Brent Denham
PacifiCorp

Cory Gessert
DNV

William De Los Santos
Bloom Energy

DESCRIPTION

The energy transition is driving innovation and application of multiple technologies to meet energy demand.  This session will focus on costs and time to market for resources that compete with or benchmark the value of hydro, this will include, pump storage, batteries and wind, solar, nuclear. 

This Panel is within the Technical, Dam Safety, and Engineering Track at the conference. 
 
This session is a 201-level discussion for those looking to take a deeper dive into this subject matter.

Moderator:
Brent Denham, PacifiCorp

Panelists: 

• Evan Rosenlieb, Geospatial Data Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Cory Gessert, VP, Owner's Engineering & Advisory Services, DNV Energy USA Inc.
• Chris Fendley, VP Commercial Development, TerraPower
• William De Los Santos, Director, Hydrogen Business Development, Bloom Energy

Panelists Bios: 

• Evan Rosenlieb is a geospatial data scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. As a geospatial scientist he focuses on spatial algorithm development and his portfolio focuses on geospatial applications to Pumped Storage Hydro and Floating PV. Evan has been the technical lead on NREL’s modeling of new closed-loop PSH potential using elevation and hydrological inputs, was involved in the production and validation of NREL’s recently released PSH cost model, and contributes to NREL’s PSH capacity expansion work.
• Cory Gessert leads offshore wind, owner's engineering, and asset optimization services at DNV; a diverse and growing team of technical and commercial experts who champion the widespread deployment of renewables in North America. She one of ACP's 2022 Breakout Women of the Year, and the 2021 Cleanie Awards Rising Star award recipient. Cory is passionate about aligning the brilliance of her team to permit the most complex offshore wind projects, design the largest cost-efficient solar and storage projects, and provide cutting-edge engineering solutions and maximum cost efficiency. She is committed to mentoring and networking with hard-to-reach and marginalized communities to ensure equitable energy access and support the energy transition.
• Chris Fendley- As the VP of Commercial Development Chris is responsible for the business planning, strategy development and commercial negotiations for TerraPower’s reactor designs and nuclear medicine programs. Chris has primarily worked on the development of the Natrium reactor design including supporting TerraPower’s recent Advanced Reactor Demonstration selection which will result in a Natrium demonstration reactor within 7 years. Prior to TerraPower Chris worked at DTE Energy in Michigan supporting finance and commercial development of renewable and industrial utility facilities. He also was a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy where he served aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN-770). Chris has an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin.
• William De Los Santos is a Director of Hydrogen Business Development at Bloom Energy where he focusses on helping customers understand the value proposition of Bloom’s solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) solutions. William has been focused on decarbonization efforts for the last six years. Prior to Bloom, he served for two decades in various commercial and operational leadership positions at Williams, Chart Industries and Honeywell UOP. He has broad commercial experience in business development in refineries, petrochemical facilities, natural gas midstream, LNG process technology, pipelines and industrial gas. Before his career in energy, William was an officer and aviator in the U.S. Army having deployed multiple times in support of operations around the world. William is a graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point).