In-Person event
Energy Innovation Summit
November 17-18, 2026
9:00 am
Greater Zurich area, Switzerland
In-Person event
Energy Innovation Summit
November 17-18, 2026
9:00 am
Greater Zurich area, Switzerland
In-Person event
Energy Innovation Summit
November 17-18, 2026
9:00 am
Greater Zurich area, Switzerland
Energy Innovation Summit
Finding Value in Volatility
Increasing volatility across energy systems is creating a new generation of decision problems. Weather, market prices, storage, flexibility, customer demand, local constraints, and new energy carriers increasingly influence one another. The challenge is no longer just understanding this complexity, but turning it into decisions that are feasible, trusted, and useful in practice. This is the focus of the Energy Innovation Summit Switzerland 2026, taking place on 17–18 November 2026 in Zurich, co-hosted by Gurobi and EMPA, in collaboration with EMPA’s Urban Energy Systems Laboratory: Finding Value in Volatility.
Energy Innovation Summit
Finding Value in Volatility
Increasing volatility across energy systems is creating a new generation of decision problems. Weather, market prices, storage, flexibility, customer demand, local constraints, and new energy carriers increasingly influence one another. The challenge is no longer just understanding this complexity, but turning it into decisions that are feasible, trusted, and useful in practice. This is the focus of the Energy Innovation Summit Switzerland 2026, taking place on 17–18 November 2026 in Zurich, co-hosted by Gurobi and EMPA, in collaboration with EMPA’s Urban Energy Systems Laboratory: Finding Value in Volatility.
Energy Innovation Summit
Finding Value in Volatility
Increasing volatility across energy systems is creating a new generation of decision problems. Weather, market prices, storage, flexibility, customer demand, local constraints, and new energy carriers increasingly influence one another. The challenge is no longer just understanding this complexity, but turning it into decisions that are feasible, trusted, and useful in practice. This is the focus of the Energy Innovation Summit Switzerland 2026, taking place on 17–18 November 2026 in Zurich, co-hosted by Gurobi and EMPA, in collaboration with EMPA’s Urban Energy Systems Laboratory: Finding Value in Volatility.
Finding Value in Volatility
The summit brings together energy practitioners, researchers, software providers, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, and decision-makers from across Europe to discuss how organizations are using optimization to improve planning, trading, flexibility, asset management, infrastructure, and operational decision-making. Attendees will hear practical experiences from peers, benchmark their own thinking, and explore what separates a promising model from a decision system people actually trust and use in daily operations.
Agenda subject to change as speakers and sessions are confirmed.
Day 1 | Optimizing Energy Systems
Opening Keynote: Setting the scene for the future of energy optimization
Technology Perspective: Optimizing flexible and integrated energy assets
Market Perspective: Creating value through trading, portfolios, bidding, and risk management
System Perspective: Optimization across infrastructure, cities, and the energy transition
Expert Panel & Networking Dinner: Building trust in optimization for critical energy decisions
Day 2 | From Innovation to Implementation
Production Readiness: Turning optimization models into operational solutions
AI & Optimization: Combining AI with optimization for smarter, more reliable decisions
Interactive Breakout Sessions: Technical deep dives with Gurobi, Empa, and industry experts
Closing Roundtables: Key takeaways and collaborative discussions on technology, markets, and energy systems
Finding Value in Volatility
The summit brings together energy practitioners, researchers, software providers, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, and decision-makers from across Europe to discuss how organizations are using optimization to improve planning, trading, flexibility, asset management, infrastructure, and operational decision-making. Attendees will hear practical experiences from peers, benchmark their own thinking, and explore what separates a promising model from a decision system people actually trust and use in daily operations.
Agenda subject to change as speakers and sessions are confirmed.
Day 1 | Optimizing Energy Systems
Opening Keynote: Setting the scene for the future of energy optimization
Technology Perspective: Optimizing flexible and integrated energy assets
Market Perspective: Creating value through trading, portfolios, bidding, and risk management
System Perspective: Optimization across infrastructure, cities, and the energy transition
Expert Panel & Networking Dinner: Building trust in optimization for critical energy decisions
Day 2 | From Innovation to Implementation
Production Readiness: Turning optimization models into operational solutions
AI & Optimization: Combining AI with optimization for smarter, more reliable decisions
Interactive Breakout Sessions: Technical deep dives with Gurobi, Empa, and industry experts
Closing Roundtables: Key takeaways and collaborative discussions on technology, markets, and energy systems
Finding Value in Volatility
The summit brings together energy practitioners, researchers, software providers, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, and decision-makers from across Europe to discuss how organizations are using optimization to improve planning, trading, flexibility, asset management, infrastructure, and operational decision-making. Attendees will hear practical experiences from peers, benchmark their own thinking, and explore what separates a promising model from a decision system people actually trust and use in daily operations.
