China
The Cradle of New Energy Technology?
Policy makers and analysts are framing the development of the new energy economy as a race between the U.S. and China. This panel will explore the role of China in the energy space of the 21st century by asking questions such as: Who will be the global leader? Is China already winning the race? Will China’s explosive energy consumption drive domestic innovation and the rapid installation of new domestically developed technologies? What are the barriers and opportunities for Chinese firms domestically and abroad? How will China’s investments in energy technology compare to those of the U.S. and Europe? Is China the cradle of new energy technology, and if so, what are the implications for the rest of the world?

MODERATOR
Edward Cunningham
Ash Institute Postdoctoral Fellow | Harvard Kennedy School
Edward Cunningham’s research interests relate to China’s energy markets, political economy, industrial organization, and comparative business-government relations. He recently received his Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT and is an affiliate of the MIT Industrial Performance Center. Dr. Cunningham has served as the Program Officer of the China Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School, and worked and studied in Beijing. He has also testified in Washington, D.C., and spoken at industry and academic conferences on energy, industrial policy, competitiveness, and governance.

Andrew Kadak
Professor of the Practice Nuclear Science and Engineering | MIT
At MIT Dr. Kadak has led the development of high temperature modular pebble bed nuclear reactors. He is a Principal in Exponent, a high-end technical consulting company, and has a long-standing relationship with Tsinghua University, the developer of pebble bed reactors in China. As former CEO of Yankee Atomic Electric, Dr. Kadak’s expertise ranges from day-to-day operations of nuclear plants to senior executive management. He serves on the Senior Nuclear Safety Board of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Stations.

Ning Li
Dean of the School of Energy Research | Xiamen University, China
Dr. Ning Li is a distinguished professor and Dean of the School of Energy Research at Xiamen University in China and the Associate Director for International Cooperation at the Berkeley Nuclear Research Center at the University of California. He is also the Director of Asia Development for TerraPower, a company founded by Bill Gates to develop innovative nuclear energy technologies. He was formerly the Industrial Fellow for Civilian Nuclear Programs, a project leader of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the deputy coordinator of the US DOE GNEP/AFCI US-China civilian nuclear energy cooperation.

Julian L. Wong
Senior Policy Analyst | Center for American Progress
At CAP, Julian Wong works on a range of domestic and international issues related to climate change, energy, and environmental policy. Prior to joining CAP, Julian was a Fulbright scholar in Beijing, and a corporate lawyer at the international law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York and Hong Kong. Julian is the founder and author of The Green Leap Forward (http://greenleapforward.com), a leading blog on China’s energy and environmental issues, and a founder of the Beijing Energy Network.

Hongmei Zhang
Deputy General Manager | Center for Technology Strategy and Development | ENN Group
Dr. Hongmei Zhang is responsible for corporate R&D development, strategy, liaison and collaborations at ENN. She also serves as an Appointed Expert for Strategic Research of China’s 12th “Five-Year Plan” in the energy sector. Prior to joining ENN, Hongmei was a Lead Mechanical Engineer at GE Global Research Center in Schenectady, NY. Hongmei earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, a M.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from Tsinghua University and a B.S. degree in Thermal Engineering from Chongqing University, China.