Hawkeye Decarbonization Summit 2022

Panelists will explore Iowa’s small but fast growing area of solar PV renewable energy. Representing a cross section of stakeholders in solar energy, each panelist will share their real world experiences at this exciting segment of renewable energy, with a focus on policy needs and convergent research needed for improved adoption.  

Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. The recipients of the inaugural Hawkeye Decarbonization Awards will be awarded. These will be given to local governments in Iowa making exemplary contributions to decarbonization, to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and to energy independence.  

Rural communities and Iowa agricultural producers have major challenges and opportunities from climate change and from policy responses to deal with climate change, such as soil carbon sequestration, and initiatives for low-carbon ethanol, low-carbon ammonia, and other environmental and ecosystem services from climate-smart and regenerative agriculture. A critical issue as agricultural producers improve their practices in response to market demands is verification. Our Decarb2040 panel will share opportunities, emerging techniques, and key challenges in this space.

Participants are invited to mingle over refreshments, and visit informational tables. GPSG Sustainability Committee , our Decarb2040 Partners, the Office of Sustainability, and the UISG Sustainability Committee will host information tables in the same room (IMU 2nd floor ballroom) as the speaker sessions. 

Saul Griffith, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Founder and Chief Scientist of Otherlab and Rewiring America, author of Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future 

Dr. Griffith’s presentation will be virtual. 

Heating of homes, schools, offices, and commercial properties in cold climates such as Iowa is a substantial decarbonization challenge. Dominated by natural gas and propane, each of the decarbonization pathways (e.g., electrification, biomethane, etc.) faces obstacles. We examine these obstacles and the convergent research required to overcome them.

Featuring federal and state funding program managers, a discussion of what future research is needed to enable decarbonization, energy transition, and energy independence.