The transition to clean energy is already taking shape, but how do we ensure it unfolds in a way that is affordable, sustainable, and equitable for all?
This central question was explored at the MIT Energy Conference, held on March 11-12 in Boston, entitled “Short and Long: A Balanced Approach to the Energy Transition.”
Each year, this student-led conference gathers top leaders from the energy sector to discuss both advancements and hurdles in their quest for a greener future. Attendees represent a broad spectrum of fields, including research, industry, government, academia, and finance, all engaging in two vibrant days filled with keynote speeches, fireside chats, and panel discussions.
Many speakers emphasized that while clean energy technologies are now on par with fossil fuels in terms of cost, realizing this transition will require more than technological breakthroughs alone.
“What we’re discussing here—integrating social justice, soft engineering, and a human-centered approach—is significantly more complex than simply developing new technologies,” stated Daniel Kammen, a distinguished professor of energy at UC Berkeley, during his keynote. “Although we have a long way to go in clean energy, it is well-prepared to help us move away from fossil fuels.”
The conference also showcased a dialogue between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Kyocera Professor of Ceramics Yet-Ming Chiang, where Kornbluth shared insights from her inaugural year at MIT and introduced a bold initiative named the Climate Project, aimed at tackling urgent climate challenges.
“I chose MIT because I believe it has the capacity to address the world’s most pressing issues, with climate change at the top of that list,” Kornbluth remarked. “I am thrilled by the community’s enthusiasm and the potential for impactful discoveries through this project.”
Fostering Innovations in Energy
Various panels brought together experts from cutting-edge technology domains to explore how their innovations can drive deep decarbonization efforts.
“The exciting yet challenging aspect of pioneering technologies is that they tend to be unique in their requirements,” explained Jonah Wagner, principal assistant director for industrial innovation and clean energy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “You can map their development to anticipated challenges, but each technology will encounter its specific hurdles, all of which must overcome significant engineering barriers.”
One emerging technology highlighted was next-generation geothermal energy, which utilizes innovative methods to extract heat from less conventional locations within the Earth’s crust.
A notable advantage of geothermal technology is its ability to harness existing infrastructure and knowledge from the oil and gas sector. For instance, many new geothermal production techniques use the same drilling equipment as hydraulic fracturing.
“The robust workforce and technology base in the U.S. oil and gas industry facilitate geothermal innovation, contrasting with the complex supply chains seen in nuclear or direct air capture initiatives,” said Gabrial Malek, chief of staff at the geothermal company Fervo Energy.
Another technology stirring excitement, although not yet providing net energy, is fusion—the process of fusing light atoms to create heavier ones, similar to the reactions fueling the sun. The MIT spinoff Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has validated many aspects of its approach, and a panel discussing industry advancements highlighted this partnership with MIT.
“We benefit from decades of research in the scientific community and aim to maintain these partnerships as we develop our technology,” noted CFS Chief Science Officer Brandon Sorbom PhD ’17. He also emphasized that CFS is one of MIT’s largest corporate sponsors of research and values collaboration with global institutions. “Engaging with the community offers invaluable insights, allowing us to refine our ideas.”
As CFS forges ahead with fusion energy development, Sorbom stated that they are also focused on replicating processes to reduce costs and enhance the technology’s global reach.
“For fusion to succeed, it must be accessible to everyone,” he added. “Affordability is critical; we can’t create a technological marvel that only a select few nations can utilize. It needs to be viable worldwide.”
The conference further provided students, many from MIT, with insights into energy careers and featured a startup showcase, with dozens of companies presenting their innovative energy and sustainability solutions.
“More than 700 industry professionals are here, connecting with one another to help realize our shared vision,” said Fred Rostami, CEO of GreenLIB, a company focused on recycling lithium-ion batteries. “The energy transition is promising because many technologies overlap, facilitating collaboration at events like this.”
A Comprehensive Climate Strategy
Kornbluth remarked that a significant number of students and faculty were already dedicated to addressing climate-related issues upon her arrival at MIT. Through the Climate Project, she seeks to harness these efforts to achieve greater collective impact.
The initiative will focus on six key missions, including decarbonizing industry and energy sectors, empowering frontline communities, and fostering resilient, healthy cities. Kornbluth explained that these focus areas will promote collaboration within the MIT community to tackle interdisciplinary challenges. Her team, which includes a committee of faculty advisers, is currently identifying leads for each mission, and Kornbluth plans to create a vice president role dedicated to climate at the institution.
“I am looking for someone with Institute-wide oversight who will report directly to me to ensure this project stays focused and on schedule,” Kornbluth elaborated.
In her discussion on the project with Chiang, they emphasized that project funding would be determined by the potential to significantly reduce emissions and promote planetary sustainability at scale.
“We’re looking for initiatives that are high-risk yet capable of yielding substantial results,” Chiang stated. “These efforts should have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential without being constrained by resources, only by time.”
In reflecting on the climate project’s vision, Kornbluth hinted at the conference’s theme of balancing immediate and long-term research objectives.
“It’s important to harmonize research with commercialization efforts,” Kornbluth said. “The climate project operates across varying timelines, and I believe universities are uniquely positioned to think many years into the future. We must consider the incentives throughout the innovation pipeline while ensuring rapid deployment of short-term solutions.”
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
