ArcticX culminated on May 23, 2022, with an in-person event to solidify partnerships forged over this InnovationXLab series. Taking place at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, this summit focused on driving energy technologies for a more sustainable Arctic region. Attendees from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Alaska Native communities, national laboratories, and Arctic businesses gathered to leverage the strength and knowledge of local entrepreneurs to advance energy affordability, reliability, and innovation.
Panels furthered existing energy projects, discussed new development ideas, promoted funding opportunities, and highlighted cutting-edge clean technologies. Networking events fostered connections that fuel technology and commercialization solutions for the people and communities of the Arctic.
Keynote Speakers
Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Murkowski is the senior U.S. Senator for Alaska, America’s only Arctic state.
Murkowski is a leading expert on Arctic issues and is dedicated to helping America lead as an Arctic nation. She recognizes the Arctic is a national asset and a national priority, and continues to push for the U.S. to invest in the infrastructure and assets critical to a comprehensive Arctic strategy. Murkowski supports those who call the Arctic home by addressing challenges such as energy affordability, climate change, food security, and infrastructure needs.
Murkowski has had a significant impact on federal energy policy in recent years, and was named the most effective Republican Senator on that issue in the most recent Congress. Her legislative accomplishments include the Energy Act of 2020, which modernized the nation’s energy policies for the first time since 2007, and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which provides historic investments in core infrastructure, including cleaner energy systems.
In 2020, Murkowski led the re-establishment of DOE's Arctic Energy Office to ensure greater collaboration between Alaska’s innovators and DOE’s cutting-edge researchers. Murkowski prioritized a "living laboratory" for the Arctic in recognition of Alaska’s role as a proving ground for the development and early deployment of new technologies that will benefit the state and the country as a whole.
Governor Mike Dunleavy
Governor Mike Dunleavy arrived in Alaska in 1983 as a young man looking for opportunity, and he found it. His first job was working in a logging camp in Southeast Alaska. Later on, Governor Dunleavy pursued his dream of becoming a teacher. He earned his teacher’s certificate, and then a master of education degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He spent nearly two decades in northwest Arctic communities working as a teacher, principal, and superintendent.
Governor Dunleavy and his family moved to Wasilla in 2004, where he owned an educational consulting firm and worked on a number of educational projects statewide. Dunleavy served on the Mat-Su Borough School Board, with two years as Board President, and then as a state senator for five years. Governor Dunleavy is focused on moving Alaska forward and believes that our greatest years are yet to come if we work together to maximize our potential.
Dr. Geraldine Richmond
Dr. Geraldine Richmond, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation for DOE, oversees the Department's Office of Science, the nation’s largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences, DOE’s applied R&D areas of nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy, and energy system integrity, and the DOE national laboratories and their facilities.
Robert A. Gillam, CFA
Robert Gillam, McKinley Capital Management, LLC’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, is the principal strategist behind McKinley Capital innovations including Non-U.S., MEASA, Global Healthcare, the Engineering and Solutions platform, and most recently, Private Investment. As CEO/CIO, Rob is responsible for the firm’s business strategy and investment process.
ArcticX spotlights the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in science and energy technology in the Arctic region.
Agenda
The full-day event included keynotes from DOE officials while breakout panels centered on local perspectives and success stories. The multidisciplinary agenda was designed by DOE program offices and 12 different national labs, with input from the private sector and local universities.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. |
Registration and Exhibitor Booths Open, Buffet-Style Breakfast |
| 9:00 a.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Governor Mike Dunleavy |
| 9:15 a.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Geraldine Richmond, Under Secretary of Science and Innovation, U.S. Department of Energy |
| 9:30 a.m. |
Plenary Panel Presentation: Ensuring Energy Justice in the Clean Energy Transition |
| 10:15 a.m. |
Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. |
Breakout Session 2A: Renewable Deployment and Grid Modernization |
|
Breakout Session 2B: Carbon Management in the Arctic |
|
| 11:30 a.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:00 p.m. |
Keynote Speaker: U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski |
| 1:15 p.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Robert A. Gillam, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, McKinley Capital Management, LLC |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Breakout Session 3A: Maritime Decarbonization and Green Shipping Corridors - Global, Regional, and Local Perspectives |
|
Breakout Session 3B: Nuclear Power Solutions in Support of Energy Transitions and Economic Development in the Arctic Domain |
|
| 2:15 p.m. |
Breakout Session 4A: Subsurface Resources for Clean Energy Transition - Geothermal Energy |
|
Breakout Session 4B: Climate Issues Affecting Arctic Development |
|
| 3:00 p.m. |
Coffee Break |
| 3:30 p.m. |
Plenary Panel Presentation: Technology Commercialization - Arctic Case Studies |
| 4:15 p.m. |
Closing Remarks |
| 4:30 p.m. |
Happy Hour |
Speakers
Speakers represented a diverse set of perspectives and each brings a deep wealth of knowledge and experience to their panel. They discussed everything from innovations in the maritime industry, carbon management, geo-resources and nuclear to the latest trends in climate monitoring, modeling, renewable energy deployment, and grid modernization.
