FSEC Advisory Board Meeting

April 25, 2024
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
In-Person Meeting with Remote Option via GoToMeeting

Time	Description	Speaker
9:30 a.m.	Welcome	Bill Grieco, Chair, FSEC Advisory Board; Chief Innovation Officer Innventure
9:40 a.m.	Introductions – Advisory Board Members Roll Call	Sherri Shields, Director, Communications & Marketing, FSEC
9:40 a.m.	Approval of May 10, 2023 Minutes	Bill Grieco, Chair
9:45 a.m.	Status of FSEC Programs [PDF | Video]	James Fenton, Director, FSEC
10:30 a.m.	Florida Energy Office Report	Brooks Rumenik, Director, Office of Energy, FDACS
10:40 a.m.	Florida Legislative Session Report	Louis Rotundo, Principal, Louis Rotundo and Associates
10:50 a.m.	Fundraising	Garrett Preisser, Executive Director for Advancement, UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science
11:00 a.m.	Break
11:10 a.m.	Emerging Technologies Activities at OUC [PDF]	Paul Brooker, Supervisor, Research & Engineering, Orlando Utilities Commission
11:40 a.m.	Interdisciplinary and Multi-Faceted Research Aimed at Accelerating the Adoption of Solar Energy Technologies [PDF]	Kristopher Davis, Professor, Director of Solar Energy Research, FSEC
12:10 p.m.	New Business Co-Chair Election Date and Agenda for Next AB Meeting	Bill Grieco, Chair
12:20 p.m.	Adjourn for Lunch

DRAFT Meeting Minutes

Attendance

Presenters
James Fenton, Director, Florida Solar Energy Center
Brooks Rumenik, Board Member – Director, Office of Energy FDACS
Louis Rotundo, Board Member – Principal, Louis Rotundo and Associates
Garrett Preisser, Development Director, University of Central Florida
Paul Brooker – Supervisor, Research and Engineering, Orlando Utilities Commission
Kristopher Davis – Professor, Director of Solar Energy Research, Florida Solar Energy Center

Board Members
Jacob Atalla*, KB Homes; Carrie Black*, Orange County Government; Paul Brooker, Orlando Utilities Commission;  Brian Donnelly*, Publix Super Markets, Inc;  Jason Gaschel, FPL; Bill Grieco, Innventure, LLC; Jeff Juger, Jinko Solar Inc.; Karen Kicinski*, Lifestyle Homes Builders; Justin Kramer, Orlando Utilities Commission; Bruce Lindsay, Trane Technologies; Ashraf Mahmoud*, Saft; Scott McWhorter, Joule Consulting; Tony Norrow, Universal Orlando Resort; Helda Rodriguez*, NovaCharge, LLC; Louis Rotundo, Rotundo and Associates; Brooks Rumenik, Office of Energy FDACS; Susan Schumann*, Florida Municipal Power Agency; Kelley Smith Burk*, HTNB; Jennifer Szaro, AESP; Tamara Waldmann*, Duke Energy Florida; Kristy Walson*, Branch Pattern;

Guests
Benajmin Cross*, Nusynergy Energy; Lorraine Koss, City of Cocoa; Kalvin Kwan, Hanson Inc.; Alexander Mack*, State of Florida; Roger Messenger*, VB Engineering; Ben Millar, Jinko Solar; Tony Morgan*, Office of Energy FDACS; Mandy O’Neal, LLC Engineers; Dave Robau*, Gulf Coast Energy Network; Pankaj Sharma, Purdue University; Ashley Van Stone, City of Orlando; Benjamin Yoakum, Orange County Government

