Energy Insights 2026

Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will host the third quadrennial Energy Insights conference on December 3 and 4, 2026, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. The event will bring together an interdisciplinary community of researchers and stakeholders for a series of engaging conversations about some of today’s most important questions in energy economics, policy, and technology, with a focus on the intersection of research and decision-making.

In-person attendance is by invitation only. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Thursday, December 3, 2026

8:30–9:30 AM | Registration and Breakfast

9:30–9:45 AM | Welcome and Introduction

9:45–10:45 AM | Opening Session: A New Era in Research for Decisionmaking

10:45–11:00 AM | Coffee Break

11:00 AM–12:15 PM | Concurrent Sessions

Choose one of four concurrent sessions to dive deeper into key topics that lie at the intersection of research and decisionmaking. Each session will include several research-focused presentations, followed by reflections from a discussant representing government, business, or another sector setting internal or public policy. Each session will conclude with 30–40 minutes of time for moderated discussion.

• Energy Supply Chains
• Energy Workforce Transitions
• Industrial Decarbonization
• Energy System Resilience

12:15–1:15 PM | Lunch

1:15–2:30 PM | Meet Your Fellow Energy Researchers: Facilitated Networking

2:30–3:30 PM | Consumer Preferences in a Shifting Energy Landscape: What Do We Know?

3:30–4:00 PM | Coffee Break

4:00–5:00 PM | Clean Tech Pulse Check

5:00–6:30 PM | Reception in the National Academies Great Hall

Friday, December 4, 2026

8:00–9:00 AM | Breakfast Roundtables

9:00–10:00 AM | Fireside Chat

10:00–11:15 AM | Concurrent Sessions

Choose one of four concurrent sessions to dive deeper into key topics that lie at the intersection of research and decisionmaking. Each session will include several research-focused presentations, followed by reflections from a discussant representing government, business, or another sector setting internal or public policy. Each session will conclude with 30–40 minutes of time for moderated discussion.

• Energy Supply Chains
• Energy Workforce Transitions
• Industrial Decarbonization
• Energy System Resilience

11:15–11:30 AM | Coffee Break

11:30 AM–12:30 PM | Closing Session - Funders’ Panel

How are research-oriented funders looking at the landscape ahead for energy issues? In this panel, representatives from a range of philanthropies will share their thoughts on opportunities for impact moving forward, given recent policy developments and ongoing technology evolution.

12:30–1:30 PM | Networking Lunch (optional)