Title: Energy Innovation Highlights: Progress & Emerging Challenges

Speaker: Gürkan Kumbaroğlu

Time: 2:30 PM, October 28,2026 

Venue: Meeting Room, 3rd Floor, Annex Building, Block B5, University Town

Abstract:

Successful energy innovations can have profound economic and social outcomes, impacting industrial competitiveness, trade, environmental health, infrastructure investment and security. The International Energy Agency (IEA) maintains a database that contains information for over 600 technology entries across the whole energy system. Recently, over 150 significant energy innovation highlights were identified. From the various highlights emerges a picture of intrepid effort and progress, mixed with various valiant struggles to take the next steps up to larger scales. However, large-scale first-of-a-kind projects need to overcome a range of non-technical challenges related to finance, business models, public support, safety standards, connection to energy infrastructure, tariff design and offtake contracts.

The IEA further carried out a comprehensive assessment of progress and emerging challenges in energy technology innovation drawing on highlights and a survey of practitioners across more than 40 countries. The survey provides insight into trends in public and corporate R&D spending, venture capital flows, patenting and policy, progress in energy innovation. The list of energy technology areas provided in the survey includes energy efficiency, energy storage and batteries, new approaches to heavy industry, hydrogen and fuel cells, nuclear and CCUS, power and grids, renewables and transport. This talk summarizes the most recent findings of the IEA energy innovation highlights, provides a global snapshot of the frontrunners and emerging challenges.

Biography:

Gürkan Kumbaroğlu holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye. He is Professor of Industrial Engineering at Boğaziçi University, Türkiye. He is President of the Turkish Association for Energy Economics and Past President of the International Association for Energy Economics IAEE. Professor Kumbaroğlu is Editorial Board member of The Energy Journal, IAEE’s flagship publication. He was awarded the Energy Oscar Award for Scientific Contribution to Energy Markets in 2011. He has received the Senior International Scientist Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2012.