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 | November 6-7, 2023 |
Agenda
DAY 1 - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 | ||
TIME | DESCRIPTION | VENUE |
| 11:30 a.m. | Workshop Registration | Clary Reception |
| 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. | Lunch Buffet | Pres. 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-Chairs | Clary 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 & Networking | Pres. Suite |
| 8:30 - 9:45 am | Session 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 perspectives | Clary 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
