The Stanford Energy Seminar has been a mainstay of energy engagement at Stanford for nearly 20 years and is one of the flagship programs of the Precourt Institute for Energy. We aim to bring a wide variety of perspectives to the Stanford community – academics, entrepreneurs, utilities, non-profits, and more. 

About the talk

Power Systems in the emerging markets have markedly expanded access to electricity over the past two decades. However, Africa remains the world's last major electrification challenge, with approximately 600 million people lacking electricity access—more than half the global total. This discussion examines the economic conditions and technical barriers perpetuating this adverse phenomenon, from infrastructure deficits to policy and institutional barriers hindering progress.
The talk will highlight how low per capita energy consumption and utility underperformance lay at the heart of Africa's electricity gap. This dynamic is Compounded by opacity in power procurement, fragmented national market structures, and outdated centralized business models. However, promising developments in several countries offer pathways forward, most notably: expanding private sector participation, growth in distributed renewable energy (DRE) solutions, adoption of new technologies, burgeoning cross-border trade through regional power pools, and improved sector policies and planning.
Yet climate impacts—from cyclones in Mozambique to desertification in the Sahel—threaten to undermine progress. Addressing Africa's electricity access gap requires coordinated action across policy, investment, technology, and institutional reform to unlock sustainable, inclusive electrification.

Michael Jordan is a distinguished leader in global climate finance and energy development, currently serving as Chief Executive of Banneker Capital and Visiting Policy Fellow at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment. He brings over 20 years of experience driving transformative investments and strategic partnerships across emerging markets, with a particular focus on Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Recently, he served as the Special Advisor to the Coordinator and Director of Donor Partnerships at Power Africa, a U.S. Presidential Initiative that has supported over $24 billion of power sector investment and provided electricity to nearly 200 million people across sub-Saharan Africa since 2013. Mr. Jordan also served as Chief of Staff for Prosper Africa; a second U.S. Presidential Initiative aimed at strengthening the economic and strategic partnership between the U.S. and African countries. Mr. Jordan previously ran economic growth programs for USAID in Iraq and led risk management teams at Citi Corporate and Investment Bank in São Paulo, Brazil, and Miami, Florida. He holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BS from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Anyone with an interest in energy is welcome to join! You can enjoy seminars in the following ways:

• Attend live. The auditorium may change quarter by quarter, so check each seminar event to confirm the location. Explore the current quarter's schedule.
• Watch live in a browser livestream if available. Check each seminar event for its unique livestream URL.
• Watch recordings of past seminars 
  • Available on the Past Energy Seminars page and the Energy Seminars playlist of the Stanford Energy YouTube channel
• (For students) Take the seminar as a 1-unit class (CEE 301/ENERGY 301/MS&E 494)

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