Largest Wharton Energy Conference
Craig Isakow, WG'08
Issue date: 1/22/07 Section: News
On Friday, January 12th, The Wharton Energy Club hosted the 4th annual Wharton Energy Conference at The Hilton Inn at Penn. Over 200 students, alumni, industry participants and experts came together to discuss today's most pressing energy topics. The panels included Deregulation, Alternative Energy, Project Finance, Oil and Gas, as well as keynote speakers addressing the energy landscape and government policy, geopolitics, private equity, and electricity
generation. This was the first year the conference met outside of Huntsman Hall, and it was more than twice as large as last year's gathering.
The conference reflected the growing breadth of the coalition concerned with global energy needs. Bush's "Addicted to Oil" speech made alternative energy a national
security issue. Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", brought concerns for global warming to the mainstream. The record
profits of oil and gas companies have drawn both investor interest and public scrutiny. All the while, Silicon Valley's technologists and investors are pouring time and billions of dollars into alternative energy solutions, hoping to make alternative
energy a profitable reality. Despite any tensions among them, together these groups will help to redefine the energy solution for our generation.
Everyone wants to know which alternative
fuel technology to bet on, and the overwhelming answer at the conference was "all of them". Solar, bio diesel, ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear, tar sands, and coal gasification are among the contenders to supplement our energy needs. Two keynote speakers outlined their vision for the path to energy independence, and the industry participants and investors took their shot at defending their solutions.
James Woolsey, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton and former CIA director, framed the energy issue as a national security
imperative. He explored our energy needs in two main buckets, transportation and electricity. On the transportation side, he believes plug-in hybrids, (normal hybrids upgraded with a plug and larger battery) could deliver 125 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, reducing emissions drastically
generation. This was the first year the conference met outside of Huntsman Hall, and it was more than twice as large as last year's gathering.
The conference reflected the growing breadth of the coalition concerned with global energy needs. Bush's "Addicted to Oil" speech made alternative energy a national
security issue. Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", brought concerns for global warming to the mainstream. The record
profits of oil and gas companies have drawn both investor interest and public scrutiny. All the while, Silicon Valley's technologists and investors are pouring time and billions of dollars into alternative energy solutions, hoping to make alternative
energy a profitable reality. Despite any tensions among them, together these groups will help to redefine the energy solution for our generation.
Everyone wants to know which alternative
fuel technology to bet on, and the overwhelming answer at the conference was "all of them". Solar, bio diesel, ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear, tar sands, and coal gasification are among the contenders to supplement our energy needs. Two keynote speakers outlined their vision for the path to energy independence, and the industry participants and investors took their shot at defending their solutions.
James Woolsey, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton and former CIA director, framed the energy issue as a national security
imperative. He explored our energy needs in two main buckets, transportation and electricity. On the transportation side, he believes plug-in hybrids, (normal hybrids upgraded with a plug and larger battery) could deliver 125 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, reducing emissions drastically
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
boisgibault
Boisgibault
posted 2/10/07 @ 8:52 AM EST
Hi,
I would like to know how I could register for the Wharton Energy Club. Based in Paris, France, I have been involved in the European energy deregulation since 1998 and would appreciate to strenghten my contacts with Whartonites in the US about this subject. (Continued…)
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