CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two of the nation’s leading voices on clean energy innovation, NRG Energy’s CEO David Crane and activist and philanthropist Tom Steyer, will deliver keynote addresses at the 2014 Clean Energy Challenge April 3rd in Chicago.
The Clean Energy Challenge is the signature event of the Clean Energy Trust, a Chicago-based nonprofit, dedicated to fueling clean energy innovation in the Midwest. The competition will award $500,000 to help Midwestern entrepreneurs, students and researchers bring new clean energy technology to the marketplace.
“The Clean Energy Challenge is one reason why the Midwest has become a national center for clean energy innovation,” said Amy Francetic, CEO of Clean Energy Trust. “We are honored that David Crane and Tom Steyer, two of our nation’s most influential leaders in clean energy, will be center stage when we help launch some of the most promising new cleantech companies in the region.”
About the speakers:
David Crane became President and CEO of NRG Energy in 2003 and led its transformation from a regional wholesale generation business to a national, Fortune 500 diversified energy company. Under Crane’s leadership, NRG is helping to lead our country’s transition to a clean energy economy.
NRG is the nation’s largest competitive power generator and one of the largest owner/operators of solar power facilities. The company is actively repowering and retrofitting older coal plants, developing carbon capture technology, deploying renewable and smart energy retail solutions and building the nation's largest privately funded network of electric vehicle fast-charging stations.
Tom Steyer is an investor, philanthropist and advanced energy advocate. He founded and continues to work closely with several organizations, including as Board Chair at Advanced Energy Economy Institute, an organization which allies with businesses to make energy secure, clean, and affordable.
The subject of a recent New York Times profile, Tom founded and served as Senior Managing Member of Farallon Capital Management. He also was a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee at Hellman & Friedman. Since retiring from his financial career, Tom and his wife, Kat Taylor, founded two renewable energy research institutions at Stanford University, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy and the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance.
The 2014 Clean Energy Challenge takes place on April 3rd at Venue SIX10 in Chicago. A prestigious panel of clean energy business experts, venture capitalists and scientists will award a total of $500,000 to innovative clean energy startups at the event.
A limited number of tickets
for the 2014 Clean Energy Challenge are available here:
https://cleanenergychallenge2014.eventbrite.com/
Stay connected with Clean Energy Trust at Facebook.com/cleanenergytrust and Twitter @CleanEnergyTrst and #StartUpNow.
About Clean Energy Trust
Clean Energy Trust was founded by prominent business and civic leaders to fuel clean energy innovation in the Midwest. The trust is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Small Business Administration and donations from more than 70 investors, corporations, universities, foundations and trade groups. For more information, visit www.cleanenergytrust.org.
Acknowledgement of Support
Clean Energy Trust gratefully acknowledges the following supporters of the Clean Energy Challenge:
Title Sponsors: U.S. Department of Energy and Wells Fargo
Platinum sponsors and prize contributors: Advanced Energy Economy; AGL Resources; The Boeing Company; ComEd; The Energy Foundation; GE; Honeywell UOP; Invenergy; The Joyce Foundation; McCaffery Interests; Northwestern University; Purdue University; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates; United Airlines.
Gold Sponsors: Abbott Laboratories; Agentis; American Electric Power; CBRE; Danfoss; EDP; Ernst & Young, Exelon; Indiana University; JP Morgan Chase; Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; MEGTEK; Midwest Energy Research Consortium; Missouri Energy Initiative; Navigant Consulting; Nicor; Nortech; NRG; Pivotal LNG; S&C Electric; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Solar Power International; SoCore Energy; True North Venture Partners; University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio; University of Illinois at Chicago; University of Michigan; Wanxiang America Inc.
Visit our website to see the full list of Silver, Bronze, and In-Kind
sponsors:
http://www.cleanenergytrust.org/challenge/sponsors/
