November 10, 2021 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time (ET)

Applying Machine Learning
in Energy Policy Research

Event Description:

Machine learning, the use of algorithms and statistical models to analyze and draw inferences from patterns in high dimensional data, is seeing rapidly expanded application in the energy sector, for instance for improved forecasts of wind and solar energy availability, optimized control of complex energy systems, or predictive maintenance of energy systems. In research, machine learning provides new tools to analyze questions with relevance for energy policy decisions, such as the effectiveness of energy efficiency interventions or the probability and duration of weather-related electricity outages. In this webinar, Erica Myers, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, and Christopher R. Knittel, George P. Shultz Professor and Faculty Director of MIT CEEPR, will share insights from their latest work using machine learning for energy policy research.

Participants

Speaker:
Christopher Knittel
MIT

Christopher Knittel is the George P Shultz Professor of Energy Economics and a Professor of Applied Economics in the Sloan School of Management at MIT. He directs the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) at MIT. CEEPR, established in 1977 is the hub for social science work related to energy and the environment. Knittel is also the Deputy Director for Policy of the MIT Energy Initiative, the hub for energy research at MIT. Finally, along with Meredith Fowlie at UC Berkeley, he co-directs the Environmental and Energy Economics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Formerly, Knittel was on the faculty at UC Davis and Boston University. He is the former co-editor of the Journal of Public Economics, and an associate editor of the Journal of Transportation Economics and Policy, and Journal of Energy Markets, having previously served as an associate editor of The American Economic Journal — Economic Policy and The Journal of Industrial Economics.
Speaker:
Erica Myers
University of Calgary

Erica Myers is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD in Environmental and Resource Economics from UC Berkeley in 2014. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a research assistant at Resources for the Future from 2007 to 2009. Her primary area of interest is in environmental and energy economics. She has done work on the design and implementation of carbon allowance markets and testing for the presence of market failures that may lead to under-investment in energy efficiency. Recently, her work has focused on the salience of energy costs in home rental and purchase decisions and its implications for investment in energy efficiency.
Moderator
Joshua Hodge
MIT Joshua Hodge is Executive Director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR), where he coordinates research activities and is responsible for the Center’s budget and manages Center staff. His areas of expertise include domestic and international climate and energy policy, with a focus on energy transition and renewable energy policies in the United States. Joshua’s recent work has included assisting rural electric cooperatives in the U.S. with decarbonization strategy. He is also a member of the MIT Net-Zero by 2026 Faculty Review Committee.