Carbon to Value Initiative Year 6 Kickoff

An invitational pitch event for Cohort 2027 finalists, following application review and virtual presentations by selected semifinalists. The underlying program supports technical founders developing early-stage technology innovations. Its priority areas include domestic critical-mineral extraction, midstream processing and recycling; manufacturing scale-up for energy applications; industrial competitiveness; energy generation and power management; batteries; grid storage and security; and nuclear, fusion, transportation, computing, and biomanufacturing technologies.

Resources for the Future and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation bring together researchers and stakeholders to examine energy economics, policy, and technology, with an emphasis on connecting research and decision-making. In-person attendance is by invitation only. The program includes an opening discussion on how researchers can collaborate with decision-makers amid changes in the US energy research and policy landscapes. Topical breakout sessions use lightning talks, practitioner reflections, and moderated discussion to cover energy supply chains, energy workforce transitions, industrial decarbonization, and energy system resilience. Other sessions address consumer perspectives on electricity rate design, energy efficiency, vehicle purchases, and energy policy choices; clean-energy research and deployment involving nuclear energy, geothermal technologies, carbon capture, and carbon dioxide removal; and the United States’ position in global clean-energy innovation. Facilitated networking focuses on data access, combining quantitative and qualitative research, reaching new audiences, and building communities of practice. The program also includes participant-nominated breakfast salons and a funders’ panel on emerging energy-system research needs and opportunities for impact.

The forum connects energy startups with investors, corporations, and ecosystem partners through structured one-on-one meetings and a startup pitch competition. Its stated areas of focus include electricity; materials and industrial manufacturing; fuels and chemicals; the built environment; resource management; transportation and mobility; enabling technologies; and agriculture and food. Investor participation spans venture and growth equity, family offices, corporate strategic investors, and project finance groups. The event also features technical workshops on topics shaping the energy sector.

The conference covers CCUS project developments, emerging technologies, and key industry drivers and challenges. Topics include updates on ongoing initiatives, breakthrough technologies, emissions reduction, and regulatory developments. Panel discussions and interactive sessions address industry challenges, opportunities, and real-world project experiences, with a focus on advancing carbon capture projects and partnerships across the value chain.

The program covers electricity demand from data onshoring and options for expanding grid generation and infrastructure; agrivoltaics combining cattle grazing with solar; and collaborative, technology-neutral ways to meet Tennessee’s demand for reliable, affordable power. A panel on the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus focuses on research, industry collaboration, technology development, and resource recovery across the nuclear lifecycle. Power Moves discussions highlight advanced-energy projects, technologies, and investments, including work by Centrus Energy, Kairos Power, and Type One Energy. Power Pitches are grouped around the future of energy, nuclear materials, advanced materials, and manufacturing. The event also presents the Thomas B. Ballard Advanced Energy Leadership Award and includes a featured address on energy innovation and U.S. energy security.

The symposium focuses on accelerating deployment of transformative clean-energy technologies and policies for the public good, forging cross-sector alliances, and renewing leadership commitment to clean-energy innovation. The agenda includes a fireside chat; sessions on battery innovation and battery research; an emerging leaders panel; “Learning from Hundreds of Millions of Experiments in a Single Afternoon”; “Life Science Lessons”; and “High-Throughput Materials Science for Solar.” An innovation ecosystems panel and closing address round out the program.

The program combines a shared market program with concurrent Capital, Markets & Deal Strategy and Energy Innovation & Investment tracks. Sessions address capital availability, tax equity and credit transfers, private credit, project bankability, investment risk, insurance, and the effects of policy and market changes on project finance. Topics include macroeconomic and geopolitical forces affecting U.S. energy investment; capital deployment across renewables, gas-fired generation, storage, transmission, and digital infrastructure; financing firm power amid rising electricity demand; and project-finance trends and capital sources. The innovation track covers emerging energy asset classes, post-tax-credit renewable and storage economics, AI and data-center power demand, permitting and commercialization barriers, small modular reactor economics, construction risk, geothermal, long-duration storage, and distributed energy. Closing discussions consider which energy technologies and business models may scale by 2030, what makes infrastructure bankable, and investment lifecycle strategies including M&A, value creation, and exits.

A member-focused policy program combining legislative meetings with panels on state energy and cleantech policy. Possible panel topics include policies supporting large-scale campus decarbonization efforts and workforce development. Panel 1 addresses Big Things on the Move: Policies to Consider for Current and Emerging Energy Projects, with Dave McCormack, CEO, Clean Energy Supplier Alliance; Julianne Mattecheck, Fabrication Salesperson, UMC, Inc.; and Ryan Calkins, Commissioner, Port of Seattle. Panel 2 addresses Carbon Management and Growing Energy Demand, with Steven Schueneman, Manager, Emerging Technologies and Sustainability, Puget Sound Energy; Meghan Gavin, General Counsel and Director, Carbon Containment Lab; and Mike Robinson, Co-Founder, PacClean. Innovation cluster insights and moderation are provided by Mel Clark, President & CEO, CleanTech Alliance, and Cassie Losey, Director of Governmental Affairs, Port of Benton. Reception remarks are provided by Nora Hawkins, Interim Energy Policy Director, Washington State Department of Commerce. The program includes legislator meetings with Sen. Sharon Shewmake, Rep. Alex Ramel, and Rep. Clyde Shavers.

The forum brings together cleantech innovators, investors, corporates, and other ecosystem participants to address grid stability, water scarcity, waste-to-value, critical minerals, and geopolitical pressures on supply chains and energy security. The program includes a closed-door, peer-level executive roundtable and an opening plenary covering cleantech trends, capital flows, innovation, and the 2027 Global Cleantech 100. Agenda topics include nuclear fuel supply and nuclear supply chains; mineral processing, refining, recovery, and the post-mining supply chain; physical AI applications in grid construction, critical minerals, and dual-use; data-center power demand, grid capacity, water use, cooling, and wastewater resource recovery. Other sessions address heat resilience, energy efficiency for AI compute, geopolitical risk across energy and cleantech supply chains, and investor perspectives on cleantech funding. Innovation Showcases feature cleantech companies presenting technologies and business models.