Fall 2021: ISE Energy of the Future Webinar Series
The Institute for Sustainable Energy (now the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability) invites you to watch our Energy of the Future webinar series this fall for insights on how to decarbonize the built environment that surrounds us, making U.S. cities greener and cleaner. Academic and industry experts discuss smart surfaces to better manage sun and rain, plus how to transition commercial buildings, touching on the technical, policy, and financial opportunities and challenges.
Presented in collaboration with series sponsor the U.S. Green Building Council and BU event partners.
Cool, Climate-safe Cities: New Solutions & Research
October 1, 2021
As climate change becomes an ever-greater threat, keeping our cities cooler to improve health and reduce emissions is an increasing priority. This webinar explores advances in research, new building and paving materials, and new policies that can make our cities more livable and safer for the climate.
As climate change becomes an ever-greater threat, keeping our cities cooler to improve health and reduce emissions is an increasing priority. This webinar explores advances in research, new building and paving materials, and new policies that can make our cities more livable and safer for the climate.
- Greg Kats, Founder & CEO, Smart Surfaces Coalition and President, Capital E
Kats has played substantial roles in developing the clean energy and green building industries, and is a long-time thought leader and investor in the transition to a low carbon economy. He is the author of Greening Our Built World; Costs Benefits and Strategies. Kats presents keynote remarks on transformative “smart surface” city projects, spotlighting Baltimore, MD, to cost effectively and equitably make cities both greener and cleaner. - Lucy R. Hutyra, Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston University
Dr. Hutyra is Boston University’s leading expert on urban forestry. Her nationally funded research lab investigates carbon dynamics in forest systems and urban areas, studying a range of topics including forest ecology, urban carbon and nitrogen cycling, land use change impact on ecosystem productivity, fossil fuel emission patterns and determinants, and climatic controls on ecosystem carbon exchange. Hutyra shares research on nature-based urban climate solutions. - Rao Mulpuri, CEO, View
Mulpuri has served as CEO of View since 2008. Prior to View Inc., he held several executive positions at Novellus Systems, most recently as President of Novellus Systems Japan, and Vice President/General Manager of the Integrated Metals Business. Dr. Mulpuri holds a PhD in Materials Engineering and an MS in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University. Mulpuri discusses technology innovations, including smart windows. - Jennifer Roberts, former Mayor of Charlotte, NC and Smart Surfaces Coalition Steering Committee member
Roberts has been a life-long advocate for clean air and water and for environmental justice. As mayor of Charlotte, NC, she signed the Mayor’s Climate Pledge and introduced a Clean Energy Resolution for the City of Charlotte. Roberts speaks to the role of policymaking in climate mitigation strategies. - Katharine Lusk, Co-Director and Founding Executive Director, Boston University Initiative on Cities (moderator)
Lusk spearheads university-wide programs and research devoted to smart cities and the urban environment, including the annual Menino Survey of Mayors conducted by the Initiative on Cities. Lusk served as a Policy Advisor to the late Boston Mayor Tom Menino and now serves on the Boston Women’s Workforce Council as an appointee of former Mayor Marty Walsh.
Event co-sponsored by BU partners the Initiative on Cities and the Energy & Sustainability Club.
Decarbonization of Existing Commercial Buildings: Technical Issues and Opportunities (Part 1)
November 5, 2021
In the race to decarbonize, the U.S. commercial building sector offers significant potential to pay early dividends on climate action. At stake is 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to replace fossil fuels used primarily for heating and hot water, a sizable impact that could be more quickly attained than efforts to decarbonize other parts of our built environment.
This two-part webinar will address the technical, financial, and policy challenges in achieving substantial decarbonization of existing commercial buildings in particular—the harder-to-transition bulk of this sector that requires large-scale retrofits. In part one, technical topics span analysis of conversion opportunities for both individual lab/office buildings and entire portfolios of buildings, district heat, and assessment of heat pump technology for this sector.
In the race to decarbonize, the U.S. commercial building sector offers significant potential to pay early dividends on climate action. At stake is 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to replace fossil fuels used primarily for heating and hot water, a sizable impact that could be more quickly attained than efforts to decarbonize other parts of our built environment.
This two-part webinar will address the technical, financial, and policy challenges in achieving substantial decarbonization of existing commercial buildings in particular—the harder-to-transition bulk of this sector that requires large-scale retrofits. In part one, technical topics span analysis of conversion opportunities for both individual lab/office buildings and entire portfolios of buildings, district heat, and assessment of heat pump technology for this sector.
