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Seminar "The Future of Energy: Latin America's Path to Sustainability"

Natural resources
18 August 2015|Event

The MIT Sloan Latin America Office is partnering with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to host a regional conference on energy game changers and the future of energy in Latin America, which is carried out in the framework of the UN Secretary General’s initiative “Sustainable Energy for ALL” (SE4ALL). Energy is essential to the region’s economic growth and social development.

The goal of the conference is to jump start the dialogue between MIT academics, policy makers, and industry leaders to change the future scope of energy in Latin America. Here is the link where you can find the presentations. http://conferencias.cepal.org/futuro_energias/  

Tuesday, August 18, 2015
8:30-9:00 Registration 
9:00-9:15

Welcome Remarks

  • Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Vittorio Corbo, MIT Sloan Latin America Advisory Council Member, former President of the Central Bank, Chile
9:15-10:45

PANEL 1: Energy Storage and a Smarter Grid for Latin America
Moderator: Manlio Coviello, Chief Natural Resources and Energy Unit, ECLAC

  • Donald Sadoway, MIT John F. Elliot Professor of Materials Chemistry
  • René Castro, Former Minister of Environment & Energy of Costa Rica
  • Salvatore Bernabei, Head of Enel Green Power Chile
10:45-11:10 Coffee Break
11:10-12:45

PANEL 2:  The Future of Unconventional Energy Sources
Moderator: Manlio Coviello, Chief Natural Resources and Energy Unit, ECLAC

  • Francis O’Sullivan, Director of MIT Energy Initiative, Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering
  • Christopher Knittel, Director of MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR), MIT Sloan William Barton Rogers Professor of Energy
  • Alfredo Solar Pinedo, Country Manager, SunEdison Chile & President, Chilean Assocation of Renewable Energies
  • Luis Stinco, Professor & Director of Geoscience, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
12:45-14:00 Complimentary Networking  Lunch for Attendees and Speakers
14:00-15:30

PANEL 3:  Transformational Technologies: Latin American Challenges
Moderator: Roberto Rigobon, Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management, MIT Sloan

  • Robert Armstrong, Director of MIT Energy Initiative, Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering
  • Marc Manly, Executive Vice President and President- Commercial Portfolio, Duke Energy
  • Julio Vergara, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica
  • Luca D'Agnese, CEO, Enersis
15:30-15:45  Coffee Break
15:45-17:30

PANEL 4: The Political Economy of Energy
Moderator: Roberto Rigobon, Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management, MIT Sloan

  • Ricardo Sánchez, Acting Director, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Division, ECLAC
  • Máximo Pacheco, Minister of Energy of Chile
  • Juan Carlos Echeverry, former Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia, CEO Ecopetrol
  • Leonardo Beltrán, Deputy Secretary for Energy Planning and Transition of Mexico
  • Miguel Rodriguez, Board of Directors Pacific Rubiales, Colombia
17:30-17:45

Closing Remarks

  • Máximo Pacheco, Minister of Energy of Chile
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
9:00-9:30 Registration 
9:30-11:30

PANEL 5: The Economics of Climate Change: What to Do
Moderator: Manlio Coviello, Chief Natural Resources and Energy Unit, ECLAC

  • Robert Pindyck, MIT Sloan Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd Professor in Finance and Economics
  • Joseluis Samaniego, Director, Sustainable Development Division, ECLAC
  • Emilio Lébre La Rovere, Energy Planning Program Professor, Universidad Federal de Rio de Janeiro
  • Tom Georgis, Senior Vice President of Development, SolarReserve
11:45- 12:00

Closing Remarks

  • Roberto Rigobon, Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management, MIT Sloan

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