Wharton Energy and Climate Club

? New Wharton Current Episode Alert! ? What’s next for clean energy under a Trump administration? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Wilcox. Now a Penn professor, Dr. Wilcox led the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management under the Biden Administration. Named one of Time 100 in Climate in 2023, she had a front row seat as Biden’s pro-clean energy policies spurred growth in the industry, and she provides unique insight on what lies ahead under Trump. In the episode, Dr. Wilcox joined hosts Ian Miller and Lilly Chadwick to discuss: ??Clean Energy Winners and Losers: Which technologies will have the most and the fewest roadblocks under Trump, and how Elon Musk may affect the outcome? ? Agencies and Policies at Risk: How the conservative majority in the Supreme Court and the Senate will facilitate Trump’s ability to advance his agenda, and which environmental agencies and policies are most at risk ??Reasons for Optimism: Despite foreseeable challenges, why to feel hopeful about the future of clean energy over the next four years Tune in through the link below! https://lnkd.in/e-jFYW3M #WhartonCurrent #CleanEnergy #CarbonCapture #DOE #EnergyTransition

On Friday, November 1st, we welcomed over 300 people for our 17th annual conference! Our theme this year, “de-risk to deploy”, focused conversations on the innovative approaches accelerating climatetech deployment. The following themes emerged: ??♀?No Workforce, No Deployment: To meet scale-up timelines, companies are taking proactive approaches to developing skilled, diverse talent pipelines - launching geothermal apprenticeships, coal-to-nuclear reskilling programs with unions, and cleantech-focused university scholarships. ???Design for Standardization & Modularity: Replicability was repeatedly cited as a foremost driver in achieving scale. Companies are targeting “project as a product” - building modularized systems that are faster and cheaper to deploy. This remains critical in sectors such as heavy industry with large, complex facilities and high variability between processes. ??Investment Landscape Still Maturing: Capital providers are testing new approaches to mitigate or share risk (offtake agreements, novel insurance types, liability limits, gov’t loans/cost sharing) before climatetech projects become safe enough for mature lenders. On the other side, emerging companies are emphasizing “all of the above” blended capital while decoupling corporate and product risk. ??Strategic Partnerships = Non-Negotiable: New and established companies emphasized how alliances multiply their impact. Public-private partnerships (PPP’s) are driving large-scale decarbonization projects in heavy industry, built environment, and other sectors by reducing upfront costs. In mobility, partnerships between EV charging infrastructure developers and fleets are enabling companies to capture consistent revenue streams. In the power sector, large consumers are partnering directly with producers (nuclear, geothermal) to expedite timelines and secure stable long-term energy prices. ???Policy Catch-up: Coordinated policy updates are needed to get innovative tech off the shelf and into the field. In the power sector, federal and state agencies, ISOs, and regulatory bodies must align to ease interconnection bottlenecks, incentivize clean firm power, and design markets that ensure grid stability. In the built environment, fragmented and confusing incentives, permitting delays, and limited customer awareness are slowing sustainable upgrades. We heard from four keynote speakers: Luis A. and Jim McNiel highlighted the strategic role of corporate venture capital and advancements in commercial fusion. Dr. Jennifer Wilcox emphasized scaling carbon capture by showcasing a ladder of deployment criteria based on feasibility, GHG reduction potential, alternatives' carbon intensity, and readiness. Aseem Kapur shared his vision for EVs and bi-directional tech to bolster grid resilience and cut emissions. Finally, we hosted our first-ever Innovation Showcase, featuring Hydropore, Ardent, Demia, Revise Robotics, NearStar Fusion, Henning Larsen, Metal Light Inc., and more.

