Front Row, L-R: Lamont Hames, Matt Schultz, Tsu Jae Liu, Andrea Hodge, Marsha Ershaghi, Guru Madhavan, Charles ZukoskiBack Row, L-R: Donald Paul, Gary Buntmann, Richard Meserve, Iraj Ershaghi, Kyle Koerner, Yannis Yortsos, Jerimiah Booream, Al Romig, Behnam Jafarpour, Jose Reyes, Jr.Photography: Mehrzad Naseri
The growth in energy demand is outpacing the capabilities of existing infrastructure built to support it. That tension defined the Engineering for Energy Demands Summit 2026, held April 22 at USC’s Capital Campus in Washington, DC, where discussions focused on how energy systems can expand in step with rising demand, along with shifts in infrastructure, technologies and consumption patterns.
This is the 4th annual summit organized by USC Viterbi’s Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET), co-hosted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). E-CET was established in 2022 through a gift from Gary and Mary Buntmann with the goal of advancing collaboration between research, education and industry to address the energy transition; the large-scale transformation of energy systems to expand capacity, integrate low-carbon sources and modernize infrastructure to meet global demand while also maintaining reliability and affordability.
