- How to Learn Best for Scaling and De-risking Carbon Innovation

The Carbon Forum 2023 brought together experts and thought leaders to discuss strategies, technologies, and societal considerations on technology learning, carbon innovation and societal impact. Diverse perspectives were shared, emphasizing the need for collaborative and innovative solutions to address the challenges ahead. Here is a recap of key insights from the event.

Carbon Forum is developed by Novo Nordisk Foundation CO₂ Research Center as a platform for discussions and perspectives on how to accelerate the green transition and develop innovative carbon technologies in sync with society. The forum is aimed at decision-makers and stakeholders across the carbon ecosystem within policy, industry, research, NGOs, industry organizations, media etc.

See presentations and photos below or watch the full event in the video.

Watch or re-watch the event here

CORC Carbon Forum 21st November 2023 Second edition of CORC's annual Carbon Forum was held on 21st November in Copenhagen with the title "Accelerating Carbon Innovation Through Technology Learning". CORC Carbon Forum provides a platform for an open and unbiased discussion on how to accelerate the green transition and the role carbon will play in the future. The goal is to highlight solutions, consequences, and challenges we face as a society and how to deal with them.

Photos from the event

Anna Munck Laybourn graphically recorded the participants expectations and shared them in dialog with moderator Nynne Bjerre Christensen. Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Keynote of the day was delivered by Roger Aines, Senior Advisor for CO2 Removal to the US Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy & Innovation, Energy Program Chief Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Professor Charlie Wilson, University of Oxford gave a talk titled "Granular Technologies to Accelerate Decarbonization". Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

The first panel discussion was titled "How do we learn fast and efficiently?". The panel consisted of Roger Aines, Anders Hoffmann (Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities), Marta Victoria and Jan Huckfeldt (Climeworks). Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping gave a talk titled "Transitioning to Green Technologies in Shipping". Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Keynote by Roger Aines in the beautiful surroundings of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Associate Professor Marta Victoria, Aarhus University and PI at CORC gave a talk titled "How does technology learn?" Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Professor Harry Atwater from California Institute for Technology gave a talk abut Ocean Carbon Capture and the journey of his company Captura. Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Holly Jean Buck who is an Assistant Professor at University at Buffalo gave a talk titled "Accelerating and De-risking Social Acceptance" Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Anna Munck Laybourn did a live graphical recording of the second panel discussion. Photo: Kurt Rodahl Hoppe

Program for Carbon Forum II: Accelerating Carbon Innovation Through Technology Learning

Moderator: Nynne Bjerre Christensen, journalist

Graphic facilitator: Anna Laybourn, Brain2Business

Welcome and introduction

by Alfred Spormann, Executive Director at Novo Nordisk Foundation CO₂ Research Center (CORC), Professor of Microbiology, Stanford University
and Marta Victoria, CORC PI, Associate Professor of Modelling of Large-scale Energy Systems, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University

Session I: Accelerating and scaling technology through learning

KEYNOTE: Roads to CO₂ Removal in the USA

by Roger Aines, Senior Advisor for CO₂ Removal to the US Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy & Innovation, Energy Program Chief Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

How Does Technology Learn?

by Marta Victoria, CORC PI, Associate Professor of Modelling of Large-scale Energy Systems, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University

Granular Technologies to Accelerate Decarbonization

by Charlie Wilson, Professor of Energy and Climate Change, and Energy Programme Lead in the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Scholar at International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Panel discussion I: How do we learn fast and efficiently?

Anders Hoffmann, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Climate, Energy & Utilities, and Governing Board Chair, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Marta Victoria, CORC PI, Associate Professor of Modelling of Large-scale Energy Systems, Aarhus University
Roger Aines, Senior Advisor for CO₂ Removal, DOE Office of the Under Secretary of Energy and Innovation, Energy Program Chief Scientist, Global Security Principal Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Jan Huckfeldt, Chief Commercial Officer, Climeworks

Session II: Accelerating society adoption and deployment at scale

Ocean CO₂ Capture and the Journey of Captura

by Harry Atwater, CORC PI, Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science, California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Transitioning to Green Technologies in Shipping

by Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO at Maersk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and Advisory Board member at CORC

Accelerating and De-risking Social Acceptance

by Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment & Sustainability, University at Buffalo (SUNY)

Panel discussion II: How do we bring innovative carbon technologies rapidly to society?

Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment & Sustainability, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO at Maersk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and Advisory Board member at CORC
Jarl Krausing, Deputy CEO and International Director, CONCITO, Denmark's Green Think Tank
Katja Grothe-Eberhardt, CEO and Co-founder, Klimate.co