GCIC attends the Stanford Energy Innovation Day and Global Energy Forum events

From November 1st through November 3rd, GCIC attended the Stanford Energy Innovation Day and Global Energy Forum events. Over the course of the three days, the Global Energy Forum, hosted by the Precourt Institute of Energy of Stanford University’s new Doerr School of Sustainability, brought together global citizens, industry leaders, energy experts, innovative solution managers, venture capitalists, corporate venture experts, angel investors, start-up managers, and Stanford faculty researchers to exchange ideas and solutions in an impressive display of teamwork and coordination.

On November 1st, the Innovation Day began with panel discussions featuring industry experts such as John Hennessy, Chairman of the Board at Alphabet and Director of the Knight Hennessy Scholars Program, Ira Ehrenpreis, Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners, Holmes Hummel, Managing Director at Energy Equity & Just Transitions, Amit Narayan, Founder and CEO of AutoGrid, Jackson Switzer, Director of Business Development at Redwood Materials, and Tim Holme, Chief Technology Officer at QuantumScape.

Following these discussions revolving around the acceleration of technological solutions to the world’s pressing climate and energy issues, each company present gave a short talk on their mission, proposals, and solutions. These companies included EnerVenue (the first company to bring metal-hydrogen batteries to the clean energy revolution), Buzz Solutions(a company that provides AI-based actionable insights and predictive analytics for asset fault detection and inspection of power lines), Empowered Homes(a company that provides practical resources and strategies to help empower homes), Shyft Power Solutions (a company that manages solar, batteries, generators and grid electricity for customers), Oleo (a company that provides palm oil solutions), and Working Trees (a company that provides an easy way to measure and sell the carbon stored in the trees).

(Illustration: Empowered Homes focuses on energy security in Africa.) 

On November 2^nd , Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former U.S. Energy Secretary and Nobel Prize Winner Steven Chu both attended the forum. Following Stanford President’s open address, Professor Steven Chu gave an excellent speech.

(Illustration: Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu with the participants at lunch.)

Source: https://gef.stanford.edu/about-global-energy-forum )

 The Global Energy Forum hosted a series of talks and panel discussions throughout the days, with moderators including Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor and currently Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy, Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Guest speakers at the GEF included Drew Baglino, Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Electrical Engineering at Tesla, Harry Brekelmans, Projects and Technology Director at Shell, Cameron Briggs, General Manager and Head of Future Energy at Origin Energy, Tyson Eckerel, Senior Advisor for Clean Infrastructure and Mobility for the State of California, and many others, including Stanford professors, CEOs, U.S. Senators, and more.

The GEF presentations were categorized in four groups - Game Changers, Global Leader Dialogue, Innovation Showcase, and Viewpoints. Some examples of the varied and detailed discussions held over these two days include the Frontiers of Unconventional Gas and Oil, the Digitization of Energy, the Future of Mobility, and the Future of Energy Technology.

Over the course of the three-day event, GCIC was presented with a wealth of industry information, solutions, and advice from professionals and experts all seeking to improve the green energy industry as much as possible. GCIC was also able to make contact with many other like-minded organizations who could provide mutually beneficial assistance. We look forward to reaching out to these organizations and hopefully cooperating to push further together than we could have individually.