Day 1: Climate Innovation & Technology
Innovation and technology are invaluable levers for tackling climate challenges. From AI-driven climate modeling to direct air carbon capture, our kickoff hub day will spotlight the most promising advancements shaping a more sustainable world.
A huge thank you to our Hub location venue hosts, John Hopkins Ralph O'Conner Sustainable Energy Institute, and our theme partner, Motive Power, for making this event accessible to all in DC.
Since the venue has limited seating, tickets will be given through a lottery system. If you've been accepted to join us at this DC Climate Week's hub location, you will be notified by April 9th.
Day 1 Agenda
10:00AM – 10:20AM | Opening Remarks
🎯 Description: Setting the stage for the Innovation & Technology theme at DC Climate Week. Leaders from academia, policy, and industry welcome attendees and outline the day’s objectives.
10:20AM – 10:40AM | The Climate Tech Opportunity – Welcoming Keynote
🎯 Description: An optimistic vision for climate tech’s role in addressing climate change challenges. What breakthroughs are emerging? Where is investment flowing? What’s needed to scale?
10:45AM – 11:45AM | Panel: The Role of Emerging Climate Technologies
🎯 Description: This fireside chat will explore how cutting-edge climate technologies—spanning biotech, AI, and fusion—are driving decarbonization. Experts will discuss the challenges of moving from R&D breakthroughs to real-world deployment and what’s needed to scale innovation effectively.
11:45AM – 12:45PM | Lunch Break & Networking 🍽️
12:45PM – 1:45PM | Lightning Rounds – Energy Innovations
🎯 Description: This session will feature rapid-fire presentations from leading startups and organizations developing breakthrough energy solutions—from grid innovations and long-duration storage to AI-driven climate resilience, and advanced nuclear. Each speaker will provide a concise, high-impact overview of their technology and its potential to accelerate decarbonization and energy transition efforts.
1:45 PM – 2:00PM | Coffee Break & Networking ☕
2:00PM – 2:50PM | Panel: Unlocking Grid Innovation: Accelerating Transmission and DER Integration
🎯 Description: The power grid is undergoing a historic transformation as demand for clean energy surges. However, transmission bottlenecks remain one of the biggest barriers to deploying renewable energy at scale. How can new technologies—AI, software-driven grid solutions, and advanced hardware—help accelerate transmission development?
2:55PM – 3:45PM | Lightning Rounds – Hard Tech for Hard Problems
🎯 Description: This session will showcase cutting-edge hard tech solutions tackling some of the biggest decarbonization challenges in heavy industry, carbon removal, advanced materials, and electrification. Speakers will highlight deep-tech breakthroughs in biomanufacturing, direct air capture, nature-based carbon removal, sustainable aviation, and next-generation building materials. Each speaker will provide a concise, high-impact overview of their technology, its climate impact, and the challenges of scaling innovations.
3:45PM – 4:00PM | Coffee Break & Networking ☕
4:00PM – 5:00PM | Panel: Industrial Decarbonization – Building a Clean Supply Chain
🎯 Description: The industrial sector is responsible for over 30% of global CO₂ emissions, making it one of the hardest areas to decarbonize due to its reliance on high-temperature processes, fossil fuel-based feedstocks, and complex global supply chains.
5:00PM – 5:30PM | Mapping the Future of Climate Tech Investing
🎯 Description: The climate tech investment landscape is at a pivotal moment. Following the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), global capital shifts, and evolving policy landscapes, investors are reassessing where the next big opportunities lie. This session will offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at how top investors are adapting to economic cycles, regulatory changes, and emerging climate innovations.