• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

David Crane

United States Department of Energy

Under Secretary for Infrastructure

David Crane is a leading business voice in the field of sustainability, clean energy, and climate change. Prior to his confirmation as Under Secretary for Infrastructure he served as Director of DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. Outside of government, Crane was the CEO of Climate Real Impact Solutions and served on the Boards of Heliogen Inc, Source Global, JERA Co. Inc., and Tata Steel Ltd, along with the not-for-profit Boards of Elemental Excelerator and The Climate Group NA. He was also a part of The B Team, serving as a leader and chairing the organization’s Net Zero Initiative. Previously, Crane was CEO of NRG. During his 12-year tenure, he took NRG from Chapter 11 to a Fortune 200 company. Crane also led NRG to the forefront of next-generation clean energy development through large scale initiatives in utility scale renewables (now Clearway), residential solar, post combustion carbon capture (Petra Nova) and DC fast charging (EVGO). Prior to NRG, Crane was CEO of International Power Plc, a UK-domiciled FTSE-100 company. During Crane’s tenure, NRG won numerous industry, community, and environmental awards, including multiple “transaction of the year” awards. Crane was named Energy Industry “CEO of the Year” by EnergyBiz in 2010, top CEO in the electric utility sector by Institutional Investor in 2011, and “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2010. Crane was also awarded the Corporate Environmental Leadership award by GlobalGreen in 2014 and the Equinox Solar Champion Award and the C.K. Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Business Leadership, both in 2015. NRG, under Crane’s leadership, was a key member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership from 2008 to 2011. Crane is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Princeton University.

Sessions With David Crane

Monday, 18 March

  • 04:30pm - 05:10pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 09:30 pm - 18/mar/2024 10:10 pm

    Hydrogen: How to grow a market
    Hydrogen

    Countries are providing incentives to develop new hydrogen markets, with the U.S. leading the way on the scale of government funding available to the emerging industry. Yet there are still questions about how hydrogen can be produced cleanly at scale, and how new end-user markets will develop, creating uncertainties about the hydrogen business’ pace of growth and ultimate size. Where will supply come from? Which use case segments are most promising for hydrogen demand? Where can hydrogen compete with traditional fuels without government support?

Tuesday, 19 March

  • 07:15am - 08:20am (CST) / 19/mar/2024 12:15 pm - 19/mar/2024 01:20 pm

    From Hubs to Demand-Support: Catalyzing the American hydrogen market

    The U.S. Department of Energy announced earlier this year the selection of a consortium to help accelerate commercial liftoff of the clean hydrogen economy and support the launch of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs. The Hydrogen Demand-Side Initiative (H2DI) is actively working to design robust demand-side support measures that will expedite purchases of clean hydrogen produced by H2Hub-affiliated facilities. During the first public discussion since H2DI’s launch, David Crane (U.S. Under Secretary for Infrastructure) and Sec. Ernie Moniz, chairman of the consortium, will discuss: What is the vision for this initiative? What are approaches for driving clean hydrogen market formation? What types of demand-side support should be considered?