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6th Annual Southern Bioproducts and Renewable Energy Conference
Monday, April 16
1:00-6:00 Registration
1:00-5:00 Exhibit Set-Up
2:00-5:00 Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs’ Workshop
“Company Formation” – Dr. Randy Goldsmith
President and CEO, Mississippi Technology Alliance, Ridgeland, Mississippi
“Fund Raising for Projects” – Dr. Steve Bares
President and Executive Director, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, Memphis, Tennessee
“Fundable Deals and New Market Tax Credits” – Cliff Kenwood
Principal, Rebirth Capital, LLC., New Orleans, Louisiana
5:00-6:30 Networking Reception& Exhibits
Tuesday, April 17
7:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast
7:00-5:00 Registration
8:00-11:00 General Session
Session Chair: Sumesh Arora, Director, Strategic Biomass Initiative, Mississippi Technology Alliance, Ridgeland, MS
Welcoming Remarks – Dr. Lester Spell
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
“Industry Perspective” – Scott Sklar
President, Stella Group, Washington, DC
“Southeastern Perspective” – Jim Clinton – unfortunately cancelled
Executive Director, Southern Growth Policies Board, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
“Bioenergy Activity in the Southwest” – Dr. Vimal Desai
Vice President of Research, New Mexico State University, Vice President of Research, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Break
“DOE Bioenergy Pathways” – John Scahill
Golden Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Golden, Colorado
“ Mississippi as the Energy Hub” – Monty Montgomery
Senior Associate Manager, Mississippi Development Authority – Natural Resources, Jackson, Mississippi
“Ethanol Business” – Necy Sumait for Kent Larson
Business Development and Corporate Finance, BlueFire Ethanol, Irvine, California
“Plasma Gasification Technology” – Dennis Miller
Chief Scientist, Solena Group, Washington, DC
11:00-12:00 Student Poster Session see Student Poster Abstracts
12:00-1:30 Luncheon
“ Cellulosic Biofuels: Current Status and Future Prospects ” - Dr. David Bransby
Professor of Energy Crops and Bioenergy, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
1:30-5:30 Breakout Sessions
Session 1A:Solar and Distributed Energy
1:30-3:15 Session Chair: Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group, Washington, DC
“Solar Lighting” – Moneer Azzam
President, Solar One Solutions LLC, Farmington, Massachusetts
“Solar Power Water Purifier” – Douglas Washington
Executive Vice President, World Water and Power, Pennington, New Jersey
“Winning Solar Car – How They Did It” – Keith Reese
Electrical Instructor and Team Coach, Houston High School, Houston, Mississippi
“Managing the Green Power Switch Program” - Rick Carson/Jim West
Program Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority - Green Power Switch, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
“Application of Combined Heat and Power” – Louay Chamra
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
Session 1B: Energy Efficiency, Buildings, and Emergency Power
1:30-3:15 Session Chair: Pete Nelson, Principal, BioDimensions, Memphis, Tennessee
“Need for Backup Power Post Katrina” – Jackie Lett
President, Mississippi Association of Broadcasters, Ridgeland, Mississippi
“Power On-Site: Distributed Renewable Energy's Time to Shine ” – Henry Gentenaar
Managing Partner, Reluminati, Washington, DC
“Modernizing Energy Networks for Sustainable Growth ” – Henry Jones
Chief Technology Officer, SmartSynch, Jackson, Mississippi
“Geothermal Heat Pump” – Ken Loar
Vice President of Marketing and Sales, ECR Technology, Lakeland, Florida
“Energy Efficiency in Construction using Insulated Concrete Forms” – Joe Riddle
Energy Wise Construction Projects, Pass Christian, Mississippi
3:15-3:45 Break
Session 2A: Biofuels
3:45-5:30 Session Chair: Dr. Bill Batchelor, Department Head, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State Univerisity, Starkville, Mississippi
“Mississippi Biomass Utilization: University-Based Research and Development Project- A Mississippi Research Consortium Project ” – Dr. Clint Williford
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
“Potential Biofuels Project Pitfalls”- Pete Moss
Pete Moss, Frazier Barnes Associates, Memphis, Tennessee
“Conversion of Wastewater Treatment Facilities into Tomorrow’s Biorefineries” - Dr. Todd French
Assistant Research Professor, Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
“Ethanol from Different Feedstocks, Limitations and Opportunities” – Dr. Brian Baldwin
Associate Professor, Plant and Soil Science, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
“Vehicles Powered by Cellulosic Materials” - Wayne Keith
Alabama Farmer and Logger, Springville, Alabama
Session 2B: Biomass Opportunities and Risks
3:45-5:30 Session Chair: Dr. Liam Leightley, Interim Associate Director & Research Professor, Forest Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University
“Economic Impacts of a Renewable Energy Scenario on the Nation and the Southern United States”– Burton English
Professor, Agricultural Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
“Potential for Dedicated Energy Crops” – Spencer Swayze
Manager of Business Development, Ceres, Inc, Thousand Oaks, California
"State of the Art Review for Distributed Biomass Certification" - Dr. Mark Bricka
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
“Biomass Business in Mississippi, a Personal Perspective ” – Brent Brasher
President, KenGro, Charleston, Mississippi
“Biomass To Replace Natural Gas for Hydronic Heating in a Greenhouse
Complex” - Christine Emplaincourt
Assistant Director, Industrial Assessment Center, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
6:00-7:30 Networking Reception & Exhibits
Wednesday, April 18
7:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast
8:00-12:00 General Session
Session Chair: Brent Bailey, State Alliance Team, 25x’25 Initiative
"Framework for a Regional Biomass Industry" - Donna Perla
Acting Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
“2007 Farm Bill Energy Title” – John Moore
Senior Attorney, Environmental Law Policy Center, Chicago, Illinois
“USDA Renewable Energy Activities and Opportunities” – John Rounsaville
State Director, USDA Rural Development, Jackson, Mississippi
“Net Metering Challenges” – Noel Schulz
Associate Professor and TVA Professorship in Power Systems Engineering,Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
Break
“Funding Opportunities” – Bruce Crain
President, Crain Consulting, Jackson, Mississippi
“Go Zone Legislation” – Chuck Mobley for Kathy Gelston
Bureau Manager in the Financial Resources Division, Mississippi Development Authority, Jackson, Mississippi
“Digester Protocols/Ethanol/Renewable Energy Industry Funding Opportunities” - David Terry
Executive Director, ASERTTI, Washington, DC
“25x'25 Initiative” – David Waide
President, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Jackson, Mississippi
President, Far More Consulting, Jefferson City, Missouri