Elite economists and analysts from around North America and the world gathered in Austin, Texas this week for the US Association for Energy Economics North America conference. Breaking Energy has been on the ground at the event, covering sustainable energy and anticipated impacts of the US presidential election, as well as responses to Hurricane Sandy.

Unusual for its diversity of approaches and subject areas, the USAEE conference mixes deep dives into areas of technical and financial analysis with broader sweeps of trends driving the business. The mix of attendees, which includes everything from Pulitzer Prize winning authors and senior energy company executives to college students, also balances the sector-specific discussions with valuable real-world and operational insight.

This year’s conference is taking place in an unusually heated macro atmosphere, with Hurricane Sandy still fresh in attendees’ minds just as the US presidential election draws to its long-anticipated close. For more on the USAEE event, visit our special hub for coverage on Breaking Energy here.