Presidential Lecture on Energy and Environmental Sustainability: Melanie A. Kenderdine, Executive Director, MIT Energy Initiative
Seven years ago, the federal government was heavily investing in research and policy development to enable the “hydrogen highway,” the destination of which was “energy independence”. Five years ago, biofuels was the energy technology du jour that was going to wean us from our foreign oil addiction. The current silver bullet: electrification of the transportation system.
Each of these technology thrusts may or may not play a role in transforming the energy marketplace from its current reliance on fossil fuels to one that runs on sustainable and clean energy sources. The urgency of the paired challenges of climate change and energy security however – coupled with the most serious economic downturn in decades – suggest that we can no longer afford such wild swings in focus which tend to confuse and discourage the private sector, starve the alternatives, and promote general inertia in the system.
Instead, we need: a suite of appropriately sequenced federal policies to encourage research, and technology development and deployment; adequate and sustained federal funding for energy research and technology investment; a portfolio of research investments designed to provide the private sector with a range of technology options; significant cooperation between the public and private sector; and new innovation models for the federal government. In short, we need a major overhaul of our federal approach to energy innovation and investment.
Melanie Kenderdine will discuss these issues and possible solutions….
Melanie A. Kenderdine joined the MIT Energy Initiative in March 2007. Kenderdine is a member of a three-person leadership team of the Initiative, responsible for its implementation and the development of long-range strategies for its activities, management and growth. Prior to joining MIT, she was vice president of the Gas Technology Institute for Washington operations, where she was involved in major initiatives to increase domestic natural gas supply, enhance energy efficiency and security and promote the research needs of the natural gas industry.
From 1993 to 2001, Kenderdine served in several key posts at the U.S. Department of Energy, including director of the Office of Policy and senior advisor to the secretary. Kenderdine has testified before Congress on many occasions, has served on numerous energy task forces and is a frequent speaker at international energy conferences, including the World Petroleum Congress, IEA’s International Energy Experts Conference in Abu Dhabi and the Turkish War College in Istanbul.
