Update: Military Energy Resilience Catalyst (MERC) 2019 Cohort Attends 2019 SERDP & ESTCP Symposium
2019 Military Energy Resilience Catalyst (MERC) Cohort
The MERC 2019 Cohort came together for their final meeting at the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Symposium, the nation's largest conference focusing on the Department of Defense's (DoD's) priority environmental and installation energy issues.
During the event, the MERC cohort attended technical sessions, short courses, and technical poster presentations to share information, build relationships, and continue the momentum on their energy resilience projects.
The MERC program continues to support energy leaders across the DoD through the MERC Online Community and will announce the 2020 MERC Cohort in January 2020.
Military Energy Resilience Catalyst (MERC) Reverse Pitch
The MERC Reverse Pitch was led by the 2019 Cohort during SERDP & ESTCP Symposium 2019 and was their final in-person event. The purpose of the event was to provide visibility into technical requirements, unveil current barriers to project progress, and identify where collaboration is needed to strengthen energy resilience at the installation level and across the DoD enterprise. Keynote remarks were provided by Walter "Wally" Ludwig, PE. Director, Energy Performance at the United States Department of Defense and Tim Tetreault, Program Manager for Energy and Water at SERDP & ESTCP.
In this reverse pitch session, members of the 2019 MERC Cohort:
Presented their requirements, challenges, and capability gaps for advancing their energy resilience projects to an audience of more than sixty attendees comprised of technology providers, DoD senior leadership, and energy resilience stakeholders.
Collaborated with technology and solutions providers about overcoming current project hurdles and identified pathways to support energy resilience requirements.
Participated in four facilitated discussions focused on strengthening our nation’s energy resilience posture by implementing energy resilience technology, navigating the Risk Management Framework (RMF), utilizing critical energy and water metrics, and developing partnerships with installation support personnel, community stakeholders, and policymakers.
About MERC
Converge Strategies, LLC runs the Military Energy Resilience Catalyst (MERC) program in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory and DoD's ESTCP program. MERC is an accelerator program for DoD energy resilience professionals. 16 civilians from installations around the country (representing Army, Navy, Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps) comprise the 2019 MERC Cohort. As part of the program these individuals are provided enhanced access to energy resilience learning events, energy technology demonstrations, and connections to the MERC faculty, a collection of experts from across the DoD and energy technology