Energy innovation takes the stage in Washington D.C. and Boston
Energy innovation takes the stage in Washington D.C. and Boston
How can the USA accelerate energy innovation and ensure commercialization in a way that guarantees a leadership position in Greentech? In early March, two East Coast conferences addressed this very relevant question.
The first event, the inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, was held in Washington D.C. on March 1-3. ARPA-E’s mission is to fund high-risk, high-payoff concepts—technologies promising genuine transformation in ways that can generate, store and utilize energy.
The conference brought together the nation’s top energy leaders and members of the scientific community to begin building the next industrial revolution in clean energy technologies, according to US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Indeed, it was attended by 1,700 energy experts, who participated in a diverse program ranging from keynote speeches to panel discussions. Yet the informal networking in the hallways of the Gaylord Convention Center and conversations over the technology innovation showcase were imperative features of the conference, transferring knowledge among newly connected participants.
In the same week, 800 professionals and students in the fields of technology, policy, industry, and finance attended the 5th MIT Energy Conference on March 5-6 in Boston. The goal of this conference was similar to that of the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit—to assemble energy leaders to develop solutions to the the world’s most pressing energy challenges. The conference was entirely managed by MIT students and the program featured John Rowe (CEO of Exelon Corporation), Nobuo Tanaka (Executive Director International Energy Agency) and Jeff Bingaman (Senator of New Mexico) as keynote speakers.
With the bulk of keynote speeches and panels addressing the importance of consistent policies and the impact of a price on carbon on energy innovation, both conferences illustrated the relevance of the energy discussion at this time.
· The Tech
