By Donald Gilpin

Delivering the keynote address in a daylong conference on clean energy technologies that brought together leaders from the worlds of business and academics, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy presented his vision for making the state a global leader in innovation and clean energy.

He claimed that New Jersey, with Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Bell Labs, Sarnoff, and others, “was the Silicon Valley before it was the Silicon Valley,” and promised that the state can reclaim its place in global innovation.

In an event at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment focusing on environmental and economic progress in the state, Murphy emphasized the importance of Princeton as “an internationally-renowned center for research and development. He noted the value of taking academic ideas and research and “shaping them into real-world solutions.”

Murphy pointed out New Jersey’s plans to expand energy storage and the use of solar power, to increase energy efficiency for the state’s utilities, and to use wind energy to power 1.5 million homes and businesses by 2030. 

“But, more universally, we want to make New Jersey the home base for any innovative company, in particular, obviously, in the energy sector,” he continued. “We are committed to not just making New Jersey a state that runs on clean energy, but the place where vital research and development, and even the manufacturing of component parts, happens.”

As evidence of his administration’s commitment to bringing groups together to support the environment and the economy, Murphy noted the New Jersey Wind Institute, which will develop the state’s potential for wind technology, and the proposed Innovation Evergreen Fund, which would provide $100 million annually, a combination of state resources and venture capital, to develop new businesses. 

“We want new technologies designed, built, tested, and eventually
marketed and manufactured right here,” he said. “This is how we not only make New Jersey a global leader again in clean energy, but also how we make New Jersey a global leader again in the innovation economy.”

Following Murphy’s speech, the Andlinger conference featured panel discussions on clean energy development and opportunities for business-academic partnerships to accomplish the transition to sustainable energy systems. Subjects included the development of wind energy, sustainable cements, and low-carbon hydrogen production. 

In introducing Murphy, Andlinger Center Director and Engineering Professor Yueh-Lin (Lynn) Loo noted how Murphy had “developed a plan to hit the ground running” at the start of his term 10 months ago and had “brought confronting global climate challenge to the top of New Jersey’s agenda. The Andlinger Center stands ready to help you and your administration to put New Jersey in the forefront of fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”