Driving the Energy Transition: From Strategy to Action

1. Overview of carbon reduction strategies, including methodologies such as marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs), energy transition roadmaps, and consulting studies used to formulate carbon reduction strategies.
2. Refining goals, setting actionable targets, and engaging stakeholders effectively through carbon intensity benchmarking.
3. Deploying advanced technologies such as integrated process and supply chain modeling to optimize operations, track progress, and identify emissions reduction opportunities.
4. A case study showcasing best practices from oil refineries that had successfully initiated energy transition initiatives.

About the Presenter

Michiel Spoor, Principal Energy Consultant at KBC Advanced Technologies (A Yokogawa Company)

Michiel Spoor brought over three decades of experience in the global downstream business. A culturally sensitive professional, his clients included national and multinational energy companies, independent energy firms, investors, and governments.

Passionate about energy efficiency and energy transition, Michiel combined experience, training, and technology to help clients develop decarbonization strategies that conserved operational costs while sustaining long-term emission reduction targets. In addition to American and Eurasian oil refineries, he had experience in the petrochemical, fertilizer, and LNG industries.

Michiel was internationally recognized as an authority on refinery energy efficiency due to his numerous papers and conference contributions. He also authored the monthly "Energy Saver" column in Chemical Processing magazine. He held a master’s degree in Chemical Process Technology from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Enabling the Decarbonization and Circularity of the Chemical Industry through Process Technology Development and Scale-Up

This talk explored how industrial decarbonization and circularity were interconnected within the modern chemical industry. The RAPID Manufacturing Institute, a public-private partnership between the DOE and AIChE, had been addressing these sustainability initiatives through the development and scale-up of process technologies.

About the Presenter

Ignasi Palou-Rivera, Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer of the RAPID Manufacturing Institute

In addition to his role at the RAPID Manufacturing Institute, Ignasi served as the President of the US Manufacturing Innovation Council and the Chair of the Manufacturing USA Council.

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Ignasi had diverse expertise in chemical process development, process modeling, refinery planning, process technology valuation and commercialization, and R&D management. Prior to joining RAPID in 2017, he held roles at Aspentech, Applied Materials, BP, LanzaTech, and Argonne National Laboratory.

In 2023, Ignasi was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). He had been actively involved in the Computing & Systems Technology Division (CAST) and the Sustainable Engineering Forum (SEF) within AIChE. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he taught entrepreneurship and IP management.

Ignasi held an Engineer degree from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and had completed post-doctoral research at MIT.

Unlocking Carbon Credits with Technology to Address Climate Change

Global climate change was a massive problem. It was estimated that over 40 gigatons of CO2 and equivalent gases were emitted annually. To prevent further damage to the planet, this amount needed to be reduced by 23 gigatons annually by 2030. Achieving this goal required economic incentives for carbon-reducing activities.

Properly utilized, carbon credits could serve as a financial incentive. The technology necessary to meet emission reduction goals already existed, but many solutions faced high implementation costs. Carbon credits could provide a financial bridge to offset these costs and accelerate adoption.

About the Presenter

Sunny Trinh, CEO, DevvStream, Inc.

With over 25 years in the electronics and semiconductor industry, Sunny Trinh had helped hundreds of companies, from start-ups to multi-billion-dollar firms, transition their ideas from design to production and revenue. His work had advanced numerous technologies, with a particular focus on ESG, sustainability, and carbon credits.

As CEO of DevvStream, Inc., Sunny led efforts to help organizations and municipalities generate carbon credits through technologies that improved energy efficiency, reduced or sequestered greenhouse gas emissions, or provided renewable energy solutions. He also served as Chief Digital Alchemist for Devvio Inc., where he utilized blockchain technology to develop solutions and business models in sustainability and carbon markets.

Previously, Sunny had held leadership roles at Avnet, Inc., Jooster, and Arrow Electronics. During his tenure at Arrow Electronics, he led the engineering team that re-designed a Corvette Stingray to be driven by a quadriplegic. He had also co-founded and served as CEO of 9:Fish Surfboards and had been an adjunct professor for Cal Lutheran University’s MBA program, where he launched the school’s technology track.

Sunny held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and an MBA from Cal Lutheran University. He also held several patents for electronic accessories for cell phones.

A couple of fun facts about Sunny: he had surfed 20-foot waves on the north shore of Hawaii and competed in ballroom dancing in college.