Energy Week 2026: Reinventing the grid for our electrified future

The Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University would like to extend a personal invitation to you to be a part of our energy innovation ecosystem by participating in CMU Energy Week 2026, which will be held March 16-20, 2026, in CMU’s Cohon University Center. 

With participation from academia, industry, and government leaders, the theme Reinventing the Grid for Our Electrified Future seizes on the momentum of innovation and research that surrounds the United States’ power grid as its infrastructure ages, contends with extreme weather events, and supports new energy demands from artificial intelligence and electrified buildings, vehicles, and factories. 

“The electricity grid is aging, but it’s powering our modern world,” said Costa Samaras, director of the Scott Institute. “To build a clean and competitive economy, we have to modernize the grid infrastructure that makes it possible.” 

The electricity grid is aging, but it’s powering  our modern world. To build a clean and competitive economy, we have to modernize the grid infrastructure that makes it possible.

Costa Samaras, Director, Scott Institute for Energy Innovation

The grid is poised to become more integrated with the storage of renewable energy from solar and wind, and the complex energy demand management that is likely to result from the electrification of industries like transportation. Enhancing the grid's reliability, affordability, and resilience are what will make a clean electrified future a reality.

Energy Week 2026 will put great minds in the same room. Whether in formal settings like the event’s startup pitch showcase or through networking during receptions, attendees leave Energy Week every year with new connections who may turn into future research collaborators or business partners. 

Focusing on the power grid is a natural progression from Energy Week 2025, which looked at the energy consumption of one of the most notable emerging technologies, artificial intelligence. The 2025 session included nearly 800 registered attendees from over 120 organizations; dozens of investors; 20 startups; and dozens of faculty, students, and staff who presented at the CMU Energy Research Expo.

Registration for Energy Week 2026 will open in January. 

Learn more about previous CMU Energy Weeks.