Wharton Energy & Climate Conference

building the bridge

scaling today's energy systems for the future

october 30, 2026

About

Conference Overview

The Wharton Energy & Climate Club is excited to invite you to the 2026 Energy & Climate Conference at Convene in Philadelphia on Friday, October 30th, 2026.

Join C-Suite executives, startup founders, investors, regulators, students, and leaders at the cutting edge of their fields. Through keynotes, panels, and conversations throughout the day, attendees will share industry best practices and success stories. The event will foster collaboration between the leaders at the forefront of the industry today and those who will shape the industry going forward.

Building the Bridge
Scaling Today's Energy Systems for the Future

The US is at an inflection point where energy demand has never been higher, driven by the rise of AI, industrial and manufacturing automation, and broad electrification. The demand glut has only highlighted the aging energy and grid infrastructure in place to serve it today. Closing the growing gap will require ongoing grid revitalization and efficiency gains, adding new capacity quickly and safely, and managing the needs of government entities, companies, and consumers.

Our conference will look at how the energy industry is building the bridge between the present infrastructure and demand into the future. A complex array of stakeholders is involved in this transition, and success depends on how well each group aligns: modernizing and optimizing existing physical infrastructure, accelerating new capacity additions, and navigating the policy and market dynamics that shape how quickly the grid can scale. We look forward to hearing from representatives across the landscape to share challenges, perspectives, and ideas.

2026 Keynotes

Kiran Bhatraju

Founder & CEO, Arcadia

Jason Liu

CEO, Wood Mackenzie

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Jim Robb

President & CEO, North American Electric Reliability Corporation

Dr. Kris Singh

President & CEO, Holtech International

2026 Schedule

Please join us before programming begins at Convene. 

Brief remarks by the conference co-chairs.

Dr. Kris Singh, President and CEO of Holtec International, provides our morning keynote. 

  • Rich Roloff, Chief Financial Officer, LS Power
  • Marly Smith, Managing Director, Power, Renewables and Energy Transition Banking, Bank of America
  • Gianluca Signorelli, Head of Capital Markets, SB Energy
  • Olivia Wassenaar, Partner & Head of Infrastructure Group, Apollo
  • Jeff Weiss, Founder & Executive Chairman, Distributed Sun and trucurrent (moderator)

Jim Alderson-Smith, Managing Director and Head of Industry Coverage, Crux Capital

  • Craig Bealmear, Chief Financial Officer, Oklo
  • Larry Gasteiger, Executive Director, WIRES and President, Gasteiger Energy
  • Asim Haque, Executive VP, PJM
  • Enrique Marquez, VP, Energy Capital Partners (moderator) 

Join us for catered lunch. 

Keynote conversation with Kiran Bhatraju, Founder and CEO, Arcadia and Jason Liu, CEO, Wood Mackenzie. 

  • Tom Bonner, Director of Policy, Advocacy, and External Affairs, PECO
  • Robin Lunt, Chief Commercial Officer, Guzman Energy 
  • Kaam Sahely, Partner, Vinson & Elkins
  • Jon Yoder, CEO, MN8 

Katie Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder, Terramount

  • Tim Burdis, Director, PJM (moderator)
  • Ed Crooks, Vice Chair, Americas, Wood Mackenzie
  • Jonah Glick-Unterman, Head of Strategy, Vulcan Elements
  • Oscar Leandro, VP, Corporate Development, Nano Nuclear
  • Cy McGeady, Head of Energy Policy, Equinix
  • Adriel Barrett-Johnson, Director, x-Energy
  • Enrique Glotzer, Managing Director, BRG Consulting
  • Lovely Sharma, Investor, Aramco Ventures (moderator)
  • Avra van der Zee, General Partner, SOSV and Senior Advisor, Elemental Impact

Jim Robb, President and CEO of North American Electric Reliability Corporation, provides our afternoon keynote. 

Brief remarks by the conference co-chairs.

Please join us for happy hour at Harper’s Garden, just steps away from Convene! Address is 31 S 18th St.  

Location

Convene

30 South 17th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Dress Code

The dress code for this event is business casual. No ties or formal wear required.

our 2026 sponsors

We want to extend a huge thank you to our sponsors. Without them, this student-run conference would not provide the caliber of content and connections we've able to provide for nearly two decades.

Megawatt Sponsors

Kilowatt Sponsors

Watt Sponsors