Investing in Our Energy Futures Conference Draws More than 700 Attendees

Inaugural Dartmouth Energy Forum Provides Virtual Opportunity to Explore the Futures of Energy
 

More than 700 people, ranging from Dartmouth alumni, students, staff, and faculty to scholars and practitioners in the energy industry attended the inaugural Dartmouth Energy Forum: Investing in Our Energy Futures conference, held virtually from May 3-5. 

The conference, which was co-sponsored by the Revers Center for Energy at Tuck, featured more than 50 world-renowned energy experts and leaders who participated in panels and discussions with topics ranging from emerging technologies, to finance, to energy access and social justice, to policy, to developing energy leaders. "Our speakers' roster reads like a 'Who's Who' in energy creation and policy today," said Institute Director Elizabeth Wilson. [View the complete conference agenda here.]

The event, which was originally planned to be an in-person conference in May 2020, was rescheduled for May 2021 as an online event, enabling a large, geographically diverse audience to join. Kristin Miller, Institute Operations Manager, reported that attendees hailed from 19 countries and 36 different US states. Panelists and speakers represented an array of energy-related sectors, from government, to NGOs, to the private sector, to academia. 

The conference gave the Dartmouth community and beyond a diverse and lively opportunity to engage in "the critical conversations we need to have about transforming and investing in our energy futures," said Dr. Wilson. The discussions that took place during the conference were "insightful and really brought to the fore the importance of this topic not only for our students but for the world," she added.

The breadth of topics and perspectives reflects the Institute's and Dartmouth's commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving, said Irving Institute Advisory Board Chair Scott Fisher '93, TH'93, TU'98, in his opening remarks during the final day of the conference. "Our world's energy and society challenges are far too complex for us to attempt to solve through a single discipline. The only way that we will achieve a better and sustainable future is by formulating solutions that bridge multiple disciplines, including engineering and technology, environmental studies, economics and finance, policy and politics, business and entrepreneurship, earth sciences and deep cultural comprehension." 

Recordings of the sessions from the three days are now available to the public on the Irving Institute's YouTube channel.