UNC-Chapel Hill to host NC Clean Tech Summit, Feb. 18-19
February 24, 2016UNC-Chapel Hill to host NC Clean Tech Summit, Feb. 18-19
Professionals in business, policy and academia gather for two days of problem-solving and planning to foster leadership and growth in North Carolina’s clean tech industry
Chapel Hill, N.C.—Feb. 2, 2016) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host its third annual NC Clean Tech Summit on Feb. 18 and 19. The event will highlight the latest innovations, recent trends and pressing challenges and North Carolina’s central role in the growing clean technology industry.
Hosted by the UNC Institute for the Environment and the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, this year’s summit focuses on five themes: The Internet of Things: smart cities, smart energy, smart homes, smart water, and much more; energy transition in the southeast amid a changing landscape; exploring new approaches and solutions to environmental challenges, including industry water usage, restoration projects, and innovations in transportation; advancing clean tech economic growth through the power of collaboration between industry and universities; and innovative financing of clean technology.
Highlights of the summit include keynote addresses by David Fountain, North Carolina President of Duke Energy and Jim Hughes, CEO of First Solar, and remarks by UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol L. Folt; Tim Moore, Speaker of the House for the North Carolina House of Representatives; Jay Faison, founder and CEO of the ClearPath Foundation and Janet Cowell, Treasurer for the State of North Carolina.
The NC Clean Tech Summit will also have a wide-range of panel discussions focused on innovation and recent trends such as Innovative Investment Approaches, The Value of Water: An Industry Perspective with representatives from Coca-Cola North America, Pinehurst Country Club and Resort and Highland Brewing Company among other participants.
Pre-summit events include a Paris Climate Accords panel (Feb. 15); The German Energiewende and its contribution to the Global Energy Transition (Feb. 16) featuring Andreas Von Schoenberg, owner and consultant at Andreas Von Schoenberg Consulting and a smart cities workshop and panel (Feb. 17).
This year’s Summit includes special programs around careers, including the opportunity for students to engage with clean-tech industry leaders through one-on-one mentoring, networking sessions featuring company-hosted tables and a panel featuring high-level representatives from Duke Energy, ScottMadden Management Consultants, the City of Raleigh and Southern Energy Management.
For more information and registration, please visit the conference’s website. The fee for the conference is $250, with special rates for one-day participants, students, K-12 and community college teachers and representatives from the non-governmental sector.
The event will be held at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill. Visit the Center’s website for more information and directions.
Sponsors of the 2016 NC Clean Tech Summit include ABB, Birdseye Renewable Energy, Capstrat, Cypress Creek Renewables, Duke Energy, Element, Fifth Third Bank, First Solar, Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Lee-Moore Capital Company, NC Sustainable Energy Association, O2 Energies, Parker Poe Attorneys and Counselors at Law, Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, Restoration Systems LLC, ScottMadden Management Consultants, SNL Energy, Southeast Energy News, Southern Company, Strata Solar, UNC Center for European Studies, UNC Environmental Finance Center, UNC Kenan-Flagler Energy, UNC School of Media and Journalism, UNC Sustainability Office and Wells Fargo.
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About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty – including two Nobel laureates – staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 308,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 167,000 live in North Carolina.
UNC Institute for the Environment contact: Emily Williams, (919) 962-0965, emilywilliams@unc.edu
Communications and Public Affairs contact: Michael John, (919) 445-8360, michael.john@unc.edu