On June 27, 2014, the Peterson Institute for International Economics convened a panel of leading experts to discuss the technological progress that has been made and the technical challenges that still limit the role of alternative energy in contemporary economies; recent policy shifts in China, Europe, and the United States that have shaped the pace and trajectory of inventive effort; and the impact of current trade disputes on the diffusion of alternative energy technologies. Panelists included Lee Branstetter and M. Granger Morgan, Carnegie Mellon University, and Gilbert E. Metcalf, Tufts University.