Consumers Are Key for State Energy Policies

The design of New York’s future energy infrastructure must take consumer demands into consideration, said Richard Kauffman, the state’s chairman for energy and finance.

Kauffman gave one of the keynote speeches at the ninth annual Columbia University Energy Symposium on November 22.

He said the solar energy sector is growing because providers are targeting the key categories of customers, but other green power solutions are not having the same success.

Kaufmann suggested that energy providers should market selectively to different groups, such as residential, retail, and industrial costumers: “The better we get at recognizing consumer segments and design solutions for each, the better and faster we are going to have market adaption.”

The symposium is jointly organized by students representing the SIPA Energy Association (SEA) and the Columbia Business School Energy Club. The event builds on a tradition of convening leaders from across the energy sector, representing companies, government, civil society, and the broader Columbia community, for a day of discussion.

This year’s panels focused on topics such as the geopolitics of oil and gas, new models for financing renewable energy, and the energy outlook for 2014.

In his speech, Kauffman said that a focus on markets will have benefits for innovation. Energy policy-makers are not moving fast enough in adapting infrastructure to innovation cycles, said Kauffman.

“Current infrastructure [is built] thinking in a very long term and life and innovation cycles are getting shorter and shorter,” Kauffman said.

Kauffman joined the administration of New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in February 2013. His mission is to develop and implement a strategic plan for the clean energy economy by developing financial, legislative and regulatory policies that focus on scaling clean energy while ensuring a resilient and reliable energy infrastructure.

— Fernando Peinado MIA ’14