AES

The program spans project execution, nuclear energy, and grids, AI, and infrastructure. Sessions address financing and delivering the U.S. energy buildout; grid capacity, interconnection, transmission, reliability, and cost allocation; and the effects of data-center and industrial demand on power planning. Nuclear topics include power for data centers, first-of-a-kind project cost and delivery, nuclear finance, HALEU and fuel supply, utility choices among large reactors, SMRs, and microreactors, and pathways to SMR deployment. Other sessions cover LNG security, trade, and investment; energy storage and grid-edge technologies; AI in energy operations; and project bankability, permitting, policy, supply-chain, and delivery risks. The program also includes executive roundtables, a project-execution clinic, and an energy startup pitch competition.

Plenary and concurrent sessions examine renewable project markets and financing across solar, wind, storage, and clean firm power. Topics include tax-credit policy and compliance, tariffs, domestic-content requirements, power and PPA prices, data-center and other large-load demand, interconnection, procurement, construction, supply chains, and post-subsidy project economics. Financing sessions address tax equity, transferable credits, preferred equity, debt, development capital, lender underwriting, diligence, tax insurance, risk allocation, offtake structures, storage revenue models, sponsor equity, M&A, portfolio and asset valuation, and operating performance. The program also covers community solar and commercial and industrial projects, clean-firm and co-located generation, domestic manufacturing, and the effect of changing policy and market conditions on project execution and investment.

The public-facing program combines plenary presentations, industry, academia, and technology-sector panels, and Purdue-led research posters and lightning talks. Themes include grid planning and operations amid rapid load growth; AI for grid performance and grid studies; flexibility across large loads, transmission systems, distribution networks, and distributed energy resources; and grid investments, interconnections, and transmission improvements. Panels address grid operations with large loads, flexibility as a grid resource, grid planning with large loads, and AI for grid operations. The members-only program includes an advisory board meeting and a concurrent student career event. The advisory board reviews 2026 project reports, considers Purdue faculty proposals for 2027 research, and deliberates on proposed research activities for industry-member voting. The career event gives Purdue students an opportunity to explore energy-sector engineering careers and discuss internships and employment with industry representatives.