- Kathleen Araujo, Director – Center for Advanced Energy Studies Energy Policy Institute, Boise State University
- Christi Bell, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute
- Joshua Berger, President, Maritime Blue
- Jens Birkholzer, Associate Laboratory Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Jay Byam, CEO, Kartorium
- Jessica Cherry, Regional Climate Services Director for Alaska Region, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Aaron Cooke, Sustainable Northern Communities Lead, National Renewable Energy Laboratory-Cold Climate Campus
- Baptiste Dafflon, Scientist, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Elise DeGeorge, Senior Project Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Maria DiGiulian, Director of International Science and Technology Collaboration, U.S. Department of Energy
- Reid Edwards, Sr. Reservoir Engineer, Hilcorp Alaska
- Abraham Ellis, Senior Manager, Renewable Energy Technologies, Sandia National Laboratories
- Piper Foster Wilder, Founder and CEO, 60Hertz Energy
- Robbin Garber-Slaght, Cold Climate Housing Research Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Gary Geernaert, Director, Climate and Environmental Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy
- Charles Hanley, Senior Manager, Grid Modernization & Resilient Infrastructure, Sandia National Laboratories
- Brian Hickey, Executive Director, Railbelt Regional Coordination
- Diane Hirshberg, Director & Professor of Education Policy, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage; Vice-President Academic, University of the Arctic
- Carl Hoiland, Co-Founder, Zanskar Energy
- Gwen Holdmann, Associate Vice Chancellor of Research for Innovation and Industry Partnerships, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Jim Jager, Director of External Affairs, Port of Alaska
- Pamela Kauveiyakul, Chief Partnerships Officer, Launch Alaska
- Chandler Kemp, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association
- Paul Kjellander, Former President, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
- Amanda Kolker, Geothermal Program Lead, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Vladimir Koritarov, Director of the Center for Energy, Environmental, and Economic Systems Analysis (CEEESA), Argonne National Laboratory
- Alejandro Moreno, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power, U.S. Department of Energy
- Rebecca O’Neil, Advisor, Electricity Infrastructure, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- John Parsons, Associate Director, MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
- Larry Pederson, Vice President of Nome Operations, Bering Straits Native Corporation
- George Roe, Director, Arctic Energy Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Joel Rowland, Scientist, Earth & Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Rob Roys, Chief Innovation Officer, Launch Alaska
- Mike Schrider, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ucore Rare Metals, Inc.
- Brent Sheets, Director, Petroleum Development Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Sherry Stout, Arctic Program Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Richard Vilim, Senior Nuclear Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory
- John Walsh, Chief Scientist, International Arctic Research Center
- Marwan Wartes, Energy Section Chief, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
- Peter Webley, Deputy Director, Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Mayor Michael Welch, City of North Pole
Past Events
The ArcticX series kicked off virtually and webinars in November, January, and April have attracted over 1,000 attendees. We’ve featured presentations from Energy Secretary Granholm, Secretary of Interior Haaland, and Deputy Secretary of Energy Turk alongside 15+ panelists with boots on-the-ground experience.
These three virtual interactions underscored the importance of the conversations that will take place at the ArcticX Summit with local experts who have the knowledge and experience critical to moving forward into a sustainable future. Read more about them on our blog.
History
Launched in 2018, the InnovationXLab series has become one of DOE’s premier technology transfer events. With the opening of DOE’s Arctic Energy Office and Secretary of Energy Granholm’s trip to Alaska with Senator Murkowski, the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) seized the opportunity to highlight the resourcefulness and resilience that define the traditionally underserved but strategically important Arctic region.
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