Panels

SusTech 2023 Panels

“Electricity Transmission Future”
Organized by Oregon Oregon Department of Energy

“Sustainable Ocean Energy Technology and Policy”
Organized by the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES)

“Maintaining Energy Resilience”
Organized by Oregon Oregon Department of Energy

“Implementing a Sustainable Future for Aviation: An Ecosystem Approach”
Organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Electricity Transmission Future

Organized by Oregon Oregon Department of Energy

Date & Time: April 20, 10:30 am
Venue: Multnomah Falls

Transmission line infrastructure is expanding across the U.S. and the world. Local, state, and national decarbonization policies; economics; and national security interests are driving an unprecedented demand for large-scale renewable electricity generation projects across the world – which in turn is driving the need to proactively plan and develop a vast expansion of bulk, high-voltage transmission networks to deliver renewables to load centers. This panel will discuss the history, current driving forces, benefits, and challenges of expanding transmission infrastructure in the context of the Pacific Northwest.

Moderator: Jason Sierman, Oregon Department of Energy

Panelists:

Ricky Bustamante, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)
Shaun Foster, Portland General Electric (PGE)
Scott Beyer, Western Power Pool (WPP)
Adam Schultz, California Independent System Operator (CAISO)

Sustainable Ocean Energy Technology and Policy

Brought to you by
IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society

Date & Time: April 20, 3:30 pm
Venue: Multnomah Falls

This panel will focus on the various ways in which the ocean can be harnessed as a source of clean and sustainable energy, such as through the use of offshore wind, wave and tidal power. Panelists will discuss the current state of technology in this field, as well as the potential for future growth and development. They will also address the public policy and financial barriers to to fully realize the potential of ocean energy, such as the high costs of building and maintaining ocean energy systems and the mitigating potential environmental impacts. Overall, the discussion would aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the field and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Panelists:

Bryson Robertson, Associate Professor at Oregon State University and Director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center
Varner Seaman, CPA
Landon Mackey, PhD, Senior R&D Electrical Engineer at C-Power
Jonathan Z. Bird, Associate Professor, Portland State University

Moderator:

Jason Busch is Executive Director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust (POET), an organization that supports the responsible development of marine energy and decarbonization of the maritime sectors. Mr. Busch also is active in a number of organizations, including the Marine Energy Council, Offshore Wind California, and the Renewable Hydrogen Alliance.

Prior to joining Oregon Wave Energy Trust, Mr. Busch was an attorney specializing in land use, energy, and project development.

Panelist Bios:

Bryson Robertson, PhD is an Associate Professor at Oregon State University and Director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center. Dr. Robertson’s research and teaching interests include the wave mechanics, hydrodynamics of floating bodies and mooring systems, and renewable energy. Working with partners in industry and the US National Laboratories, he focuses on wave, tidal and offshore wind energy resource characteristics; the co-design and modeling of hydrodynamically active offshore wind and wave renewable technologies; and numerically integrating marine power within the emerging Blue Economy. His research utilizes field measurements, hydrodynamic multi-body numerical models, and physical prototype build/test. Prior to coming to OSU, he spent five years working at the University of Victoria and consulting for marine energy companies. In complementary research, Dr. Robertson also looks at the future of our global energy systems; the nexus of technology, climate change, policy, economics and society on the decarbonization of electrical systems; and the public trust requirements to transition power systems. His research has been funded by the DOE, Navy, the State of Oregon and National Science and Engineering Council of Canada.

Varner Seaman, CPA Mr. Seaman has extensive experience in energy and utility policy. Varner consults with leading advocacy organizations focused on offshore wind development and improved regional governance of the western electric interconnect. In his roles with American Clean Power- California and Renewable Northwest Varner is one of the leading advocates on the west coast focused on the development of this new industry. He has testified in front of the California Coastal Commission, California Energy Commission, California Assembly and the Oregon Legislature and spoken at conferences on issues related to offshore wind on both the east and west coast. Prior work experience includes managing state government relations for Portland General Electric as well as EDP Renewables.

