Carnegie Mellon Universty President Farnam Jahanian is convinced that the Pittsburgh region has the right skills and positioning for leadership on the clean energy transition, the focus of last week's Global Clean Energy Action Forum that drew thousands of energy and sustainability experts across across the world.
Jahanian was a cochair of the host committee and among other duties moderated a fireside chat with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia. CMU was also the GCEAF's cosponsor, along with the U.S. Department of Energy. He said Pittsburgh's story fit in well with the conference.
"This region has reinvented itself as the center of a new economy and a model of the power of innovation," Jahanian told the Business Times on Monday. And that, he said, was the theme of the conference — one that played to Pittsburgh's strengths.
"We showcased how we're bringing the public and private sectors together to advance innovation and technology, to lead the transition to clean energy and a low-carbon future where everyone has the opportunity for the economic advantages of this transition," he said. "As the United States is returning to an energy leadership position and to a commitment to international collaboration on clean energy, Pittsburgh is the poster child to ignite rapid innovation and deployment. Putting a spotlight on Pittsburgh during a global conference has direct benefits, plus residual benefits in terms of our reputation, our brand and our broader societal impact that I think is undeniable."
Jahanian said that Pittsburgh has a lot going for it in the energy transition, not only as the center of the future of robotics, artificial intelligence and automation but also the future of energy. That includes world-class research and development capabilities, significant manufacturing and advanced manufacturing capacity, and a skilled workforce, Jahanian said. That will all help Pittsburgh. So will the strength of its academic institutions, including CMU, the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University, along with the National Energy Technology Laboratory.
"Meeting the climate and energy challenges society faces requires all hands on deck, regionally, nationally and globally," Jahanian said. "In fact, I believe it's regions like Pittsburgh that will ultimately lead this clean energy transition by creating opportunities for innovation and also reinventing existing industries."
But as Jahanian pointed out in his fireside chat with Manchin, it can't come at the expense of people. The energy transition needs to be centered around people, providing good paying jobs, affordable energy and a better quality of life.
"And this is really important: especially for those who have been most impacted by environmental harm by legacy industries," Jahanian said.
He added: "Especially given the widening opportunity gaps that we're seeing across society, we actually have a moral obligation to ensure that our innovations and new technologies benefit all and can create a better quality of life for those who have been historically impacted, which also means not leaving people behind."
Jahanian said that the investments that were approved by Congress — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — over the past year are significant.
"These bills advance unprecedented investments in building America's clean energy economy," he said.
