Donnel Baird
Showing 1–2 of 2 transcripts.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Powering the Future: Energy Storage, Delivery, and a Modern Grid | Global Conference 2024
Gregory Zuckerman, Donnel Baird, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Pedro Pizarro, Andrew Ponec, Karen Wayland
A pivotal panel discussion highlighted the accelerating global transition toward a modernized power grid driven by surging demand from AI, manufacturing repatriation, and electrification. Key figures outlined massive investment requirements, including a $370 billion California requirement and a $1.3 trillion need for African energy modernization, alongside technological shifts toward thermal batteries, extended nuclear lifespans, and SMRs. Experts concluded that overcoming regulatory bottlenecks and reforming market rules are essential to aligning infrastructure development with the urgent goals of decarbonization and grid resilience.
- Milken Institute1h 9m
Deep Dive: Deployment of High Demand Community Infrastructure Projects
Dan Carol, Bryan Borlik, Rachel Halfaker, Donnel Baird, Rob Day, Bill Lee, Patrick Meyers, Michelle Moore, Matt Petersen, David Guilford, Adam Fried, Robbie Jones
The Economic Development Administration awarded a grant to the Milken Institute and RCAP to launch a pre-development training accelerator designed to equip rural and underserved communities with the technical capacity to make infrastructure projects shovel-ready. A diverse panel of experts including representatives from the Trust for Public Lands, Groundswell, and Spring Lane Capital highlighted the critical need for zero-percent match requirements, community-paid participation stipends, and granular data targeting to overcome traditional grant-writing barriers. These initiatives aim to transform one-time federal funding into sustainable local wealth by pairing financial capital with technical assistance to scale projects ranging from broadband and green infrastructure to urban decarbonization.