April 28, 2010

The speakers will cover Southeastern solar resources, environmental and operating conditions, economic proposition and technology fit and availability.

Speakers

Richard Perez, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of New York-Albany
Richard Perez has been associate editor of Solar Energy Journal since1995, and has published more than 120 articles and reports on solar radiation, renewable energy applications, and day lighting. He and his team advise the National Renewable Energy Lab on solar radiation profiles of the U.S. Richard built and lives in a passive solar photovoltaic home, and in 2000 received a U.S. patent for “Load Controller and Method to Enhance Effective Capacity of Photovoltaic Power Supply.” Perez earned a doctorate in atmospheric science from UAlbany (1983) and a diploma of advanced studies in external geophysics from the University of Paris (1978).

Nuri Demirdoven, Ph.D., Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company
Nuri is a member of McKinsey’s Electric Power & Natural Gas Practice and co-leads McKinsey Global Solar Initiative. He primarily serves global energy and materials clients focusing on electric power utilities, independent power developers and renewable energy OEMs. Nuri has been with McKinsey in Houston over 5 years. Prior to McKinsey Nuri worked with Air Liquide in France. Nuri holds a MS in Technology& Policy and PhD in Physical Chemistry both from MIT.

Anthony Coker, Sr. Director of Strategic Partners, Suniva, Inc.
Anthony is responsible for solutions development, key customer relationships and global product certifications. He is also a board member of with Technology Association of Georgia’s Smart Grid Society. Anthony has held management, sales, marketing and engineering roles with GE Plastics, Dow Corning/Hemlock Semiconductor, Accenture, Software AG, ITW Chemtronics, and Davy Powergas/McKee. He holds a BChE from Georgia Tech and has pursued an executive MBA at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.

Presentations:

Southeast Solar Resources – Richard Perez

Solar Economics – Nuri Demirdoven

Solar Technology and Suitability – Anthony Coker

Webcast

Watch the webcast here

February 24, 2010

Speakers:

Valerie Thomas is the Anderson Interface Associate Professor of Natural Systems in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, with a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy. Valerie works on the energy, environmental and economic implications of biomass and other energy systems. Her current work includes assessment of alternative aviation fuels for the U.S. Air Force, assessment of algal biofuels, and assessment of bioenergy resources in Georgia, and assessment of the costs of new electricity generation in the southeast.

Valerie received a B. A. in physics from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University. She has served on research staffs of Carnegie Mellon and Princeton and was a Lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In addition, Valerie was an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellow. She is a member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Marie Walsh is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee, Head of M&E Biomass (a private consulting firm), and serves as shared faculty with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). She holds a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Illinois College, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota.

Marie was formerly a Research Staff Economist and Leader of the Integrated Systems Analysis Task in the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Feedstock Development Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Major projects included the development of a county level database of biomass feedstock supply (agricultural residues, energy crops, forest residues, mill residues, urban wood wastes); analysis of the potential for, and impacts of, producing energy crops; economic impacts of using corn stover to produce ethanol in the Midwest; and economic impacts of using biomass for co-firing in the Southeast.

Marie was selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Science Fellow, and worked at the U.S. Congress–Office of Technology Assessment where she conducted analysis of policy issues related to agricultural biotechnology. She participated in several studies and was project director for the study Industrial Uses of Agricultural Commodities.

Nathan McClure currently leads the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Forest Utilization, Marketing, and Development program. He also serves as the Director of Forest Energy and Development for the agency. Nathan has worked in a variety of positions over the past 25 years with the Commission. He is a Georgia Registered Forester and a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources Management.

Nathan serves as a member of the Society of American Foresters Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration Task Force and the Southern Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resource Alliance steering committee. He also received the SAF National Field Forester Award in 2005.

Michael (“Mike”) H. Burnside is president and chief executive officer of Catchlight Energy LLC, a biofuels joint venture between Chevron and Weyerhaeuser. He has held this position since the venture was formed in February 2008.

Prior to Catchlight Energy, Mike worked 33 years for Chevron and held a variety of assignments in manufacturing, planning and analysis, and finance functions, most recently as project manager to establish the biofuels joint venture, and prior to that role, as Americas regional manager for Chevron Oronite Company with responsibility for additive manufacturing and supply operations in the U.S., Brazil and Mexico.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Burnside received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from California State University.

Presentations and Webcast:

Southeast Biomass:
 Highest and Best Use – Mike Burnside

Forest Bioenergy: Opportunities for Georgia and the South – Nathan McClure

Biomass Resources: A Macroeconomic Perspective – Marie Walsh

Biomass Energy in the Southeast – Valerie Thomas

The webcast can be seen here

November 18, 2009

Southeast Energy Demand to 2030

Speakers:

Alan Beamon, Director, Coal and Electric Power Division
Energy Information Administration
US Dept. of Energy

Alan Beamon is the Director of the Energy Information Administration’s Coal and Electric Power Division.  He has worked on electricity analysis projects since 1984.  His responsibilities include the development and maintenance of the coal, renewable and electricity components of EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS).  NEMS is used each year to produce the Annual Energy Outlook, which provides projections through 2030 of energy consumption and prices. It is also used to prepare special studies, including those requested by Congress or the Administration.  Key areas of analysis have included the development of National SO2 Allowance Database and analysis of the impacts of the Clean Air Acts Amendments of 1990. Recent work has focused on the impact of proposed environmental regulations on the electricity sector–especially efforts to reduce nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide. Alan received his degree in economics from the College of William and Mary in 1982.

Michael Schaal, Director, Oil and Gas Division
Energy Information Administration
US Dept. of Energy

Michael Schaal is the Director of the Energy Information Administration’s Oil and Gas Division. His primary focus is on producing the oil and natural gas and biofuels projections for EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook.  Mr. Schaal’s prior experience includes working as a professional engineer with Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco where he was involved in economic analysis, engineering, construction, and operations of first-of-a-kind facilities, and as a consultant with Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc. advising clients on natural gas and power sector issues.  Mr. Schaal received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the California State University in 1986, and his Masters degree in Mineral Economics from The Pennsylvania State
University in 1995.

Presentations and Webcast:

Alan’s Slides: Outlook for US Electric Power

Michael’s Slides: Outlook for Liquid Fuels and Natural Gas to 2030

What is the Energy Information Administration?

Archive of WebCast