- David Nemtzow, Building Technologies Office Director of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy
Keynote speaker David Nemtzow brings more than three decades of experience in the industry, including running a large state government energy and water department, a prominent bipartisan nonprofit energy efficiency association, and an energy consulting practice. - Kurt Roth, Head, Energy Systems, Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation
Dr. Roth has led several studies to assess the energy savings and commercialization potentials of building technologies, including HVAC, building controls and diagnostics, and information technologies, and has served as Principal Investigator on several DOE-funded applied R&D projects. He discusses challenges to and opportunities for the decarbonization of smaller commercial buildings, particularly those conditioned by packaged rooftop units (RTUs), which account for the majority of commercial building HVAC energy consumption. - Gayatri Sundar Rajan, Student Researcher, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University
Sundar Rajan is a Boston University Campus Climate Lab Researcher and an Anthony Janetos Climate Action Prize recipient who’s majoring in mechanical engineering and specializes in energy and building heating electrification. She discusses the technical considerations and strategies to electrify existing large buildings at Boston University. - Mike Walters, Principal, Salas O’Brien
Walters is an industry leader in the comprehensive techno-economic analysis of energy systems and alternatives, with a background in high-performance buildings, energy planning, and the design and construction of geothermal systems and central energy plants. Walters focuses on decarbonization via electrification of district energy systems. - Michael Gevelber, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Boston University (panelist and moderator)
ISE-affiliated faculty Michael Gevelber’s engineering research focuses on developing enhanced materials processing capabilities through modeling, sensor development, experimentation, and integrated system and control design. His research includes developing a new system identification approach that helps optimize air flow in existing commercial buildings and conducting energy assessments for urban housing and universities.
Event co-sponsored by BU partner the Energy & Sustainability Club.
Decarbonization of Existing Commercial Buildings: Policy and Financial Issues (Part 2)
December 3, 2021
In the race to decarbonize, the U.S. commercial building sector offers significant potential to pay early dividends on climate action. At stake is 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to replace fossil fuels used primarily for heating and hot water, a sizable impact that could be more quickly attained than efforts to decarbonize other parts of our built environment.
This two-part webinar will address the technical, financial, and policy challenges in achieving substantial decarbonization of existing commercial buildings in particular—the harder-to-transition bulk of this sector that requires large-scale retrofits. Part two will focus on policy and financial topics, including financing green buildings, the cost of alternative carbon reduction strategies and policy trade-offs, whole-campus electrification, and emerging energy reporting regulations.
In the race to decarbonize, the U.S. commercial building sector offers significant potential to pay early dividends on climate action. At stake is 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to replace fossil fuels used primarily for heating and hot water, a sizable impact that could be more quickly attained than efforts to decarbonize other parts of our built environment.
This two-part webinar will address the technical, financial, and policy challenges in achieving substantial decarbonization of existing commercial buildings in particular—the harder-to-transition bulk of this sector that requires large-scale retrofits. Part two will focus on policy and financial topics, including financing green buildings, the cost of alternative carbon reduction strategies and policy trade-offs, whole-campus electrification, and emerging energy reporting regulations.
- Peter Y. Flynn, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Bostonia
Flynn is experienced in the financing of energy efficiency, distributed generation, and renewable energy projects, as well as project finance, real estate finance, securitization, and public private partnerships. At Bostonia, Mr. Flynn has structured and placed over $2 billion in federal, municipal, and commercial energy projects. He was lead banker on two of the largest Federal energy projects. Mr. Flynn is a graduate of Boston University School of Law. He will discuss financing green buildings. - Michael Gevelber, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Boston University
ISE-affiliated faculty Michael Gevelber’s engineering research focuses on developing enhanced materials processing capabilities through modeling, sensor development, experimentation, and integrated system and control design. His research includes developing a new system identification approach that helps optimize air flow in existing commercial buildings and conducting energy assessments for urban housing and universities. He will discuss the cost of alternative carbon reduction strategies and policy trade-offs. - Jacob Knowles, Associate Principal, Director of Sustainable Design, BR+A
As Director of Sustainable Design, Knowles leads the BR+A sustainability consulting team. He is a Zero Net Energy guru, spearheading millions of square feet of Carbon Neutral + Carbon Positive projects. Knowles is also a board member of the Boston Society for Architecture. He will discuss the assessment of whole-campus electrification. - Brenda Pike, Climate Advisor, American Cities Climate Challenge, City of Boston Environment Department
Brenda Pike will discuss updates to Boston’s Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0), amended in October 2021, requiring large buildings (greater than or equal to 20,000 square feet or with at least 15 units, which account for 60 percent of the City’s building greenhouse gas emissions) to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. - Elizabeth Beardsley, Senior Policy Counsel, U.S. Green Building Council (moderator)
Beardsley brings more than 20 years of professional experience working on environmental and climate issues both as an engineer and lawyer. At the U.S. Green Building Council, she provides strategic green building law and policy guidance and direction across the international, federal, state, and local spectrum, and her work focuses on connecting building policy to climate mitigation.
Event co-sponsored by BU partner the Energy & Sustainability Club.