Driving innovation at 21st Century Energy Transition Symposium, April 1-2

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, former Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr. and energy experts in academia, government and industry will headline the 21st Century Energy Transition Symposium at the Grand Hyatt in Denver, April 1-2.

The 8th annual event brings together speakers from multiple disciplines to advance the ever-broadening conversation about the future of energy, with topics ranging from clean transportation and water to trends in the oil and gas industry.

"Technological innovations are rapidly changing the energy landscape that we know today," said Bryan Willson, executive director of the CSU Energy Institute. "The symposium is intended to inspire nonpartisan collaborations to shape the vision for the global energy transition."

The symposium is co-hosted by the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory and the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, along with partner institutions University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Community invited to join the conversation

Energy production and consumption impacts all of us, every day, from rural communities to urban corridors. Providing a platform for empathetic dialogue from all sides of the energy issue, the symposium is open to the general public, and community members are encouraged to attend.

"We want people talking with each other, not at each other, to focus on solutions - that is our symposium's legacy," said Maury Dobbie, executive director of the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory and the symposium's chief organizer since 2011.

Keynote speakers

Gov. Polis will take the stage at noon, April 1, to discuss the government's role in driving innovation through policy and economic development. Ritter, 41st governor of Colorado and director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at CSU, will moderate a panel discussion with Betsy Markey, director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and state representative Chris Hansen.

Day 1 also includes keynotes from Amory Lovins, co-founder and chief scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute; Conner Prochaska, chief commercialization officer and director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Technology Transitions; and Eric Toone, executive managing director and science lead of Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The opening talks will culminate in a Q&A panel with all three keynote speakers, moderated by Ritter.

Additional highlights

April 1
Powering Women in Energy, 1:15-2:15 p.m.

A panel of women executives, including Alice Jackson, president of Xcel Energy, and Maggie Fox, former executive director of the Sierra Club, will share their journeys as leaders in the industry. Men and women in all energy-related fields are encouraged to attend.

April 2
Digitization of Energy, 10-11 a.m.

The panel will discuss cybersecurity and the importance of strengthening the resilience of the nation's energy infrastructure. The moderator will be Alan Rudolph, vice president for research at CSU, and will include security, research and technology experts in government and industry.