2024 MIT Energy Initiative Annual Research Conference

September 25-26, 2024

A durable energy transition:
How to stay on track in the face of increasing demand and unpredictable obstacles

This year’s in-person conference explores how we can sustain a durable energy transition and stay on track in the face of increasing demand and unpredicted obstacles. We will look at the implications of geopolitical shifts, such as elections and wars, and their impact on policy and supply; advances in and challenges to decarbonization, including energy storage, hydrogen, social barriers, and higher demands for energy from data centers; and perspectives on the future of the energy industry. We will gain insight onto the progress of the Inflation Reduction Act and hear from MIT-connected startup companies on their work. We will review promising discoveries from MITEI’s Seed Fund program, which supports early-stage research, and hear from MITEI members and MIT faculty and leaders.

Marriott Boston Cambridge | 50 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142

Questions? Contact MITEI Member Services.



Preliminary Schedule

Wednesday, September 25
7:30-8:15 am Breakfast and registration
8:15-8:30 am Welcome and opening remarks
8:30-9:00 am MIT Climate project update
9:00-10:15 am Energy storage and grid expansion
10:15-10:45 am Break
10:45 am-12:00 pm Social barriers to decarbonization
12:00-1:30 pm Lunch and student poster viewing
1:30-2:45 pm MITEI General Seed Fund Project annual check-up
2:45-3:15 pm Break
3:15-4:30 pm Data centers: The extreme challenge of powering them in a decarbonized way
4:30-5:30 pm Startup showcase
5:30-7:00 pm Reception with startup companies
Thursday, September 26
7:30-8:15 am Breakfast and registration
8:15-9:45 am Hydrogen ecosystem
9:45-10:00 am Break
10:00-11:15 am Where are the jobs going to be in the energy industry of 2040 and 2050?
11:15 am-12:00 pm Student slam competition
12:00-1:15 pm Lunch and student poster viewing
1:15-2:30 pm
MITEI Annual Research Conference afternoon sessions on September 26 are open to the MIT community.
Energy transition in different regions
2:30-3:00 pm Keynote address
3:00-3:30 pm Break
3:30-4:45 pm Future of the energy workforce
4:45 pm Closing remarks



About the speakers

More information coming soon.

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