Yale Climate and Energy Institute Hosts Clean Energy Innovation Conference

The new Yale Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI) will convene its first annual conference, Clean Energy Innovation: Overcoming Barriers to a New Energy System, at Yale University from April 23 to 24. The conference will bring together top leaders in science, policy, business and academia to identify the key barriers that prevent clean energy from achieving rapid, full-scale deployment around the world, and to recommend effective solutions for overcoming those barriers.

The new Yale Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI) will convene its first annual conference, Clean Energy Innovation: Overcoming Barriers to a New Energy System, at Yale University from April 23 to 24. The conference will bring together top leaders in science, policy, business and academia to identify the key barriers that prevent clean energy from achieving rapid, full-scale deployment around the world, and to recommend effective solutions for overcoming those barriers.

Panels topics will include overcoming political divides for clean energy growth, facilitating private investment in renewables, assessing carbon sequestration, and rethinking clean energy R&D.

Highlights and speakers include:

  • Opening remarks by Yale President Richard C. Levin and Rajendra Pachauri, director of the YCEI and chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
  • New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and former Governor of New York George Pataki will participate on a panel titled Building Model Clean Energy Communities.
  • Remarks by Matt Rogers, a senior official in the U.S. Department of Energy in charge of overseeing the distribution of $37 billion in clean energy stimulus funds, during the opening reception.
  • Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and former commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection.
  • Daniel Sperling, professor of civil and environmental engineering at U.C. Davis and member of the California Air Resources Board—often considered one of the most powerful air quality regulators in the world—and author of 2 Billion Cars, an influential book on how best to transform transportation to make it clean and sustainable.

Other activities include a Yale Community Carbon Fund day of service that invites volunteers to plant trees and implement simple energy efficiency upgrades in the New Haven community, as well as a “sustainable Yale” tour that will include the Yale Farm and Kroon Hall, which was recently awarded LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The need for a swift global transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is of paramount importance,” Pachauri said. “This critical transformation of our energy system will not only enable us to avert the most severe impacts of climate change, but will also strengthen global energy security and drive sustainable economic growth for decades to come.”

The Yale Climate and Energy Institute is a new umbrella organization within Yale University, involving multiple departments, professional schools and centers across campus. Its mission is to promote multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to address the challenges of climate change and to ensure a sustainable energy future.

For the full agenda and registration, or to obtain media credentials, please visit http://www.climate.yale.edu/annualconference.

PRESS CONTACT: Juliana Wang 203-436-9088

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Media Contact

Suzanne Taylor Muzzin: suzanne.taylormuzzin@yale.edu, 203-432-8555