University Energy Institute Collaborative Annual Leadership Summit Returns In-Person for 2022
By Alexandra Kramer, Kristen Whitlinger
The Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University co-hosted the 2022 University Energy Institute Leadership Summit April 26-27, in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute for Public Policy. The Annual Summit returned in-person this year in Golden, Colorado with nearly 30 institutes on location and more virtually.
The conference hosted several high profile and accomplished speakers. Opening remarks were given by Walter Copan, the Vice President of Research and Technology Transfer at the Colorado School of Mines and Senior Adviser and Co-founderof the Renewing American Innovation Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Following Copan, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy David Turk gave virtual remarks on the importance of university partnership in all sides of the energy transition:
"As we think about climate change or frankly any of the other key challenges facing our country and our world, universities are going to just be essential partners, not just thought partners, but action partners really getting things done on the policy side on the strategic side."
At the end of the first day, keynote speaker Adrian Tuck, CEO of UpLight, gave an engaging talk about the growth of his innovative company. Following the keynote, participants attended a dinner and networking event with Laboratory Direct of NREL and president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, Martin Keller at the School of Mines Geology Museum.
The second day speakers of the conference included two final keynotes: Alice Jackson, President of Xcel Energy Colorado, who discussed the challenges and opportunities in Colorado’s energy transition and Jay Hakes, presidential and energy historian, author and speaker on his vision on the future of energy in the United States.
The UEIC will be selecting the new executive transition committee and planning future events including the 2023 Annual Summit. The UEIC would like to thank the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for their support of the conference and organization. You can learn more about the UEIC at www.ueic.org.