Join the MIT Energy Initiative to learn how you can help the energy transition, no matter what field you go into, and about the wide array of career options open to you. Students will have the opportunity to connect with alums and other professionals who work on energy and tackling the climate crisis, build mentoring relationships, and expand networking skills.
Schedule
| Tuesday, February 20 | |
| 10:00-11:00 am ET | Jean Ann Ramey Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Management, Synapse Energy Economics |
| 12:00-1:00 pm ET | Bruce Biewald ’81 CEO and Co-Founder, Synapse Energy Economics |
| Wednesday, February 21 | |
| 12:00-1:00 pm ET | Julie McNamara MS ’14 Deputy Policy Director of Climate & Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists |
| Thursday, February 22 | |
| 9:30-10:30 am ET (virtual) | Andres Alvarez Research Director and Co-Founder, Creative Renewable Solutions |
| 12:00-1:00 pm ET (virtual) | Kevin Durand Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Prototyping Team, Heirloom Carbon Maggie Kane Process Control Product Manager, Heirloom Carbon Diane Li Mechanical Design Engineer, Scaled Systems Team, Heirloom Carbon Colleen Wolfe Laboratory Technician, Innovation Team, Heirloom Carbon |
| 3:00-4:00 pm ET | James Worden CEO, Worden Marine LLC; Partner, LightSpeed Energy |
| Friday, February 23 | |
| 9:30-10:30 am ET | McKenzie Fowler Senior Associate, Energy, Charles River Associates |
| 3:00-4:00 pm ET | Max Luke MS ’16 Director of Business Development & Regulatory Affairs, VEIR |
About the speakers
Andres Alvarez
Research Director and Co-Founder, Creative Renewable Solutions
Creative Renewable Solutions, LLC. Andres Alvarez is the research director and co-founder of Creative Renewable Solutions (CRS), a clean energy consulting firm that provides advisory services to several leading renewable energy developers, utilities, and investment management funds. Both a computational scientist and an energy market specialist, he is responsible for leading client research and developing computational modeling tools for wind, solar, energy storage, and green hydrogen.
Prior to CRS, Alvarez joined Avangrid as an analyst in the company’s CEO office back in 2017. In the CEO office, Alvarez was responsible for performing competitor, industry, regulatory, innovation, and sustainability analysis to support both the Avangrid and Iberdrola senior executive teams. While in the CEO office, Alvarez would lead market intelligence and analytic efforts that informed and supported the Avangrid Networks EV strategic roadmap, the Avangrid Renewables battery storage strategy, and the Avangrid electric retail business implementation plan. After two years in the CEO Office, he later joined the Avangrid Renewables business and held roles in both the origination and market fundamentals groups. In his new role, Alvarez led a renewable hybridization initiative that identified a $3 billion- dollar investment opportunity for solar co-located on land utilized by the company’s 6.5GW wind fleet. He was also responsible for techno-economic analysis of renewable energy assets (wind, solar), energy storage technologies (pumped hydro, lithium ion, flow batteries), and emerging clean energy technologies.
Alvarez holds a BSc in nuclear science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a minor in energy studies from the MIT Energy Initiative.
Bruce Biewald ’81
CEO and Co-Founder, Synapse Energy Economics
Bruce Biewald is the co-founder and CEO of Synapse Energy Economics, a research and consulting firm specializing in energy, economic, and environmental topics. Since its inception in 1996, Synapse has grown to become a leader in providing rigorous analysis of the electric power sector for public interest and governmental clients.
As CEO, Biewald brings over 30 years of consulting experience on issues of energy economics and electric industry regulation. He has co-authored more than 100 reports and has testified in more than 100 cases, including utility regulatory proceedings in 25 states, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, two Canadian provinces, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in state and federal courts.