Agenda subject to change as speakers and sessions are confirmed.
Day 1 | Optimizing Energy Systems
Opening Keynote: Setting the scene for the future of energy optimization
Technology Perspective: Optimizing flexible and integrated energy assets
Market Perspective: Creating value through trading, portfolios, bidding, and risk management
System Perspective: Optimization across infrastructure, cities, and the energy transition
Expert Panel & Networking Dinner: Building trust in optimization for critical energy decisions
Day 2 | From Innovation to Implementation
Production Readiness: Turning optimization models into operational solutions
AI & Optimization: Combining AI with optimization for smarter, more reliable decisions
Interactive Breakout Sessions: Technical deep dives with Gurobi, Empa, and industry experts
Closing Roundtables: Key takeaways and collaborative discussions on technology, markets, and energy systems
Benefits For you
Why Attend
Benefits For you
Why Attend
Benefits For you
Why Attend
Who Should Attend
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
Operations Researchers: Sharpen your mathematical modeling and optimization skills, with guidance from our experts.
Data Scientists: Learn how to turn your predictions into optimized business decisions.
Business Leaders: Discover how decision intelligence can help you achieve your business objectives.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders, exchange ideas, and discover what’s next in optimization.
Who Should Attend
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
Operations Researchers: Sharpen your mathematical modeling and optimization skills, with guidance from our experts.
Data Scientists: Learn how to turn your predictions into optimized business decisions.
Business Leaders: Discover how decision intelligence can help you achieve your business objectives.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders, exchange ideas, and discover what’s next in optimization.
Who Should Attend
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
Operations Researchers: Sharpen your mathematical modeling and optimization skills, with guidance from our experts.
Data Scientists: Learn how to turn your predictions into optimized business decisions.
Business Leaders: Discover how decision intelligence can help you achieve your business objectives.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders, exchange ideas, and discover what’s next in optimization.
Speakers
Meet Your Expert Speaker
Learn from the best in the industry, bringing years of experience and groundbreaking insights to the forefront of AI personalization.
Pascal Van Hentenryck
Head of AI Innovation
Dr. Pascal Van Hentenryck works at the intersection of AI and Optimization, with applications in energy, healthcare, logistics and supply chains, manufacturing, and transportation. He developed innovative optimization systems, including CHIP and OPL which have been in commercial use for several decades. Pascal pioneered what is now known as constraint programming, and has made seminal contributions to global, stochastic, and combinatorial optimization. His recent work focuses on AI for Optimization, to bring orders of magnitude speed-ups to solving optimization problems. Pascal is a AAAI and INFORMS fellow, and the recipient of two honorary degrees and numerous research and teaching awards. Pascal used to play soccer competitively, is an avid runner, and likes to travel the world with his family to discover new cultures and their history.
Georgios Mavromatidis
Head of Urban Energy Systems Laboratory
I am the Head of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa, Switzerland, and a research affiliate and lecturer at ETH Zurich, researching transformation strategies for sustainable urban energy systems in a changing climate.
Driven by the urgent need to create resilient, equitable, and sustainable urban environments, I develop advanced computational models and analysis methods to design strategies for the practical realization of sustainable urban energy transitions. My research focuses on the interconnected nature of buildings, mobility, and energy systems, exploring how their transformation can support decarbonization and long-term sustainability.
At the interface of technology, policy, and economics, my current research expands on these foundations by integrating societal dimensions into modeling approaches. By bridging science, engineering, and policy, I aim to develop solutions that are not only technically and economically sound but also socially viable, accelerating the transition toward sustainable, low-carbon cities.
I hold a PhD in Urban Energy Systems from ETH Zurich, where my research focused on developing computational methods for the design of urban energy systems under uncertainty. Before that, I earned an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London and a Diploma (Dipl.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Frank Häger
Senior Account Director
Frank Häger is the Sales Director for the DACH region at Gurobi Optimization. Prior to working at Gurobi, Frank was responsible for Optimization Solutions Sales at FICO in EMEA from 2010 to 2016. He started his career in optimization sales in 1998 at ILOG Germany where he eventually led the German operations as Managing Director until 2008. Frank is a seasoned Sales Professional in the Software Industry for Enterprise Decision Management, focusing on Optimization and Prescriptive Analytics. Frank currently resides in the Hamburg area in Germany.
