnerships where progress is already underway:

  • Heat Pumps: From the Lab to the Marketplace
  • Hydrogen Partnerships are Critical
  • Mass Timber and Sustainable Construction as Growth Sectors
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Bio-Based Resources

We’re pleased to share that the workshop has already initiated three new partnerships involving ORNL, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt University that emphasize community outreach across the Southeast. They focus on:

  • a net zero-carbon building using hydrogen-based micro-combined heat and power (Zhiming Gao, ORNL)
  • a ClimateAtlas for the U.S. Southeast (Moetasim Ashfaq, ORNL)
  • Quantifying Carbon OffsetPotential in Southeast Forests (Xiaojuan Yang, ORNL)

The principal collaborators from Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt University will be confirmed soon. We are eager to see a cascade of collaborations that leverage regional resources and expertise to achieve our shared objectives around decarbonization.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marilyn Brown, Regents Professor at Georgia Tech and Joint ORNL Faculty Member (mbrown9@gatech.edu)
Dr. Peter Thornton, Director, Climate Change Science Institute at ORNL (thorntonpe@ornl.gov) 

The Southeast is emerging as a hub for clean energy industries, and this changing climate has created unique challenges and opportunities. To identify the strategic science and technology opportunities and gaps unique to the Southeast, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory co-hosted the 2023 Southeast Decarbonization Workshop. The workshop brought together community members and regional experts to strategize on opportunities in this important area. Ultimately, the goal of the workshop was to start conversations about accelerating progress and impacts in decarbonization on both the research and implementation fronts, as this effort benefits our communities in so many ways.

Topics of discussion focused on innovation, demonstration, and system interactions related to decarbonization efforts and will include: 

  • Identifying strategic science and technology gaps unique to the southeastern United States; 
  • Engaging in a diversity of views and promote benefits for all; 
  • Exploring nature- and place-based climate solutions that are sensitive to environmental and social assets including water, land, and communities.

Attendance was by invitation only. 

For more information, please reach out to  

Dr. Marilyn Brown                                                          Dr. Peter Thornton     
Georgia Tech | Climate & Energy Policy Lab                Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Climate Change Science Institute    
marilyn.brown@pubpolicy.gatech.edu.                    thorntonpe@ornl.gov 

Workshop Presentation

Presentations from the two-day sessions can be accessed via the link below:

View Google Slides

THEMES

Innovation | Demonstration | Deployment | System Interactions

LOCATION

DATE

Bill Moore Student Success Center   
219 Uncle Heinie Way NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
November 6-7, 2023

Agenda

DAY 1 - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023
TIME
DESCRIPTION 
VENUE
11:30 a.m.Workshop RegistrationClary Reception
12:00 - 12:30 p.m.Lunch BuffetPres. Suite
12:40 - 1:00 p.m.Welcome Address     
Tim Lieuwen (Georgia Tech) & Susan Hubbard (ORNL)
Clary Theatre
1:00 - 1:30 p.m.Plenary Talk     
Kelly Cummins (Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, DOE)
Clary Theatre
1:30 - 1:45 p.m.Cafe Conversations Kick-off: Q&A with Session Co-ChairsClary Theatre
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.Session 1: Innovation     
Where are we and where are we going?     
Mandy Mahoney (Director, Building Technologies Office, DOE)     

Cafe Conversations
Co-Chairs: David McCollum (ORNL) & Richard Gruber (Georgia Tech)   
Pres. Suite
15 minute Coffee Break
3:45 - 5:15 p.m.Session 2: Demonstration - Applied Innovation for Field Validation     
Cafe Conversations
Co-Chairs: Richard Simmons (Georgia Tech) & Edgar Lara-Curzio (ORNL)     
Pres. Suite
Move to Press Box Evening Activities
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.Reception 
- Insight Panel featuring science/tech, state/local, and student perspectives 
Press Box
6.30 - 8:00 p.m.Plenary Talk & Dinner     
Nathaniel Smith, Partnership for Southern Equity
Pres. Suite
DAY 2 - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2023
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.Breakfast & NetworkingPres. Suite
8:30 - 9:45 amSession 3: Deployment and Scale         
Cafe Conversations
Co-Chairs: Robert Wagner (ORNL) & Michael Oxman (Georgia Tech)
Pres. Suite
15-minute Coffee Break 
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.Session 4: System Interactions     
Where are we and where are we going?     
Tim Echols, Georgia Public Service Commission     

Cafe Conversations
Co-Chairs: Marilyn Brown (Georgia Tech) & Peter Thornton (ORNL)
Pres. Suite
Move to Plenary Session
11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.Insight Panel featuring science/tech, state/local, and student perspectivesClary Theatre
12:15.- 1:15 p.m."Corporate Decarbonization Initiatives in the Southeast" Panel
Moderator:  Beril Toktay 
Featuring:   Ken Shiver (Southern Company), Liz Minne 
                    (Interface), Burt Fealing (Southwire), 
                    Joanna Chavez (Delta Air Lines)
Clary Theatre
1:15 - 1:30 p.m.Closing Remarks     
Tim Lieuwen (Georgia Tech) & Susan Hubbard (ORNL)
Clary Theatre
Boxed Lunches (Pres. Suite or To-go)
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.Closed Session     
Next Steps for Signature Georgia Tech / ORNL Partnership
Pres. Suite

20 Excellent Books on Decarbonization

Collage of book covers on decarbonization