The Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) at Michigan State University will sponsor a May 18 luncheon forum focused on the State’s Mixed Use Energy Plan. Michigan’s Governor challenged the State’s energy providers in March 2015 by calling for 40 percent of the state’s power to come from a combination of renewable energy and energy waste reduction. More natural gas use alongside an increase in renewable energy sources is envisioned for Michigan’s energy future. Additionally, there has been much discussion on how these energy goals might be accomplished with emphasis on related technology innovation and economic opportunities. The May 18 forum will consider how emerging technologies, pricing of various fuel sources and new and developing policies are changing the infrastructure and landscape Michigan’s energy supply.
Forum Speakers include Soren Anderson, Associate Professor of Economics and Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University. Professor Anderson studies a range of issues in energy and environmental economics, with a focus on markets for automobiles and the fuels they use. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in economics from Macalester College. Ann Erhardt, Michigan State University's Director of Sustainability. MSU has made significant strides in transitioning its energy use practices and is set on becoming a model of energy efficiency. Also joining the forum is Robert Jackson, Director of the Regional and National Response Division for the Michigan Agency for Energy. Mr. Jackson oversees the State Energy Program and is directly responsible for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Revolving Loan Program, the Industrial E2 Program, and Technology Demonstration. As a once-visiting researcher at the Energy Institute at Haas at UC Berkeley, a previous staff economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and as a former research assistant at Resources for the Future, Soren Anderson will provide an economic perspective. He is currently an Associate Professor of Economics and Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at MSU. Donald Morelli, is Professor and Interim Chairperson, College of Engineering's Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Professor Morelli’s research interest is focused on semiconductors for energy conversion, new thermoelectric materials, and thermal and electronic transport properties of solids.
The May 18 forum will run from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in downtown Lansing, Michigan’s Anderson House Building, 5th Floor Mackinac Room, directly across from the Capitol Building grounds at 124 N. Capitol Avenue. A light lunch is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required and seating is limited. Online registration is fast and easy at this link
We look forward to seeing you at the IPPSR Forum.
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