Clean Energy Speaker Series

The Clean Energy Speaker Series (CESS) is held at the Haas School of Business each year during the fall semester. CESS is a formal MBA 294 Selected Topics class and can be taken for 1 unit of course credit. Speakers are often Haas or UC Berkeley alumni who are leaders in the energy, natural resources, or impact investing industries.

The primary objective of CESS is to give students an introduction to a wide variety of topics in energy and sustainability, while also challenging students’ views of what can be achieved by innovative organizations and individuals. Industries covered include renewable energy generation and storage, industrial decarbonization, venture capital and accelerators, clean transportation, Big Tech, retail sustainability, and public policy. CESS is a great opportunity to explore potential career paths and make valuable connections with successful professionals and Berkeley alumni. Speakers typically provide background on their firm and details about their role, while also sharing tips on navigating the clean energy industry, a quickly changing space that can be challenging to break into for early-career professionals.

Past speakers have worked in some of the following areas:

  • Utilities and corporates: PG&E, NRG, EDF, Enel
  • Energy software: Leap, AutoGrid, Granular Energy
  • Transportation: Tesla, Rivian, Lyft, Forum Mobility
  • Investing and development: Intersect Power, Generate Capital, Cypress Renewables, Brookfield, Shell New Energies, Wells Fargo
  • Start-ups: Quidnet Energy, NovoHydrogen, Ammobia, Coreshell, Twelve
  • Big Tech: Google, Meta
  • Other: Bloom Energy, SunPower, Makani Technologies
  • And many more!

Please contact the Director of Speaker Series, Augustine Santillan (asantillan@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)), with any questions and for virtual attendance information. 

Fall 2024 Schedule

Session Date Hour Room Number Topics Name Company Role Moderator

1

10/28/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440

Power Generation: Solar/Wind

Julia Zuckerman Clearway Energy Senior Director, External and Market Affairs Freddie

1

10/28/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440

Power Generation: Solar/Wind

Iris Korovesi Clearway Energy Senior Director, Capital Markets Freddie

2

10/28/2024

7 - 8 pm Chou N400+440Storage & On-site Solutions Kinshuk Verma Electric Hydrogen Staff Product Manager Rodolfo

2

Ivor Castellino 7 - 8 pm

10/28/2024

Storage & On-site SolutionsBloom Energy Chou N400+440Head, Waste to Energy Rodolfo

3

11/4/2024

6 - 7 pm Chou N400+440 Power Generation: Geothermal & Nuclear Gabe Malek Fervo Energy Advisor to the VP of Strategy Freddie

3

11/4/2024

6 - 7 pmChou N400+440Power Generation: Geothermal & NuclearDinara Ermakova Kairos Power Strategy Analyst Freddie

4

11/4/2024

7 - 8 pm Chou N400+440Storage: Batteries TBC Rondo Energy TBC David

4

Jessica Nyquist 7 - 8 pm

11/4/2024

Storage: BatteriesForm Energy Chou N400+440Staff Product Manager David
5 11/11/2024 No Class No ClassNo ClassNo ClassNo ClassNo Class
6 11/11/2024No Class No ClassNo ClassNo ClassNo ClassNo Class

7

11/18/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440

Infrastructure: Grid/Microgrids Alex Portilla PG&E Director, Grid Edge Innovation Carson

7

11/18/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440

Infrastructure: Grid/MicrogridsRic O'Connell Gridlab Executive Director Carson

8

11/18/2024

7 - 8 pm

Chou N400+440

Energy Consumption: Data Centers Scott Williams Crusoe VP Renewables Freddie

8

TBC 7 - 8 pm

11/18/2024

Energy Consumption: Data CentersTBC

Chou N400+440

TBC Freddie

9

11/25/2024

6 - 7 pm Chou N400+440 Mobility: EVs Taeho Kang EverCharge CEO David

9

11/25/2024

6 - 7 pmChou N400+440Mobility: EVsBilly Blaustein Vammo Co-founder & COO David

10

11/25/2024

7 - 8 pm Chou N400+440Mobility: Alternative Fuels Andrew Stevenson Twelve VP of Commercial Rodolfo

10

TBC 7 - 8 pm

11/25/2024

Mobility: Alternative FuelsTBC Chou N400+440TBC Rodolfo

11

12/2/2024

6 - 7 pm Chou N400+440 Finance: Sustainable Project Finance Jake Carney 38 Degrees North Partner Rodolfo

11

12/2/2024

6 - 7 pmChou N400+440Finance: Sustainable Project FinanceNicholas Ilg Segue Sustainable Infrastructure Investment Associate Rodolfo

12

12/2/2024

7 - 8 pm Chou N400+440Climate Justice Jessie HF Hammerling UC Berkeley Labor Center Co-Director, Green Economy Program TBC

12

Rebecca Lee 7 - 8 pm

12/2/2024

Climate JusticeNew Energy Nexus Chou N400+440Managing Director, New Energy Nexus TBC

13

12/9/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440 Finance: Climate VC Evaline Tsai Gigascale Capital Principal David

13

12/9/2024

6 - 7 pm

Chou N400+440Finance: Climate VCTBC TBC TBC David

14

12/9/2024

7 - 8 pm Chou N400+440Climate Policy and Equity Kate Gordon California Forward CEO Freddie

14

TBC 7 - 8 pm

12/9/2024

Climate Policy and EquityTBC Chou N400+440TBC Freddie