McKenzie Fowler
Senior Associate, Energy, Charles River Associates
McKenzie Fowler is a senior associate in Charles River Associates’ (CRA) Energy Practice. She is an energy market specialist, with expertise in electricity market modeling and analysis, energy transition strategy, resource planning, market and asset related due diligence, and price forecasting. Fowler has experience in consulting, advisory services, and utility analysis. Prior to joining CRA, Fowler worked for an advisory services firm providing clients with education and analysis on opportunities to participate in U.S. energy markets. She has worked with corporate and industrial clients to identify energy projects to meet ESG goals and assessed power purchase agreement economics and market risk. She has also worked for a major electric and natural gas utility in the U.S. Northeast on long-term corporate strategy. Fowler is a 2022 Clean Energy Leadership Institute Fellow and 2023 President of the Boston chapter of Young Professionals in Energy. She holds a MASc in mechanical engineering from the University of Victoria and a BSc in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Kevin Durand ’07
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Prototyping Team, Heirloom Carbon
Kevin Durand is a senior mechanical engineer on the prototyping team for regeneration systems where he works on high temperature mechanical design of the calcination equipment at Heirloom Carbon. Durand graduated from Course 16 in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and has worked on aerospace projects along with a number of hardware startups. Before Heirloom, Durand worked at Zipline International for six years developing unmanned aerial vehicles delivering lifesaving medical supplies in the developing world. He is experienced in industrial design, aero-mechanical analysis, structures, and spinning CAD. While at MIT, he was involved in Beaverworks aircraft design, MIT Hobby Shop, and DIII tennis. Durand came to Heirloom to dedicate engineering hours to working on climate solutions for future generations.
Maggie Kane
Process Control Product Manager, Heirloom Carbon
Maggie Kane is the process control product manager on the software team at Heirloom with a focus on the carbonation process (pulling CO2 out of the air and into rocks as best we can). Kane graduated in Course 3 (+ minor in French) in 2015 and has a PhD in material science and engineering from Stanford, focusing in condensed matter physics. While at MIT, Kane was involved in the Concourse program, French house, and the exchange program with Oxford University Materials department.
Diane Li
Mechanical Design Engineer, Scaled Systems Team
Diane Li is a mechanical design engineer on Heirloom’s scaled systems team, where she works on machine design for the carbonation systems. Before starting full-time at Heirloom in June of 2023, she had previously interned for Heirloom, Tesla, and PolyJoule. Li graduated from MIT in February 2023 with her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and materials science (Course 2A-3) as well as a minor in energy studies. While at MIT, she was actively involved in the solar car team, women’s independent living group, and MISTI-Africa.
Max Luke MS ’16
Director of Business Development & Regulatory Affairs, VEIR
Max Luke is the director of Business Development & Regulatory Affairs at VEIR, a venture-backed company developing the next generation of advanced conductor technologies that operate with 5-10x the transfer capacity of conventional transmission lines at a given voltage level. Luke oversees VEIR’s commercial engagements with transmission utilities, generation developers, and large electricity customers. Luke also oversees VEIR’s strategic engagements with governments and regulatory bodies in the United States and globally. Luke leads advocacy for new policies and regulations, and changes to existing policies, that improve prospects for the rapid deployment of transmission capacity necessary for least-cost deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Prior to VEIR, Luke was a senior consultant at NERA Economic Consulting, where he helped grow NERA’s activities and expertise related to climate change and emerging trends in energy sectors. At NERA, Luke supported more than 40 clients in more than a dozen countries, frequently in the context of regulatory proceedings and litigated disputes. Prior to NERA, Luke was a principal researcher in the MIT Energy Initiative’s Utility of the Future study and a graduate of MIT, where he completed a Master of Science in technology and policy, specializing in economics, engineering, and regulation of electric power systems. Luke completed his Bachelor of Science degree at McGill University, majoring in environmental science (Honours) and minoring in economics.
Julie McNamara MS ’14
Deputy Policy Director of Climate & Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists
Julie McNamara is the deputy policy director with the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Her research focuses on policies and measures that facilitate a rapid, sustained, and broadly beneficial transition of our nation’s energy system. This includes assessing energy, environmental, and public health policies at the state and federal levels; analyzing the resilience of the electricity system; and researching the potential implications of emerging technologies.
Before joining UCS, McNamara worked as a research assistant at MIT, and as an environmental scientist at ERG, an environmental and public policy consulting firm serving federal and state agencies.
McNamara holds an MS in technology and policy from MIT, and a BA in biology and political economy from Williams College.
