Home / Tufts Energy Conference 2023 Agenda
Cabot Center - Room 701
Sustainable transportation systems are a vital piece of the energy transition puzzle. Most estimates suggest that transportation is the fastest growing sector by greenhouse emissions, accounting for some 20% of global emissions. This panel will explore sustainable transportation options and how they can be best designed with critical decarbonization in mind to address the energy transition.
Moderated by Hengrui Liu, Predoctoral Research Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Panelists:
Cabot Center - Room 701
Solar-generated electricity is expected to play a decisive role in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050. The panel will discuss the great potential of the solar industry and explore the many infrastructural limitations and financial challenges to the scalability of solar, both at the global level and for last mile connectivity.
Moderated by David Wilcox, Founder and CEO of ReachScale.
Panelists:
Cabot Center - Room 701
How do we scale clean grids, while still maintaining enough reliable generation capacity to back up solar and wind? One approach gaining traction is nuclear power. In this panel, we will explore the challenges of scaling next-generation energy grids, the role nuclear power can play, and the issues it has.
Moderated by Francesca Giovannini, Executive Director for the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs; Adjunct Assistant Professor for International Security at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Panelists:
Cabot Center - Room 701
This panel will explore the many impacts that various sources of energy have on public and environmental health through their production and usage. Whether it’s smoke emitted from a car that runs on gas, or the cobalt mined for an EV’s battery, there are various direct and indirect health impacts associated with how we supply and use energy. The pace of the energy transition often obscures important dialogue around these impacts. At TEC ‘23 we hope to further this discussion and frame it in the context of enabling a just and inclusive energy transition.
Moderated by Raunaq Chandrashekar, Master of Arts of Law and Diplomacy student at The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Panelists:
Cabot Center - Room 701
What does the future of sustainable aviation look like in the coming years? This panel will feature a deep dive into the technologies and strategies available that will help decarbonize the sector to reach 2050 net-zero goals.
Moderated by Alan Boyle, Mastermind at Cosmic Log / Contributing editor for GeekWire / President of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
Panelists:
Barnum Hall, Rabb Room
Presented by Kari Hewitt, Lecturer, Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning Department, Tufts University
Barnum Hall, Rabb Room
Presented by Rebecca Wolf, PhD Candidate, Offshore Wind Energy Engineering, Tufts University
Sophia Gordon Hall - Multipurpose Room
Solar energy is rapidly expanding, with more than 2,500 utility-scale projects in the United States alone today. The utility of these large-scale operations can be increased by propagating crops or grazing livestock, allowing land parcels to serve a dual purpose. In this panel, agrivoltaic experts from BlueWave Solar, Solar Agricultural Services and Nexamp will discuss the future of dual-use solar technologies and give their take on the future of the field.
Moderated by Connor Tomaka, Research Associate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Panelists:
Paige Hall, Crane Room
Despite having excellent geographic potential for utilizing offshore wind energy, Massachusetts has yet to bring its first offshore wind farm online. What is causing this holdup? Join us for a discussion on the technical and regulatory barriers and opportunities facing the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts. Topics will include equitable development, transmission and infrastructure challenges, and technological innovation.
Moderated by Rebecca Wolf, PhD Candidate, Offshore Wind Energy Engineering, Tufts University
Panelists:
Sophia Gordon Hall - Multipurpose Room
This panel aims to shine a light on often overlooked geographies - islands - and their efforts to tackle unique energy-related issues such as but not limited to issues in diversification of the grid, supply-chain issues, natural disaster related issues and issues related to lack of funding both internationally and internally. These problems will be outlined briefly at first, before shifting the focus to possible solutions, current efforts that are being undertaken to tackle these challenges and areas that inspire increased hope in the future of these islands. This panel aims to cover a broad and diverse range of actors, all of which are actively interacting to tackle these issues in various geographies around the Caribbean and beyond. The government sector, the private sector and the NGO sector will all be represented in what we hope will be a lively conversation moderated by Axios climate reporter Andrew Freedman.
Moderated by Andrew Freedman, Senior Climate Reporter at Axios
Panelists:
Location sent following RSVP
Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), Robinson Auditorium
Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), Robinson Auditorium
Curious about Tufts' sustainability plans? Join the university's Chief Sustainability Officer is exploring decarbonization strategies for academic institutions.
Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) Atrium
Meet the companies, experts, and students transforming the energy landscape!