What is the MIT Energy Conference?

The MIT Energy Conference frames conversation and informs debate on the most pressing global energy issues and opportunities. Each year, it brings together current and future leaders in energy technology, policy and business to participate in stimulating discussions. The engaging ensemble of events provides a chance to foster the relationships necessary in pursuit of sustainable energy systems.

The 2011 MIT Energy Conference will commence on Friday, March 4th with the free, in-depth and interactive Friday Workshops. The discussions will carry forward to the Friday Night Energy Showcase — a free exhibit of innovative and breakthrough energy technologies from industry and academia. The ticketed conference on March 5th will harness the expertise of energy leaders to engage in fact-based discussions to identify the limits and opportunities of various technologies and systems to make a significant impact on the global energy landscape.

What is this year’s theme?

The world’s top thinkers come to MIT for one primary reason – conducting and relying on fact-based analysis to devise solutions to our toughest problems. Today there is no problem more complex than the provision of energy to more than six billion people reliably and cheaply. Each proposed solution must meet significant system challenges – technical, policy, public acceptance, etc. – at a very large scale and within a short time period to be noticed. With the global economy, environment and security at stake, we must do our best to assess limits and potential impacts before moving forward.

This year’s conference theme – Confronting Limits with Fact-based Analysis – leverages MIT’s core strengths to explore the limits of specific technologies, funding mechanisms, and other proposed energy system transformations.

What will I learn at the 2011 MIT Energy Conference?

How can we make a difference in this "highly capitalized and capital-intensive commodity business characterized by efficient supply chains, established customer bases, extensive regulation and complex politics, providing essential services throughout society"?⁽¹⁾ Are China, India or Brazil going to provide the breakthrough solutions? What differences in their innovation eco-systems will determine where the big winners come from? What impact does funding from the US military have on domestic innovation and what military-related technologies are on the horizon? To what extent and for which technologies is the domestic availability of materials going to determine success or failure? Can electro-fuels, photosynthetic fuels or small nuclear power infuse a significant technological transformation? How and to what extent are the buildings of the future going to make the supply challenge less severe? How can we co-achieve sustainable water, food and energy systems? The 2011 MIT Energy Conference content will confront these questions and more!

What else is exciting this year?

Start-up Clinic for Engineers
A new addition to the MIT Energy Conference, the Start-Up Clinic aims to provide insight for people with technical backgrounds as to the potential of technology transfer, various financing options, and the role of market mechanisms for energy technologies.  Success stories, jargon-free presentations, and round table discussions will enable an environment for “techies” to discover the world of start-ups.

Detailed Fact-sheets
Identifying the unique value proposition of MIT – unbiased, fact-based analysis – and demand from friends of the MIT energy community, the MIT Energy Conference will for the first time prepare detailed fact-sheets on each content topic for both Friday and Saturday. These fact sheets will be prepared by the respective content team and will outline the critical questions, key takeaways and most insightful references relevant to the topic. Current fact sheets from the MIT Energy Club serve as an example.

Lunch, Learn & Launch
From A-123 Systems to 1366 Technologies, MIT is known for its contributions to energy innovation. Each year, MIT is spinning out more high quality energy start-ups owing to its unique entrepreneurial environment, unmatchable technical expertise and cutting-edge research facilities. To showcase and celebrate this entrepreneurial capability, and to build relationships that will change the world, the MIT Energy Conference will, for the first time, present lunch-time pitches from energy start-ups and researchers, including participants from the MIT Clean Energy Prize.

Edward Burtynsky: Energy
Over the last three decades, Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has documented the landscape transformed.  This special exhibition showcases Mr. Burtynsky’s eloquent, highly expressive vistas of energy, and provides us with an opportunity to broaden our vision and see new connections in the field we work in every day.

⁽¹⁾ Professor Ernest Moniz

For more information or to get involved, please contact apgupta@mit.edu

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