Clean Energy Transition Calls for Collaboration Across Sectors, Conference Speakers Assert
“It all starts with listening.” A remark by Richard Lambert of AES during a panel on coalition building succinctly captures one underlying theme of the 16th annual Duke University Energy Conference at the Fuqua School of Business on November 13.
Over the course of the daylong event, industry experts reflected on how collaboration and creativity across sectors can help reshape energy systems and drive progress toward a just energy transition. Listening—and considering the perspectives and interests of diverse stakeholders—is critical to that cross-sectoral exchange, experts reiterated.
Whether discussing how to upgrade the capacity of the U.S. electric grid or how to center equity and justice in business development decisions, each panel session underscored the value of finding strategic partners who could blend existing technologies and innovative solutions.
Other recurring themes included the importance of proving feasibility through action, developing agility to successfully pivot and accelerate work, and serving as connectors for ideas and people.
The conference took place on November 13 as part of Energy Week at Duke, a student-organized series which brings together the campus community and industry professionals to promote knowledge-sharing and network-building.
In the wake of the U.S. election, discussions across all Energy Week events emphasized the importance of iterative, repeatable solutions for removing barriers and moving the needle across the energy and climate sectors.
These solutions often sit at the intersection of entrepreneurship, community engagement, and technical expertise. In a keynote conversation, Noël Bakhtian, director of tech acceleration at the Bezos Earth Fund, reflected, “We are not pulling in the right people early enough – that is why it’s taking decades to do some of these big things.”
She expressed optimism at the diversity of the audience attracted to the conversation, including students from a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs and professionals from utilities, cleantech startups, community nonprofits, finance and investment.
Katie Maxwell, a master of environmental management student, later reflected, “What I like most about Noël Bakhtian is that she is a facilitator. She told stories of bringing people from many disciplines together to solve big problems. Her ability to connect inspired me as I think about what we need to make the energy transition equitable and just. When she surveyed the crowd during her keynote, I was reminded why I'm especially glad to study energy at Duke—learning and working alongside an interdisciplinary community is invaluable for understanding the dynamics of the energy transition."
Uzo Biosah, who is pursuing dual master’s degrees in business administration and public policy, co-chaired the conference organizing team with MBA student Ryan Mascheri.
"Our conference organizing team was very intentional about making this year's program highly interactive," said Biosah. "In addition to polling and Q&A opportunities, the agenda included what turned out to be a very lively 'friendly debate' on hot-button energy topics. We also continued last year's successful lunchtime company exposition featuring organizations across the energy industry. Quite a few attendees told us they'd rarely been so engaged throughout a daylong event."
The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability and the Center for Energy, Development, the Global Environment (EDGE) at the Fuqua School of Business, and many other Duke programs across campus advised and supported the Energy Conference and Energy Week student teams. The conference was funded in part by corporate sponsorships.
Megan Ferryman is a first-year dual-degree student in the master of environmental management program at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the master of business administration program at the Fuqua School of Business and is a graduate assistant at the Nicholas Institute.