?? New Wharton Current Episode Alert! ?? ? What if aging wind parks could produce 5x more green energy? Lars Meyer, co-founder and co-CEO of NeXtWind, is focused on making that vision a reality. In 2023, NeXtWind raised $750M to "repower" aging wind farms across Germany, upgrading inefficient turbines and increasing power output by 4-5x. In this episode, Lars joined host Ian Miller to discuss: ?? Enabling Net Zero: How Lars and his co-founders identified critical gaps in Europe's energy transition and designed NeXtWind's business model to rapidly scale renewable capacity ?? Adapting to New Frontiers: How NeXtWind is preparing to evolve as markets rely more heavily on variable renewable electricity ??Lars' Life Lessons: How conviction, courage and even a fortuitous soccer match can make all the difference in an entrepreneur's career Tune in through the link below! https://lnkd.in/e_5irDUd #NeXtWind #WhartonCurrent #WindPower #Repowering #ClimateTech

??Introducing our 2024 Keynote Speaker Jim McNiel?? You could say that “The Force” is with Jim McNiel. After starting his career developing the software that made Star Wars possible, he worked as a film producer, founder, technology executive, and now leads a company on the cusp of delivering commercial fusion power to our planet. ??In his first job as a lead software developer at Lucasfilm, he built the world’s first non-linear video editing servicer for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi ??He was the Executive Producer and co-creator of Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, a documentary directed by Werner Herzog that explores the promise and pitfalls of our technology-centric world ??He co-founded Cheyenne Software, a data protection software acquired for $1.2 billion ?After decades leading successful technology firms, Jim invested in TAE Technologies, the world’s leader in hydrogen-boron fusion research, and now serves as the company’s Chief Growth Officer, responsible for developing its strategic partnerships and position as it seeks to bring carbon-free, non-radioactive energy to the planet To learn more about the Force that drove Jim’s remarkable journey across film, technology, and fusion energy, join us on Friday, November 1st, for “De-risk to Deploy”, where we’ll host conversations on the collaborations, capital stack innovations, and novel go-to-market approaches that are accelerating clean energy technologies’ path to scale. ???Secure your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7

???? Announcing 2024 Innovation Showcase Exhibitors at Wharton Energy & Climate Conference ???? Join us on Friday, November 1st at 12:15-1:30pm at the Penn Museum to engage with the innovators below! - Metal Light Inc. is replacing diesel in heavy industries with a clean Metal Fuel that is cost competitive and reduces emissions by over 90%. - Hydropore is building hydrogen generation reactors that can make safe, clean, and affordable hydrogen, leveraging a novel two-step electrolyzer technology that decouples the H2 and O2 production steps in electrolysis. - Ardent patented and proven membrane technology harnesses membrane chemistry for point-source carbon capture and other challenging chemical separations. - Demia provides trust, transparency, and efficiency to global carbon markets through its Carbon Data Management infrastructure. - Revise Robotics is accelerating e-waste recycling through intelligent robotics and automation.? - Lumi develops advanced materials that deliver energy-efficient thermoregulation for buildings, cutting energy consumption and reducing costs - NearStar Fusion is developing deuterium fueled fusion power plants which can scale to provide the planet with maximum firm clean energy.? - Henning Larsen is an architecture, urbanism and landscape firm partnering with the University of Pennsylvania on prototyping a solution for extreme urban heat, called ‘KlimaKover.’ ??? See our full agenda and get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7

?New Wharton Current Episode is Live!? ? Over the past decade, climate tech venture capital has expanded rapidly. Total funding increased by 12.5x and new venture firms like Clean Energy Ventures emerged, filling critical gaps in the capital stack and helping founders reimagine a more sustainable future. ? Our guest, Matthew Cohen, Principal at Clean Energy Ventures, has dedicated his career to helping climate tech entrepreneurs scale their businesses. Now, he and his colleagues are focused on maximizing impact, investing in companies that can mitigate 2.5 gigatons of CO2 by 2050. ? ??In this episode, Matt returned to Penn, his alma mater, and joined host Ian Miller to discuss Clean Energy Venture’s mission and share his insight on: ? ?? Finding your unique strengths as a climate tech investor or operator ? ?? Identifying pockets of opportunity across climate technology verticals ? ?? Communicating a compelling vision and generating investor excitement as a founder ? Get a glimpse into the future of climate tech and the key role venture capital plays in reducing global carbon?emissions. ? ?? Take a listen through the link below! ? #CleanEnergyVentures #WhartonCurrent #PennAlum #VentureCapital #Sustainability?#Innovation https://lnkd.in/eY4bVQfW

