UNC Cleantech Summit
TENTH ANNUAL UNC CLEANTECH SUMMIT
MARCH 21-22, 2024
THE FRIDAY CONFERENCE CENTER IN CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
Cleantech Week Starts on March 19th (see events below)
The UNC Cleantech Summit brings together professionals in business, government, and academia from across the Southeast and around the world for discussion, workshops, mentoring, and networking to foster leadership and growth in the Southeast’s cleantech economy. The Summit convenes more than 1,000 attendees and is the largest event of its kind by a university in the United States.
The 10th annual UNC Cleantech Summit will include a variety of networking and learning opportunities for ticket holders. Samples include:
- Networking reception (21 years+, must sign up during the registration process)
- In-person career fair on 3/22 at 6 pm
- Small group or 1:1 meeting with an industry professional in your field of interest (an application for the Mentor Match program will be provided after registration). The student sign-up deadline is March 1. [*This is now closed]
Cleantech Week schedule of events:
Tuesday (March 19)
How to Build a Strong Cleantech Ecosystem in RTP (11:30 am – 3:30 pm), is a UNC Cleantech Summit hosted event for practitioners, researchers, and regional talent to discuss how to build a strong cleantech ecosystem in the Research Triangle Park. This includes increasing applied research, the amounts of seed funding, and encouraging the creation of local cleantech accelerators and incubators. Ryan Dinks, the COO of Greentown Labs with Dougan Sherwood and Carrie Allen from Cambridge Innovation Center will be speaking at this event. Cambridge Innovation Center builds innovation districts globally, and they have researched the strengths and weaknesses of our region. While this event is invite-only, you are wanted if you feel you belong there. For inquiries about attendance, please email Dr. Gregory Gangi.
New Directions in Energy Policy (5:30 pm – 7:00 pm)
This program will be a discussion on EU energy policy as a part of their annual Europe Week. The event will feature a keynote speech from Stephen Gross, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center of European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University. In addition to the keynote, there will be a panel discussion on new directions in energy policy in Europe. The New Directions in Energy Policy program is free and open to the public, including the reception for participants following the event. It will be held in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium of the Global Education Center, UNC Chapel-Hill’s Center for European Studies. Everyone and anyone is encouraged to attend. If this event is appealing to you, please also explore the rest of the events hosted as a part of Europe Week. This event is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Wednesday (March 20)
Transatlantic Marketplace is an afternoon event and networking reception for professionals to discuss ways to grow the green marketplace. European startups, American VCs, and technology scouts from utility and chemical companies to foster collaboration with potential funders, customers, and partners to benefit all participants. While this event is invite-only, you are wanted if you feel you belong there. For inquiries about attendance, please email Dr. Gregory Gangi.
Thursday – Friday (March 21-22)
10th annual UNC Cleantech Summit with 40+ breakout sessions, keynote addresses, and more at the UNC Friday Conference Center. Register now!
View 2024 speakers and agenda
The 2024 agenda will include tracks and panels that will discuss:
Global energy transition and emerging issues
Circularity and sustainable disruption
Regenerative agriculture
Buildings and infrastructure
Energy security
Implications of the IRA for businesses and entrepreneurs
Aquaculture
Mobility
Data centers
Hydrogen
Geothermal
Green chemistry
Emerging energy technologies
Alternative fuels and shipping innovation
Precision fermentation
Packaging + single-use utensils
Grid and infrastructure
Energy storage
Offshore wind
Industrial decarbonization
Meet our Emcees and Welcome Address speakers:
Thom Tillis
Senator for North Carolina (Virtual)United States Senate
Markus Wilhelm
Co-Founder & CEOStrata Clean Energy
Meet our Keynote speakers
Donnel Baird
FounderBlocPower
Debashis Chanda
Professor, NanoScience Technology Center, Dept. of Physics, College of Optics and PhotonicsUniversity of Central Florida
Doug Friedman
CEOBioMADE
Frank Holding, Jr.
Chairman and CEOFirst Citizens Bank
Diane Leopold
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating OfficerDominion Energy
Henry McKoy
Director, Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP)United States Department of Energy
Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Senior Staff Scientist and Group LeaderLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Michael S. Regan
AdministratorU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Barry Smitherman
ChairmanTexas Geothermal Energy Alliance
Catherine Stempien
President and CEOAvangrid Networks
David M. Turk
Deputy SecretaryUS Department of Energy
Chris Womack
CEOSouthern Company
See all 2024 speakers and the agenda
Hear what business leaders say about the UNC Cleantech Summit
Cleantech Spotlight
SunCast Media Series from the 2023 UNC Cleantech Summit
In 2023, the UNC Cleantech Summit collaborated with SunCast Media to create a series of speaker interviews from this two-day event. These videos share key insights from the CEOs of Dominion Power, APS Energy/Pinnacle West, Strata Clean Energy, the Dept of Energy, and a dozen more. These are candid conversations with industry leaders about the state of the cleantech market today, trending energy topics, and what to expect in the near future. Special thanks to our MediaZone sponsors: Eaton, CPS Energy, and Joule Case. Click the button below to watch an interview with Bob Blue, CEO of Dominion Energy followed by his keynote speech and fireside chat from the 2023 UNC Cleantech Summit. You can watch the complete UNC Cleantech Summit playlist on YouTube.
Co-hosts
This event is co-hosted by:
