NEW YORK, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The second Clean Energy Connections event, Value of a Negawatt: Startups and the Energy Efficiency Boom, will be held Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 7:00-9:00 PM at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, 44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street), New York, NY, 10014.

Solar One and the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy (NYC ACRE) at Polytechnic Institute of New York University will present the second event of their discussion series and online forum Clean Energy Connections. Value of a Negawatt was developed in collaboration with Con Edison, and will highlight America's most compelling energy efficiency startups including Transphorm, Joule Assets, and NYC ACRE graduate ThinkEco. Clean Energy Connections brings together professionals, policymakers, investors and academia to explore major topics shaping New York City's blossoming cleantech industry, and it provides an expert forum to share best practices and new inspirations. Panel discussion topics include investment opportunities in wind and solar; energy efficiency in the information age; electric vehicles; and biomimicry and industrial design. Clean Energy Connections was developed in partnership with the Energy $mart Communities program of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and is sponsored by NYSERDA, Loeb & Loeb LLP and Con Edison's Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs. Greentech Media is the media sponsor for this series and will be hosting the live web stream of this event.

Experts estimate that at least 85 percent of New York City's buildings will still be in use in the next 20 years. Our offices and homes, which for the most part consume huge amounts of electricity, are poorly insulated and have little incentive to change. The fastest, cheapest, and most effective way for New York to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions is by reducing the amount of energy we consume. Innovation in technology and financing can help get us to scale, and with the work of the City's green codes task force and the support of the Greater, Greener Buildings Laws, real changes are taking place.  Successful entrepreneurs, utility representatives, venture capitalists and policymakers will explore the business case behind the implementation of new technologies, and they will drill down into the intricacies of the energy efficiency market and opportunities for growth in this sector.

Panelists:

• Zack Schildhorn, Associate, Lux Capital Management
• Mei Shibata, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, ThinkEco
• Michael Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, Joule Assets
• David Pospisil, Manager, Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs, Consolidated Edison Company of New York

Moderator:

• Katherine Tweed, Reporter, Greentech Media.

This event is open to the public.  General admission is $25, and student admission is $10. Advanced registration is required at www.cleanecnyc.org.

Solar One is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing energy and environmental awareness, and inspiring action through public education and cultural programming. Solar One is the Manhattan and Staten Island contractor for Energy $mart Communities, a program of NYSERDA.

NYC ACRE at NYU-Poly is New York City's first cleantech incubator seeded by a four year, $1.5M grant from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), aimed at growing an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, international companies and innovative local businesses that provide solutions to climate and energy issues while growing the cleantech/renewable energy sector and creating jobs in NYC. www.nycacre.com

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.  NYSERDA professionals work to protect our environment and create clean-energy jobs.  A public benefit corporation, NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York since 1975.

Greentech Media delivers research and analysis in the business-to-business greentech market. Using an integrated platform, we produce high quality products, whether it is industry news, market research or networking events. GTM Research, the research arm of the company, produces in-depth market reports and is the publisher of PV News, a monthly solar market tracker. Greentech Media is headquartered in Boston, MA, with operations in New York, San Francisco and Munich. For more information, visit www.greentechmedia.com.

SOURCE NYC ACRE at Polytechnic Institute of New York University