Students from NPS ECE and Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford’s Global Energy Forum (NPS Students include LT Dimitrios Kanavaros, Hellenic Navy, Greece; LT Petros Siritoglou, Hellenic Navy, Greece; LT Burnell Clemmer, USN; and Capt John E. Dommert, USMC)

NPS Students Attend Stanford’s Global Energy Forum

By Capt John E. Dommert

On November 1st  and 2nd, students from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department had the opportunity to engage with industry and academia at Stanford’s inaugural Global Energy Forum. The two-day forum covered a multitude of issues within the energy sector and featured speakers such as Condoleezza Rice, George Schultz, and Bill Gates. Discussion panels unpacked trends in electric vehicles, increased renewables and distributed resources on the grid, growing advances in battery technology, and leveraging autonomy.

Due to the nature of the event, discussion was focused on general industry and consumer topics with some mention of impacts to national security. However, it became clear that dedicated conversation and solutions are not required for defense interests to benefit. The push for the democratization of the utility grid is creating solutions that enable installation resilience. Electric vehicles and renewables continue to fuel the search for better energy storage, providing robust remote energy options for deployed units. Furthermore, increased digitization is growing not only the computing to optimize systems, but the security to keep them operational. All of these advances are creating opportunities for more capable products at a lower cost for our service branches.

At the conclusion of the scheduled program, students from across the country had a chance to interact and discuss their research in energy. The event was productive and highlighted an opportunity for the Naval Postgraduate School to inform the next generation of energy innovators through student collaboration and engagement.

LEARN MORE
Email Jack Templeton at jctemple1@nps.edu or call (919) 696-1398.