[August 06, 2012]

Clean Energy Trust to Announce Its Selection as a Chapter of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) at Chicago Policy Workshop

The Clean Energy Trust (CET), the Midwest's premier clean energy business accelerator, will announce its selection as a chapter of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), and present preliminary findings from its first survey of Illinois' clean energy cluster this afternoon at the University Club in Chicago.

The two organizations kick off their partnership at 3 p.m. today at the CET Policy Workshop, featuring Congressmen Michael Quigley (D-IL), AEE CEO Graham Richard and the perspectives of advanced energy leaders from across the state.

The policy workshop will feature a presentation of preliminary findings from the CET Clean Energy (News - Alert) Ecosystem Survey, followed by a roundtable discussion with leading voices in the sector including:

• Former Illinois Power Agency Executive Director Mark Pruitt
• Commonwealth Edison VP of Energy Acquisition William McNeil
• Environmental Law and Policy Center co-Legislative Director Barry Matchett
• SoCore Energy CEO Pete Kadens.

AEE is a national industry association representing the entire advanced energy industry. AEE's mission is to influence public policy, foster advanced energy innovation and business growth, and provide a unified voice for a strong U.S. advanced energy industry that will drive the global transition to a smarter energy future.

"AEE is a national platform for business leadership but chapters are the heart of our organization, working at the state level to improve the business climate for advanced energy businesses," said AEE CEO Graham Richard. "In a short period of time, CET has shown the kind of rapid development that can be achieved in advanced energy. We are proud to have them in our national network."

The Clean Energy Trust was founded by prominent business and civic leaders to accelerate the pace of clean energy innovation in the Midwest. The Trust partners with universities, research labs, private sector enterprises and government to advance its mission. Its annual Clean Energy Challenge attracts hundreds of entrepreneurs and funders from throughout the Midwest to showcase exciting new clean tech companies and technologies.

"AEE aligns perfectly with our mission to bring innovative technologies to the marketplace. Having their resources and support behind our policy efforts will help the Midwest clean energy cluster create jobs and sustainable businesses through the region," said Amy Francetic, Clean Energy Trust executive director. "AEE is active and successful in advanced energy clusters around the nation."

The Midwest clean tech cluster is a vibrant and growing part of the economy and includes more than 730 companies operating in the following sectors:

Preliminary survey findings include:

• The number one priority cited most often by respondents and most important issue ranked by intensity is to fix the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard.
• Clean energy stakeholders rank state and federal policy changes as the most important issue affecting development of clean energy businesses.
• 2/3 of respondents believe the Midwest has more potential to benefit from clean energy than the rest of the nation because of its mix of resources, transportation and academics
• Illinois is second only to California in the amount of electricity generated by renewable sources (California 13,000MW/Illinois 4,000 MW)

Editor's Note:

Media are welcome to attend the Policy Workshop on Monday, August 6, at the University Club of Chicago, 76 East Monroe Street.

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