Lennart Lahrs
Senior Technical Account Manager
Lennart Lahrs holds MSc degrees from RWTH Aachen University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with a focus on electrical engineering and operations research. Previously, he worked in software development and energy system research as part of agile teams. Within research contexts, Lennart applied discrete optimization to machine operations, fleet management and energy system design. Outside of work, Lennart enjoys sailing, cycling, and cooking.
Christine Tawfik
Optimization Engineer
Christine holds a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from the university of Liège (Belgium), where her work focused on network pricing and design optimization problems for logistics applications, through extending game theoritic models and designing approximate solution algorithms.
Prior to Gurobi, Christine had an academic experience through her postdoctoral work at Zuse institute Berlin, where she led the „sustainable energy planning“ research group, supervising MSc and Phd theses, acquiring research grants and handling collaborations within the district heating sector. She later switched to the steelmaking making industry, where she had the opportunity to collect both a consultancy and professional software development experience for nearly two years.
Outside of work, she enjoys being outdoor, travelling, reading and learning new artistic craft skills.
Speakers
Meet Your Expert Speaker
Learn from the best in the industry, bringing years of experience and groundbreaking insights to the forefront of AI personalization.
Head of AI Innovation
Pascal Van Hentenryck
Dr. Pascal Van Hentenryck works at the intersection of AI and Optimization, with applications in energy, healthcare, logistics and supply chains, manufacturing, and transportation. He developed innovative optimization systems, including CHIP and OPL which have been in commercial use for several decades. Pascal pioneered what is now known as constraint programming, and has made seminal contributions to global, stochastic, and combinatorial optimization. His recent work focuses on AI for Optimization, to bring orders of magnitude speed-ups to solving optimization problems. Pascal is a AAAI and INFORMS fellow, and the recipient of two honorary degrees and numerous research and teaching awards. Pascal used to play soccer competitively, is an avid runner, and likes to travel the world with his family to discover new cultures and their history.
Head of Urban Energy Systems Laboratory
Georgios Mavromatidis
I am the Head of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa, Switzerland, and a research affiliate and lecturer at ETH Zurich, researching transformation strategies for sustainable urban energy systems in a changing climate.
Driven by the urgent need to create resilient, equitable, and sustainable urban environments, I develop advanced computational models and analysis methods to design strategies for the practical realization of sustainable urban energy transitions. My research focuses on the interconnected nature of buildings, mobility, and energy systems, exploring how their transformation can support decarbonization and long-term sustainability.
At the interface of technology, policy, and economics, my current research expands on these foundations by integrating societal dimensions into modeling approaches. By bridging science, engineering, and policy, I aim to develop solutions that are not only technically and economically sound but also socially viable, accelerating the transition toward sustainable, low-carbon cities.
I hold a PhD in Urban Energy Systems from ETH Zurich, where my research focused on developing computational methods for the design of urban energy systems under uncertainty. Before that, I earned an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London and a Diploma (Dipl.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Senior Account Director
Frank Häger
Frank Häger is the Sales Director for the DACH region at Gurobi Optimization. Prior to working at Gurobi, Frank was responsible for Optimization Solutions Sales at FICO in EMEA from 2010 to 2016. He started his career in optimization sales in 1998 at ILOG Germany where he eventually led the German operations as Managing Director until 2008. Frank is a seasoned Sales Professional in the Software Industry for Enterprise Decision Management, focusing on Optimization and Prescriptive Analytics. Frank currently resides in the Hamburg area in Germany.
Senior Technical Account Manager
Lennart Lahrs
Lennart Lahrs holds MSc degrees from RWTH Aachen University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with a focus on electrical engineering and operations research. Previously, he worked in software development and energy system research as part of agile teams. Within research contexts, Lennart applied discrete optimization to machine operations, fleet management and energy system design. Outside of work, Lennart enjoys sailing, cycling, and cooking.
Optimization Engineer
Christine Tawfik
Christine holds a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from the university of Liège (Belgium), where her work focused on network pricing and design optimization problems for logistics applications, through extending game theoritic models and designing approximate solution algorithms.
Prior to Gurobi, Christine had an academic experience through her postdoctoral work at Zuse institute Berlin, where she led the „sustainable energy planning“ research group, supervising MSc and Phd theses, acquiring research grants and handling collaborations within the district heating sector. She later switched to the steelmaking making industry, where she had the opportunity to collect both a consultancy and professional software development experience for nearly two years.
