Energy Days continues to build bridges among research, industry, government

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The fourth annual Energy Days conference will be held on May 29-30 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Registration for the conference is now open. The conference is open to the public and is free for Penn State students, faculty and staff.

Energy Days is a two-day conference that brings together the energy expertise of Penn State with those working in and with the energy industry. The goal is to develop partnerships to help improve the affordability, sustainability, safety and security of energy in the future.

“Energy Days has proven to be an incredibly effective way to connect Penn State researchers with our partners in industry, government and society,” said Tom Richard, director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment and professor of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Many of the partnerships that emerged from previous workshops have gone on to pioneer innovative solutions to energy challenges and to form a bridge from research to commercialization. This year we are looking forward to expanding those prior efforts and will also be seeding new topics for collaborations.”

A feature of this year’s conference will be a focus on energy in transition, examining the trajectory of energy in society. Featured guests and keynote speakers include Daniel Kammen, a faculty member and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and Andrew Ott, the president and chief executive officer of PJM Interconnection LLC, the largest power grid in North America.

Energy Days will include lightning talks and a poster session, as well as opportunities to network. However, the conference’s main focus is breakout sessions. These sessions cover a wide range of topics related to energy and its use, including business perspectives in energy efficiency, technologies for oil and gas development, renewable natural gas opportunities, community microgrids, future energy workforce, energy security, energy-efficient buildings, and Pennsylvania’s energy future.

“Our goal is to create an opportunity for a diverse range of stakeholders to talk with each other. The purpose is to identify and discuss critical regional, national, and global energy challenges and opportunities for society,” said Lara Fowler, assistant director for outreach and engagement in the Institutes of Energy and the Environment and senior lecturer in Penn State Law. “Ultimately, the conference looks to create new partnerships to address key research needs and provide innovative solutions to energy challenges.”

The poster session, which highlights breakthrough energy research by Penn State students and researchers, will occur on Wednesday, May 29. Poster submissions are welcome until Friday, May 24.

For more information on the conference or to register, visit energydays.psu.edu.