Society and Business Lab

Marshall Net Impact from the USC Marshall School of Business host 2nd Annual AlterEnergy Event by Jennifer Cooke, MBA 2010

The Net Impact chapter  from the USC Marshall School of Business sponsored AlterEnergy, a forum on renewable energy held at USC’s campus on March 26, 2009. 

Companies in attendance were Southern California Edison, Sharp Electronics Corporation, Axio Power, Tioga Energy, and Solar Reserve. The discussion panel was moderated by Dr. Mark Bernstein, Managing Director of USC’s Energy Institute and a Visiting Faculty of Political Science at USC.  Dr. Bernstein has extensive experience in the field, most recently as a Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation where he researched issues in energy, environment, and water. 

The discussion panel included Kevin Christy, Chief Operations Officer of Axio Power; Mike Marelli, Director of Origination and Analysis at SCE; Andrew Wang from Solar Reserve; and USC Marshall Alumni Jordan Newman, Director of Project Finance at Tioga Energy; and Zelinda Welch, Market Analyst at Sharp.

The event, which reached maximum capacity, raised awareness about current issues and opportunities facing the firms and the energy industry collectively.  Key topics addressed by the panelists included the impact of the financial crisis on funding and growth, education of consumers about solar power, and various technologies and approaches to clean energy.  Students had the opportunity to ask questions and meet with the panelists at a networking event following the discussion.

“There is a high cost associated with our dependence on foreign energy,” said Andrew Choi, President of Marshall Net Impact.  “It is vital for us to educate future business leaders and the public regarding renewable energy to increase our energy independence and build a sustainable future.”