Over the summer, Dynamo hosted its first ever ‘Summer in the City’ event series with cocktail events across the country in three of our hub cities: San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Each event focused on a trending topic in the clean energy world featuring expert speakers who are driving solutions in the energy transition. 

San Franciso: 

The Summer in the City Tour kicked off in San Francisco where Meade Harris, Dynamo Co-Founder & CEO, sat down for an exclusive interview with Ryan Everton, the founder and CEO at TURN. With single-use plastic production on the rise, TURN seeks to not only eliminate single-use plastic altogether, but also to build incentive to recycle cups instead of having them end up at a landfill.  

“It’s that network effect that got us to where we are today. You never know where the dots will align.” – Ryan Everton, Founder & CEO at TURN . 

Of course, Dynamo specializes in ‘network effect’ so this was music to our ears. Conversation about the interplay of sustainability and the circular economy was a consistent theme throughout the evening. Attendees also enjoyed their cocktails in TURNs recyclable cups. 

New York:  

For the next stop on the summer tour, Dynamo returned to the East Coast for our New York City event – EV in the City: Getting Charged Up for the Future. Our panel, moderated by Stephan Feilhauer, Managing Director at S2G Ventures, included experts from NYSERDA, BloombergNEF, Inspiration Mobility, and itselectric all of whom emphasized how the EV world is changing quite quickly. According to the recently released EVO Report from BloombergNEF, 10.5 million passenger EVs were sold in 2022 and as more people are purchasing EV vehicles, the realm of charging infrastructure must expand in both scale and scope.  

“The more we can focus on electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, some of the biggest sources of pollution in New York, the bigger impacts we will have on our overburdened communities.” – Adam Ruder, Assistant Director, Clean Transportation at NYSERDA 

Most notably, the panel discussion turned to a critical issue: disenfranchised communities. Efforts are being pushed forward to engage communities that can benefit the most from improved charging infrastructure planning and installation. The charging experience should not only be seamless, but affordable and accessible to the widest population possible.  

 As Tiya Gordon, Co-Founder at itselectric noted “If you cannot walk outside your door and see a charger, that community will not convert to electric.” 

Boston: 

Last but certainly not least, Dynamo wrapped up our summer series in Boston. Our Innovation in Offshore Wind event brought together industry experts who are leading offshore wind projects. Despite the recent headwinds facing the offshore wind sector, the conversation at our hub’s rooftop event highlighted the positive impacts and trajectory of project developments that are taking place in the Northeast.   

Moderated by Louis Mercedes, Member at Mintz, our event, Innovation in Offshore Wind brought together the Dynamo community to hear from three amazing women in the field: Lyndie Hice-Dunton from National Offshore Wind Research & Development Consortium, Alanna Russo from National Grid, and Elisabeth Treseder from Equinor.  

Our panelists explored the current state of offshore wind, and its pivotal role in the transition to clean energy. Given the momentum around clean energy investment because of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) our panelists emphasized the need for project developers in the United States to work with leaders in Europe who have been building offshore wind for decades.  

“We must ensure that we have innovators in the US, bringing the supply chain here, and keeping jobs here to have a strong workforce for the future.” Alanna Russo, Director of Strategic Engagement and Business Development at National Grid. 

Our final Summer in the City event concluded in the same fashion that the first began—with our Dynamo members networking with the energy industry’s best and brightest. Each city provided us with a different backdrop to focus on region specific climate trends. There is no silver bullet solution to mitigating the effects of climate change. From eliminating single-use plastic to investing in electric vehicles, the opportunities to facilitate the energy transition rely on cooperation. Dynamo looks forward to providing more platforms to provide companies, investors, and entrepreneurs a place to connect.   

We’re thankful for the insights from all of our thought-provoking panelists and moderators.  

See you next summer!