Department of Energy Announces Inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced today the inaugural "ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit" to take place March 1-3, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, DC. The event, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) and organized by the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI), with key support from the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and the Kauffman Foundation, will serve as a forum for the nation's energy leaders to share ideas, collaborate, and identify key technology opportunities and challenges.

Summit participants will include members of the scientific and research communities, investors, technology entrepreneurs, corporations with an interest in clean energy technologies, policymakers and government officials.

"I am especially excited about the first ever ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit," said Secretary Chu. "This conference will bring together the nation's top energy leaders and members of the scientific community to begin building the next Industrial Revolution in clean energy technologies, which will create new jobs and help reduce our carbon footprint," said Secretary Chu.

The summit will spotlight some of ARPA-E's first round of 37 winning research projects and will for the first time showcase many of the more than 250 highly-rated research projects -- out of the nearly 3,700 concept papers submitted -- from the organization's first $150 million solicitation. Participants will hear from distinguished speakers such as Secretary Chu, ARPA-E Director Dr. Arun Majumdar, and a number of the nation's leading energy innovators. Panel topics will include: identifying game-changing technologies, building regional energy innovation clusters, the role of energy in our national security, and successfully developing and commercializing energy technology breakthroughs. In addition, the conference will be preceded by a one-day program of workshops where researchers, entrepreneurs and investors can meet ARPA-E's Program Directors, discuss the goals and directions for ARPA-E's technology program areas, and learn the outcomes of previous workshops on these topics. The pre-conference day also will offer tutorials on topics such as best practices for commercializing breakthrough energy technologies and taking advantage of the SBIR program. For more information and to register for the summit, visit:

www.ct-si.org/events/EnergyInnovation.

About ARPA-E

The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the U.S. Department of Energy, is the country's first organization dedicated exclusively to supporting high risk, high reward energy research projects. ARPA-E's mission is to support nimble and inventive technological approaches that can deliver transformative new solutions for climate change and energy security while advancing America's technology leadership. To learn more, please visit www.arpa-e.energy.gov.

About CTSI

The Clean Technology & Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI), a 501c6 non-profit industry association, represents the organizations developing, commercializing, and implementing energy, water, and environmental technologies. Clean technologies offer much needed solutions to growing resource security and sustainability concerns and are critical to maintaining economic competitiveness. CTSI brings together global leaders for advocacy, community development, networking, and information sharing to help bring these needed technologies to market more rapidly.

Visit http://www.ct-si.org for more information.

    NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
    Chris Erb
    978-561-1908
    cerb@techconnect.org

SOURCE Clean Technology & Sustainable Industries Organization