Jean Ann Ramey
Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Management, Synapse Energy Economics
Jean Ann Ramey is a nonprofit leader and founder of two innovative organizations designed to overcome the hurdles to a clean energy transition. After working as an economist for the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and analyst at Tellus Institute she co-founded Synapse Energy Economics in 1996. Synapse fills the need for smart, independent analysis with a rigor to match or exceed that of well-funded industry stakeholders. It is a leader in providing robust analysis of the electric power and natural gas sectors for public interest and governmental clients. As senior vice president, Ramey continues to guide Synapse as it helps its clients adapt to the new challenges brought by shifts toward a cleaner energy industry.
Noting a sore need for ways to bridge the gap between good technical analysis and the plain-language messaging needed to empower broader stakeholder groups, Ramey founded the women-run non-profit Climable in 2012. Climable is committed to raising awareness about climate issues and helping communities take action through collaboration and innovation. During her tenure as executive director, Ramey spearheaded a partnership between mission-driven consulting firms and the Green Justice Coalition, a local community collaboration. The Resilient Urban Neighborhoods-Green Justice Coalition (RUN-GJC) initiative is now successfully pioneering community-led virtual microgrids in Chelsea and Chinatown, two of Boston’s environmental justice communities. In 2020 she won the Achievement Award at the annual New England Women in Energy and the Environment Gala. This work also led to her appointment to the 2022 Earthshot Prize Boston Host Committee.
Ramey is a natural matchmaker for environmental advocacy. Her passion for leveraging networks and resources in the name of a cleaner and more equitable world drives her work at Synapse and now as an advisor to Climable. When she is not facilitating positive change in those roles, Jeannie can be found applying her networking skills to local community efforts, making fiber arts, and co-hosting the Energy Nerd Podcast.
Colleen Wolfe
Laboratory Technician, Innovation Team, Heirloom Carbon
Colleen Wolfe is a laboratory technician working in the Research and Development Lab at Heirloom where she conducts research experiments and manages lab equipment and methods. Wolfe graduated from MIT this past May with her MEng in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department where she worked in Benedetto Marelli’s lab on biopolymer microneedles. She received her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering with an environmental specialization from UC San Diego, during which she worked at multiple research labs and interned at Tandem Diabetes.
James Worden
CEO, Worden Marine LLC; Partner, LightSpeed Energy
James Worden is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over 30 years of experience in solar photovoltaic (PV) component systems, including inverters, maximum power trackers, PV modules, arrays and complete PV systems, as well as Electric Vehicle technologies including extensive use of composite materials. He co-founded Solectria Corporation in 1989, which became an internationally recognized developer and manufacturer of electric & hybrid vehicles and components. Worden served as Solectria Corporation’s CEO until its successful sale in 2005. Worden subsequently was one of four founding partners of Solectria Renewables, LLC, a leader in the Photovoltaic Inverter market. Worden brought strong technical knowledge, design experience and set the strategic direction of the company. He was instrumental in the design of the company’s inverters ranging in size from 13kW to 750kW. In 2014, Worden was involved in the successful sale of Solectria Renewables to Yaskawa America Inc. He continued to lead the organization as co-CEO until 2017. Since then, Worden has been a partner in Lightspeed Energy, developing revolutionary battery storage and related technologies for lightweight electric vehicles. Worden’s latest venture, Worden Marine LLC, focuses on solar electric marine vessels making use of state-of-the-art technologies. Worden is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he founded MIT’s award-winning Solar Car Racing Team and competed in national and international vehicle races garnering attention across the globe.
In his spare time, Worden is a strong advocate for energy efficiency and renewable power generation. He has designed and built his own solar system at his historic residence and continues to maintain this to peak performance resulting in minimal on-grid residential usage. He has worked to maximize the energy efficiency of this 1818 residence including implementation of a geo-thermal heating (and cooling) system, insulation, and window upgrades (while maintaining the residence’s historic attributes). In addition, he has worked with area churches and non-profits to realize the benefits of deep energy retrofits and has sponsored programs to maximize efficiency improvements, making one project at the Steven’s Center owned by North Andover Historical Society beyond net zero energy in 2021 including a theater and cafe. In 2017, Worden received North Andover Historical Society’s Lifetime Historic Preservation Award. Worden has led various endeavors designed to educate and excite the American public about the importance of energy conservation and electric vehicles and participated in several electric vehicle races, through the 1990’s, including the American Tour de Sol.