??Introducing our 2024 Keynote Speaker Luis Alcoser?? Luis A. got his start in the energy industry by working on the oilfields of his native state of Texas to put himself through college. Since then, his career has taken him across sectors and continents – from Asia to Africa – to his current role investing hundreds of millions of dollars in technologies at the cutting edge of the global energy transition: ???His first job out of college was leading a crew of 50 on a fracking project in South Texas ??He has held various upstream engineering, operations, business development, and VC leadership roles at BP, Shell, Noble Energy, and Schlumberger, and worked on projects in the continental US, deepwater Gulf of Mexico, Israel, Russia, Malaysia, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola ?Now, as General Manager of Chevron’s Future Energy Fund, he leads a team investing in the energy technology of the future, including carbon management, advanced materials, power generation, energy storage, nuclear, remote power, mobility, smart cities, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence. To learn more about Luis’s 2+ decades of experience across energy sectors and geographies, join us on Friday, November 1st, for “De-risk to Deploy”, where we’ll host conversations on the collaborations, capital stack innovations, and novel go-to-market approaches that are accelerating clean energy technologies’ path to scale. ???Secure your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7?

??Introducing our 2024 Keynote Speaker Aseem Kapur?? Since the start of his career, clean energy and mobility have driven Aseem Kapur. With over 20 years of leadership, he’s up for the challenge of helping deploy EV and energy solutions for customers nationwide: ??At ConEdison, Aseem led the effort to plan NYC’s clean energy future and implemented over $1 billion of smart grid investments ??At General Motors, he created the roadmap for GM’s V2H (vehicle-to-home) platform, making bidirectional charging technology available across all GM Ultium-based EVs by 2026 ??Now, as Chief Revenue Officer of GM Energy, he leads a team of 100 energy professionals and has built partnerships with Tesla and EVGo to expand consumers’ access to EV charging and home energy solutions To hear more about Aseem’s work driving building out the EV charging infrastructure of the future, join us on Friday, November 1st, for “De-risk to Deploy”, where we’ll host conversations on the collaborations, capital stack innovations, and novel go-to-market approaches that are accelerating clean energy technologies’ path to scale. ???Secure your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7

??Panel Announcement: Clean Firm Power ?? Join us at Wharton’s 17th annual Energy & Climate Conference “Derisk to Deploy” on Friday, November 1st at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia for a discussion on transitioning "dirty firm" capacity to "clean firm" energy sources while keeping our grid stable! - Jim Robb, CEO at North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) - Lex Wolf, Partner at Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Fund - Kelli Joseph, Former Senior Fellow at Kleinman Center for Energy Policy - David Bromberg, CEO & Co-founder at Pearl Street Technologies - Moderated by Christine Knapp, Community Innovation & Technical Assistance Program Manager at U.S. DOE ??See our full agenda and get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7 Want to learn more about clean firm power and grid reliability before the panel? Here are two of our favorite articles/podcasts on the topic ?? - Aligning Clean Energy Policy with Grid Reliability by Kleinman Center for Energy Policy: https://lnkd.in/gKHmVS34 - Clean Firm Electricity for a Decarbonized Energy System by Clean Air Task Force: https://lnkd.in/gSRPXXPQ

??Introducing our 2024 Keynote Speaker Jennifer Wilcox?? Dr. Wilcox grew up in rural Maine, which has given her a profound respect and appreciation of nature, and a drive to achieve sustainable approaches to energy production and use. ??She literally wrote the first textbook on carbon capture and storage ???She led a turnaround of the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, shifting its focus from fossil fuel production efficiency to pollution mitigation, and spurring over $1 billion of investment into RD&D on carbon capture, clean hydrogen, and methane mitigation ??Now, she’s back doing what she loves most – teaching. At the University of Pennsylvania, she oversees the Clean Energy Conversions Lab and has developed new courses focusing on the barriers to deploying clean energy technology To hear more about Dr. Wilcox’s work at the cutting edge of carbon reduction and removal, join us on Friday, November 1st, for “De-risk to Deploy”, where we’ll host conversations on the collaborations, capital stack innovations, and novel go-to-market approaches that are accelerating clean energy technologies’ path to scale. ???Secure your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMtcdXp7?