Clean Energy Venture Summit

Ideas. Investments. Austin.
May 14-16 Austin, Texas USA 2007

Later this month, the first annual Clean Energy Venture Summit (CEVS) will convene in The Live Music Capital of the World, Austin, Texas USA, to explore “The Utility of the Future”. The three day summit is hosted by Austin Energy and The Clean Energy Incubator with additional sponsorship by the Clean Energy Alliance and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL has ranked Austin Energy as having the best green power program on a renewable energy sales basis in 2006.

Per Kurt Faulhaber, Clean Energy Venture Summit Organizer,

The Clean Energy Venture Summit is a world-class investment conference promoting “The Utility of the Future" by connecting national thought leaders, clean energy entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts and government officials through keynote addresses, discussion panels and presentations by the hottest clean-tech ventures and emerging technologies in green buildings, clean transportation and the smart grid. The Clean Energy Incubator and Austin Energy have created the first test-bed environment in the United States for alternative energy companies to prepare their technologies for commercialization, and we are extending an invitation to companies to come to Austin and participate in this unique partnership. Several of the companies in the conference will be extended invitations to take part in the test-bed partnership.

The CEVS has an ambitious Agenda including Pre-Conference workshops for start-up clean tech companies, numerous well known national keynote speakers and panelists including Dick Gephardt and James Woolsley.

Highlighting this summit, start-up companies will present their clean energy business plans to a panel of diverse judges in a format similar to the NREL Industry Growth Forums. These presentations will address the summit’s three key themes for the Utility of the Future:

Green Building: energy efficiency and generation
Clean Transportation: plugging into the grid
Smart Grid: energy management infrastructure

I first met Kurt Faulhaber at the 19th NREL Industry Growth Forum. When I wrote the Photovoltaic Conference and Exhibition Preview 2007, I viewed this event as a regional conference, but Mr. Faulhaber has expanded the CEVS to a national scope.

In other event news, the date for the 20th NREL Industry Growth Forum, Financing the Path to a Clean Energy Future, has now been set for November 6-8, 2007, in Denver, Colorado USA. See also the Results of the 19th NREL Industry Growth Forum for details about last year’s event.

And the website is now live for the 8. Forum Solarpraxis (Deutsch) this November 15-16, 2007, in Berlin, Germany.

Since I missed the Photovoltaic Technology Show 2007, I have changed my view on attending Intersolar 2007 from June 21-23, 2007, in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. I am waiting to receive accreditation for this and the Solar Promotion sponsored PV Industry Forum. I have fond memories of Intersolar 2006 as the genesis of this Blog.