Speakers:
Juan Sesmero
Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
This presentation will examine agrivoltaics, with a focus on viable system configurations, scalability, and the potential for large-scale adoption to compete with conventional agriculture raising renewed food-versus-fuel tradeoffs across markets.
It will also present projections of increasing energy demand and associated land-use pressures for energy generation, highlighting how these dynamics may intensify cross-market impacts and reshape the balance between energy production and agricultural use.
Andrew Liu
Associate Professor of Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University and Director of Purdue Grid of Tomorrow Consortium
This presentation will explore the evolving two-way relationship between artificial intelligence and the energy sector. It will examines how the rapid growth of AI and data centers is driving increased electricity demand, with implications for grid operations, energy costs, and ratepayers.
It will also highlight the role AI can play in strengthening the energy system, improving efficiency, optimizing grid performance, and enhancing overall reliability, positioning AI as both a challenge and a solution within the future energy landscape.