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Leaders in Global Energy Lecture Series

Posted Sep 16 2011

Creating sustainable energy while protecting the environment and reaffirming corporate citizenship is one of the great challenges of this century. The Leaders in Global Energy lecture series is the centerpiece of an initiative by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) to identify solutions to this challenge.

SIPA knows that proposing, promoting and executing upon these solutions will require collaboration by government, corporate, and NGO leaders; the adoption of new technologies; and the cultivation of a new generation of thinkers who can overcome the historical barriers to socially responsible energy policy-making. The school has a unique track record of empowering people to serve the global public interest through public-, nonprofit-, and private-sector roles.  Columbia University is one of the top research institutions in the world, and SIPA’s ties to the University’s Earth Institute, Schools of Business and Law, and Departments of Economics and Political Science create an ideal interdisciplinary platform for this initiative.

The Leaders in Global Energy series consists of formal lectures, panel discussions, and informal talks by distinguished thought leaders in energy from across the government, corporate, and NGO sectors.

Kicking off in September 2011 and concluding in December, the series begins with a September 26 lecture by Edison Lobão, Brazilian Minister of Mines and Energy. Other speakers include 2011 Pritzker Prize Laureate Eduardo Souto de Moura, International Energy Agency Chief Economist Fatih Birol, and an array of energy company CEOs and energy ministers from around the world.

In addition to the Leaders in Global Energy series, SIPA is developing new coursework, fieldwork, and research through its Energy and Environment concentration, which provides students with the knowledge base and analytical tools needed to address the challenge of sustainably and responsibly powering the developed and developing nations of the world. 

SIPA is grateful to EDP – Energias de Portugal, S.A. for its generous support of the Leaders in Global Energy series.  EDP’s interests in conventional and renewable power extend across 11 countries on four continents, including in the United States.

September 26

6 p.m. "Energy Policy in Brazil,” Edison Lobão, Minister of Mines and Energy (Brazil)

October 17

3 p.m. “Electricity Grid and System of Operation: The Challenge of Investment,Technology and Deregulation in Europe and the United States," Luis Atienza Serna, CEO, Red Electrica (Spain), Rui Cartaxo, CEO, REN (Portugal), Gordon van Welie, CEO, ISO New England Inc. (U.S.)

October 31

6 p.m. “Benchmarks in Energy Sustainability: Germany, Denmark, Portugal,” Hans Jorgen Koch, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Climate and Energy (Denmark), Jose Manuel Perdigoto, General Director, Ministry of Economy (Portugal), Ulrich Oberndorfer, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, (Germany)

November 14

2 p.m. “Wind Energy in China, Europe and the U.S.” Jorge Calvet, CEO, Gamesa, Arthuros Zevros, Chairman, European Wind Association,   Gabriel Alonzo, CEO, Horizon Wind Energy, Watson Liu, Global Partner & VP, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (China)

November 17

6 p.m. “The Cities of the Future,” Eduardo Souto de Moura, 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

November 29

9 a.m. “World Energy Outlook 2011," Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency

 

Updated September 16, 2011