The IEEE Energy 2030 Conference on Sustainable Energy Infrastructure was held in Atlanta, GA on Nov 17/18, 2008, and was conceptualized and organized by Prof Deepak Divan and Prof Tom Habetler of Georgia Tech. This new conference provided a forum for the exchange of ideas amongst world renowned experts from a broad range of disciplines on technology, policy and economic framework required to achieve sustainable energy infrastructure by 2030.

Over 280 attendees and 125 original papers from 25 countries attested to the need for a forum in this critical area. Strong corporate sponsorship and an exhibition from leading industries such as Vestas, ABB, Southern Company and EPRI, showed the breadth of the interest in sustainable technologies. Topics covered included sustainable energy generation such as wind and photovoltaics, smart grid, plug-in hybrid cars, energy efficient LED lighting, global trends, policy issues and trade-offs between alternative sustainable strategies. The conference will be held annually from 2010 onwards as the IEEE Conference on Sustainable Energy.

In "A Smart Grid for Intelligent Energy Use" (linked below), electricity transmission and distribution experts from the IEEE Energy 2030 Conference on Sustainable Energy
infrastructure discuss the need to overhaul the U.S. electric grid to handle future growth in electricity use, reduce losses, and incorporate wider implementation of renewable electricity generation technologies.