Outside of work, she enjoys being outdoor, travelling, reading and learning new artistic craft skills.
Speakers
Meet Your Expert Speaker
Learn from the best in the industry, bringing years of experience and groundbreaking insights to the forefront of AI personalization.
Pascal Van Hentenryck
Head of AI Innovation
Dr. Pascal Van Hentenryck works at the intersection of AI and Optimization, with applications in energy, healthcare, logistics and supply chains, manufacturing, and transportation. He developed innovative optimization systems, including CHIP and OPL which have been in commercial use for several decades. Pascal pioneered what is now known as constraint programming, and has made seminal contributions to global, stochastic, and combinatorial optimization. His recent work focuses on AI for Optimization, to bring orders of magnitude speed-ups to solving optimization problems. Pascal is a AAAI and INFORMS fellow, and the recipient of two honorary degrees and numerous research and teaching awards. Pascal used to play soccer competitively, is an avid runner, and likes to travel the world with his family to discover new cultures and their history.
Georgios Mavromatidis
Head of Urban Energy Systems Laboratory
I am the Head of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa, Switzerland, and a research affiliate and lecturer at ETH Zurich, researching transformation strategies for sustainable urban energy systems in a changing climate.
Driven by the urgent need to create resilient, equitable, and sustainable urban environments, I develop advanced computational models and analysis methods to design strategies for the practical realization of sustainable urban energy transitions. My research focuses on the interconnected nature of buildings, mobility, and energy systems, exploring how their transformation can support decarbonization and long-term sustainability.
At the interface of technology, policy, and economics, my current research expands on these foundations by integrating societal dimensions into modeling approaches. By bridging science, engineering, and policy, I aim to develop solutions that are not only technically and economically sound but also socially viable, accelerating the transition toward sustainable, low-carbon cities.
I hold a PhD in Urban Energy Systems from ETH Zurich, where my research focused on developing computational methods for the design of urban energy systems under uncertainty. Before that, I earned an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London and a Diploma (Dipl.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Frank Häger
Senior Account Director
Frank Häger is the Sales Director for the DACH region at Gurobi Optimization. Prior to working at Gurobi, Frank was responsible for Optimization Solutions Sales at FICO in EMEA from 2010 to 2016. He started his career in optimization sales in 1998 at ILOG Germany where he eventually led the German operations as Managing Director until 2008. Frank is a seasoned Sales Professional in the Software Industry for Enterprise Decision Management, focusing on Optimization and Prescriptive Analytics. Frank currently resides in the Hamburg area in Germany.
Lennart Lahrs
Senior Technical Account Manager
Lennart Lahrs holds MSc degrees from RWTH Aachen University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with a focus on electrical engineering and operations research. Previously, he worked in software development and energy system research as part of agile teams. Within research contexts, Lennart applied discrete optimization to machine operations, fleet management and energy system design. Outside of work, Lennart enjoys sailing, cycling, and cooking.
Christine Tawfik
Optimization Engineer
Christine holds a PhD in Economics and Management Sciences from the university of Liège (Belgium), where her work focused on network pricing and design optimization problems for logistics applications, through extending game theoritic models and designing approximate solution algorithms.
Prior to Gurobi, Christine had an academic experience through her postdoctoral work at Zuse institute Berlin, where she led the „sustainable energy planning“ research group, supervising MSc and Phd theses, acquiring research grants and handling collaborations within the district heating sector. She later switched to the steelmaking making industry, where she had the opportunity to collect both a consultancy and professional software development experience for nearly two years.
Outside of work, she enjoys being outdoor, travelling, reading and learning new artistic craft skills.
To be announced...
To be announced...
To be announced...
Energy Innovation Summit
Empa - Zurich, Switzerland
Energy Innovation Summit
Empa - Zurich, Switzerland
Energy Innovation Summit
Empa - Zurich, Switzerland
FAQs
Who should attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
What topics will be covered?
Is there a fee to attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
Do I have to attend sessions within one track?
FAQs
Who should attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
What topics will be covered?
Is there a fee to attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
Do I have to attend sessions within one track?
FAQs
Who should attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
The summit is designed for energy professionals, utilities, asset operators, industrial energy users, researchers, software providers, and decision-makers interested in optimization and energy innovation.
What topics will be covered?
Is there a fee to attend the Energy Innovation Summit?
Do I have to attend sessions within one track?
