CMU Energy Leadership on the International Stage

Dear Members of the CMU Community,

This week, thousands of international energy leaders will join Carnegie Mellon researchers, faculty and students in Pittsburgh for the Global Clean Energy Action Forum. The forum, led by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, is a three-day event that convenes ministers from more than 30 countries with public and private sector stakeholders, thought leaders and policy makers from the clean energy community. As nearly 6,000 registrants from around the world descend on Pittsburgh, I’m thrilled that CMU leadership, research and innovation will take center stage.

The goal of the Global Clean Action Energy Forum is to catalyze new innovations and accelerate the deployment of existing technologies for the global energy transition. The Department of Energy chose Pittsburgh as the location and Carnegie Mellon as its co-host partner for organizing the event because our community is working at the nexus of science, technology and policy to lead in the global transition to a low-carbon future.

For the past several months, CMU has engaged regional and international stakeholders to build the framework for a successful event. As a result, faculty experts and researchers—including from the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, the Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making, and the Electricity Industry Center—will engage attendees as presenters, panelists and participants. They will demonstrate how we’re accelerating impactful solutions that enhance energy generation and transform how that energy is distributed and consumed in our buildings, modes of transportation, industries and homes. We will also take visitors to Hazelwood Green to showcase Mill 19, which is covered by the largest sloped solar array in the U.S., and demonstrate groundbreaking research in robotics at the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute and clean manufacturing at our Manufacturing Futures Institute. While visiting CMU, this global audience will have the chance to experience the sustainability activities and initiatives we have long practiced on our own campus.

I would like to thank our Carnegie Mellon community for all of its efforts to make this forum a success, including our faculty and staff leaders and CMU student volunteers. I would especially like to thank Rick Siger, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, for his hard work over the past several months. CMU also convened a host committee comprising public and private leaders from around our region to help organize this forum, and the potential high impact of this event is the result of their significant collaboration, dedication and support.

Our community’s holistic approach to energy innovation is helping the world transition to a more sustainable future. As we welcome the world to Pittsburgh, I’m looking forward to our community telling this story and giving participants a very warm Tartan welcome.

Sincerely,

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair