Clean Tech Enthusiasts Join Industry Experts and Entrepreneurs to Grow the Smart Power Sector
Clean tech enthusiasts, industry experts, lab and university representatives, venture capitalists and Clean Tech Open (CTO) contestants and alumni will gather at AMD on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 to address smart grid and power storage, a growing $1 trillion market sector. AMD and Siemens TTB, the Clean Tech Open’s Smart Power category co-sponsors, will host the event — expected to draw a crowd of 200 or more.
Clifford Federspiel, of Federspiel Controls, the CTO 2007 Smart Power Runner-Up, says this early part of the competition “got us quite a bit of exposure. We got some calls from interested investors and customers whom we talked to. We heard from the press… and that came from the Clean Tech Open.”
The global power grid is due for an upgrade: we’re replacing outdated infrastructure with a new, dynamic smart grid that will enable clean technologies like renewable energy, demand response and plug-in vehicles. A host of new technologies and applications, such as smart meters, improved storage, real-time monitoring and demand management are rapidly emerging to create and take advantage of the Smart Power network.
The evening will include a poster session from CTO Smart Power alumni and contestants, plenty of networking opportunities, and a panel by Bay Area experts. Neal Dikeman, Partner at Jane Capital, will moderate the group. He will be joined by Eric Dresselhuys, the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Silver Spring Networks; Siemens Technology-to-Business Center President and CEO, Stefan Heuser; Chris King, the Chief Strategy Officer of eMeter; and Peter Wagner, Partner at Accel Partners.
Examples of past CTO Smart Power winners include Lucid Design Group, which creates real-time feedback on the environmental performance of buildings and homes to engage, educate and motivate occupants to better conserve environmental resources; and EDC Technologies, a company partnering with large apartment complexes and property management groups to monitor hot water systems.
“Participating [in the Clean Tech Open] helped because we got the plan in order and got started raising capital,” says Peter Rexilius, CEO of Energy Recommerce, the 2006 Smart Power Runner-Up. The company monitors and manages solar energy systems so that residential and business customers receive the return on their investment they expect. They are now focused on expansion beyond California, thanks to the boost they received from their Runner-Up status.
Contestants interested in entering the Clean Tech Open 2008 Competition in the Smart Power category are encouraged to attend to make connections, find additional teammates, receive feedback on their ideas, and actively participate in the Symposium focused on their field of interest.
The event will be held Wednesday, June 11 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at AMD in Sunnyvale, Calif. To RSVP, please visit the website at www.CleanTechOpen.com and click the link on the right that says, “Announcing the Smart Power Symposium.”
About the Clean Tech Open:
The Clean Tech Open is an organization dedicated to helping great ideas become viable businesses that will drive the new green economy. Driven by a network of sponsors, mentors, partners, judges, and over 360 volunteers, CTO has built resources to accelerate innovation. The goal is to foster innovative and sustainable new businesses focused on energy efficiency, smart power, renewable energy, transportation, green building technologies, pollution control and resource management. To learn more, please visit: www.CleanTechOpen.com.
Clean Tech Open is a an organization dedicated to helping great ideas become viable businesses that will drive the new green economy. Driven by a network of sponsors, mentors, partners, judges, and over 360 volunteers, the Clean Tech Open has built resources to accelerate innovation.
The Clean Tech Open is under the fiscal and administrative sponsorship of Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a California 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation. Acterra is located at 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303.
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SOURCE: Clean Tech Open