Landon Mackey, PhD is a Senior R&D Electrical Engineer at C-Power in Corvallis, OR, developing reliable, sustainable, cost-effective energy generation and storage solutions that are easy to transport and deployable anywhere in the world. Prior to C-Power Landon earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at North Carolina State University where he developed facilitating technologies, specifically new circuit protection systems, for renewable ocean energy harvesting. While completing graduate studies he also started a wave-powered disaster relief desalination company, Water Bros, in response to the Department of Energy Waves to Water Prize. As a US Navy Nuclear Submarine Electrician veteran, Landon has extensive experience operating and maintaining complex electrical and mechanical systems in the challenging ocean environment.

Jonathan Z. Bird, PhD, Dr. Bird was recently awarded a 4-year Department of Energy research and development grant that involves supplying variable negative stiffness magnetics springs to AquaHarmonics Inc. for utilization in a wave energy converter. AquaHarmonic Inc will then be testing the wave energy converter at the new Department of Energy testing site (PacWave).

Dr. Bird received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a Senior Design Engineer with the General Motors Advanced Technology Center, Assistant then Associate Professor with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Since 2015 he has been an Associate Professor with the Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA. His primary research interests include magnetic geared electrical machines, electrodynamic wheel maglev technology and variable stiffness magnetic springs for renewable energy applications. Dr. Bird’s research has been primarily funded by the Department of Energy the National Science Foundation and NASA. He is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Maintaining Energy Resilience

Organized by Oregon Oregon Department of Energy

Date & Time: April 21, 10:30 am
Venue: Multnomah Falls

This panel will address why resiliency is becoming increasingly important in the context of the electricity system. While our economy and communities become increasingly reliant on electricity, climate change is creating unpredictable and extreme conditions that increase the risk of disruptive grid events. What strategies and technologies are available to help increase resiliency in the electricity system, and what are some of the major trade-offs, challenges, opportunities, and next steps associated with those strategies? This panel will discuss these issues and describe actions utilities and transmission operators are taking to increase resiliency in the electricity system.

Moderator: Amy Schlusser, Oregon Department of Energy

Panelists: TBA

Implementing a Sustainable Future for Aviation: An Ecosystem Approach

Organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Date & Time: April 22, 10:00 am
Venue: Multnomah Falls

Sustainable aviation is a cross-industry priority requiring cooperation across aerospace disciplines, including both classical aeronautics science and engineering, as well as adjacent fields such as chemical engineering and transportation planning, to determine the priorities and implement a vision which can be both scaled and maintained. In this panel, organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), speakers will share their perspectives on sustainable aviation developments in policy, practice, and implementation. Panel discussion will emphasize an inclusive ecosystem approach that attempts to embrace a comprehensive view of all technology elements—vehicles, fuels, infrastructure—necessary for a sustainable future for aviation.

Panelists:

Carol Sim, Assistant Director of the Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT) at Washington State University

Misha Lujan, Director of Cluster Initiatives at the Aerospace Futures Alliance (AFA)

Matt Orr, Associate Technical Fellow in Product Development at The Boeing Company

Moderator:

Ashira Beutler-Greene, Content Developer at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Bios:

Ashira Beutler-Greene, Ph.D. is responsible for the management of initiatives related to sustainable aviation and advanced air mobility at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). She enjoys providing opportunities for cross-industry stakeholders to share their perspectives on common areas of concern. Prior to her role at AIAA, she managed educational media programming for the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ashira holds degrees from University College London, Carnegie Mellon University, and Wellesley College.

Ms. Carol Sim is an Assistant Director in the Washington State University Office of National Laboratory Partnerships and supports the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuel and the Environment (commonly known as ASCENT) – an aviation-based research organization providing science-based solutions for many of aviation’s environmental challenges. Carol also facilitates the Washington Sustainable Aviation Biofuels Work Group- a diverse group of public and private stakeholders – working to promote sustainable aviation fuels as a productive industry in Washington. Prior to joining WSU, Carol was the Director of Environmental Affairs for Alaska Airlines.

Misha Lujan is Director of Cluster Initiatives at the Aerospace Futures Alliance (AFA).

Dr. Matthew Orr is an Associate Technical Fellow, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product Development, with over 20 years of experience in aircraft design. Matt’s career has been focused on improving fuel efficiency and reducing the environmental footprint of commercial aviation. He is an American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellow and a member of the Aircraft Design Technical Committee, Student Activities Committee, and the Sustainable Aviation Task Force within the AIAA.