President Obama has made it a priority to address one of America’s greatest challenges, meeting energy demand in a sustainable way by transforming the ways we produce and consume energy. He assembled a team that could help him in this task, such as science adviser John Holdren, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and energy adviser Carol Browner. Congress in turn is working on climate change legislation that could foster a new wave of energy innovation. Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman have recently unveiled their new energy bill that would introduce fees on carbon emissions. Other recent developments in Washington have included entrepreneurs, which signals a government push to leverage their risk-taking behavior and the power of individual innovators.
Last month, I joined over 140 participants at a White House Energy Innovation Conference sponsored
by the Kauffman Foundation to discuss how to accelerate energy
innovation, and support entrepreneurs and small businesses in the energy
sector. I encountered many entrepreneurs and innovators among leaders
from the federal and state governments, academia, the private sector and
the nonprofit sector. Given the nature of the energy challenge, the
ability of our nation to innovate in energy requires the risk-taking,
ingenuity and determination of entrepreneurs.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship | Accelerating Energy Innovation
Author: Jonathan Ortmans is president of the Public Forum Institute, a non-partisan organization dedicated to fostering dialogue on important policy issues. In this capacity, he leads the Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, focused on public policies to promote entrepreneurship in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, he serves as a senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation.
