Not so long ago, clean energy was unconventional.

Now it is North Carolina’s future, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Provost and executive vice chancellor Bob Blouin told a group of students, professors and industry leaders from the region and the world.

“North Carolina is poised to be a national hub of clean technology for the country and the world,” Blouin said this week at the fifth-annual Clean Tech Summitt, which brings together academics, government officials, industry professionals and students for panels, workshops, mentoring and networking.

The summit, hosted by the Institute for the Environment and the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, highlighted how the University, Research Triangle Park and the state play a key role in leading the way to a green global economy.