In the first Innovation track session, Rachelle Ames, Lee Cheatham, Craig Husa, David Kenney, and Dan Schwartz discussed ways that the Northwest Energy Innovation Alliance is working to continue to foster innovation and connections in our region. The takeaway was that finding is funding is difficult for startups in our space and region, but we are working on programs to increase that funding, including for more prototyping and proof of concept projects. Moderator: Lee Cheatham, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Speakers: Rachelle Ames, CleanTech Alliance, Craig Husa, Impact Bioenergy, David Kenney, VertueLab, Daniel Schwartz, University of Washington.
In our second panel of the Innovation track, we learned about Smart Cities with Matthew Combe, Mayor David Condon, and Kevin Klustner. This revolutionary take on the built environments goes beyond simply improving infrastructure and services to tackling complex urban challenges like like energy efficiency, decarbonization, and resiliency. Smart Cities are on the rise around the country, and the Northwest institutions like the University of Washington are leading the charge. Moderator: Heather Mulligan, Puget Sound Energy. Speakers: Matthew Combe, Seattle 2030 District, David Condon, City of Spokane, Kevin Klustner, University of Washington.
In our final Innovation panel, Renee Gastineau, Andrew Lee, and Hendrik Van Hemert spoke at our panel on transforming the built environment. This panel incorporated green buildings, carbon-free transportation options, and other aspects of nearly every other panel or keynote, so in many ways this panel felt like the culmination of the rest of the conference. It will take involvement from nearly every sector to make this transition but together we can do it. Moderator: Katrina Morgan, Säzän Environmental Services. Speakers: Renee Gastineau, Paladino and Company, Andrew Lee, International Living Future Institute, Hendrik Van Hemert, McKinstry.
Still hungry for more from the Energy Leadership Summit? Click here for the Policy Track. Click here for the Business Track.