FSEC, Faculty, UCF Staff
Issa Batarseh*, Carlos Colon, Dylan Colvin*, Kristopher Davis, Philip Fairey, James Fenton, Hamed Haggi, Manjunath Matam, Robyn McCarl, Janet McIlvaine*, Dan Morris*, Nazim Muradov, Elizabeth Myron*, Karthick Panchabikesan, Alex Parlato*, Garrett Priesser, Richard Raustad, Winston Schoenfeld, Susan Schroen*, Hubert Seigneur*, Duane Siemen*, Sherri Shields, Kelly Stevens*, Rob Vieira, Nick Waters*

Attendance Total = 58
In-Person: 32
Virtual: 26
*Virtual attendees

DRAFT Meeting Minutes

1. Bill Grieco called the meeting to order at 9:34 A.M. He turned the meeting over to Sherri Shields to begin roll call. Board members and guests briefly introduced themselves. Three new board members were introduced, Kumar Ranganathan of the University of Central Florida, Kelley Smith Burk of HNTB, and Jason Gaschel of Florida Power and Light.
2. Bill Grieco presented the meeting minutes from November 9, 2023. Motion to approve was given by Scott McWhorter. Motion was seconded by Jen Szaro. Minutes were unanimously approved by voice vote.
3. Jim Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center, provided an Update of FSEC Programs. Updates were provided on FSEC contracts, partnerships, and research projects. Jim Fenton and FSEC researchers are actively working on solar energy research, zero emission goals, Florida electricity generation, alternative fuels, and continued electric vehicle research.
4. Brooks Rumenik, director of the Florida Office of Energy, provided an Energy Office Report following the end of their Legislative session (March 2024).
   – The Office of Energy is preparing for project FCON, which will allow up to $6 million to local Florida governments in fiscally constrained communities to receive energy efficiency upgrades.
   – Senate Bill 1084: This Bill will develop uniform electric vehicle charging regulation
   – House Bill 1645: This Bill changes language to disallow the word “renewable” from being used in relation to “energy”. Approved language includes “safety, cost effective, or reliable”. This Bill also prohibits offshore wind energy production.
   – The Office of Energy is the budgeting authority of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act), which is scheduled to allow for rebates for energy efficient upgrades for Florida homeowners.
5. Brooks Rumenik and Jason Gaschel are FSEC Advisory Board members who shared their experiences at FSEC’s EnergyWhiz event which occurred on Saturday, April 20^th, 2024.
6. Louis Rotundo, Louis Rotundo & Associates, provided an update following the end of the recent legislative session. There was discussion surrounding how legislation will affect local governments working with other local governments, an overhaul of growth management, and the associated costs and impact of travel and traffic when building new cities.
7. Garrett Preisser, Executive Director for Advancement for the University of Central Florida College of Engineering and Computer Science, spoke to board members and guests about fundraising opportunities at FSEC, as FSEC plans for their 50th anniversary in 2025.
8. A 10-minute break occurred. Bill Greico called the meeting back to order.
9. Paul Brooker, Supervisor of Research and Engineering at Orlando Utilities Commission, shared information about Emerging Technologies at Orlando Utilities Commission. Orlando Utilities Commission’s (OUC) current research and projects are focused on photovoltaic adoption, substation batteries, public charging, mobility hubs, and public transportation.
10. Kristopher Davis, Professor, and director of solar energy research at FSEC, discussed his department’s projects in Interdisciplinary and Multi-Faceted Research Aimed at Accelerating the Adoption of Solar Energy Technologies. This research includes methods of imaging, time series data, and module characterization which is used to understand the reliability and durability of photovoltaics.
11. Bill Greico discussed FSEC Advisory Board updates. Per FSEC Advisory Board policy, a new Vice chair appointment must be voted on every 2 years. Jeff Juger of Jinko Solar was nominated as the new Vice Chair. Juger’s nomination was approved by James Fenton and seconded by Scott McWhorter. No other nominations were received. At the Fall 2024 meeting, Jen Szaro will be sworn in as Chair and Jeff Juger as Vice Chair.
12. The next FSEC Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2024.
13. Bill Greico adjourned the meeting at 12:34 P.M.