Energy Entrepreneurship and InnovationToday's Challenges and Tomorrow's

Opportunities

Event Notes

Event Date: September 25, 2009

Event URL: http://www.mitefphoenix.org/

Forum Panel• Moderator: Alex Erhart, Executive Vice President, Products at Validity, Inc.

– URL: http://validityinc.com/

• Peter Green, CEO of Advent Solar– URL: http://www.adventsolar.com/– Si Solar Cell Development– PV Modules

• Joel Borovay, CEO of Insulock– URL: http://www.insulock.com/– Insullock Block: insulating manufacturing material– Polyurethane block that has cement filled cores– Less CO2 required to manufacture than conventional block

• Dave Thompson, Chairman and CEO of Diversified Energy– URL: http://www.diversified-energy.com/– Biofuels– Fat Reactor

• Steven Lockard, President and CEO of TPI Composites, Inc– URL: http://www.tpicomposites.com/– Boat company now making composite wind turbine blades

Forum Discussion

• Government and Renewable Energy (discussion went off on a tangent regarding politics)– Panelists state they have not seen nor received any benefits from the

latest Recovery Act.– Arizona and the US does not provide much benefits to open

manufacturing and research facilities, when compared to other countries like Germany and China.

• How do they compete– Must create products that are cost effective and competitive.– Businesses need to be willing to be in for the ‘long haul’ as it is always

feast or famine for renewable technologies, some years are good some are bad.

– Realize that the change to renewable energy and energy efficient systems will take 5-20 years for a slow change towards these newer products.

Entrepreneur Showcase Companies

• RelGuard (http://relguard.net/)• EveryGas (http://www.everygas.com/)• Algae Biosciences Corp (http://www.nacet.org/clients_algae.html)• GoSolarLife (http://www.gosolarlife.com/)• All Optronics (http://www.alloptronics.com/)• BioFeedstocks Global (CEO is John Andrews)

– About the company: http://www.desertbiofuels.org/attachments/063_05-Biofeedstocks-Andrews.pdf)

• Hummingbird Energy (Founder: Brad Frost)• Infinity Fuels (http://www.rri-iberia.com/ges/ingles/home.html)• Climate Modification System (http://www.climatemodification.com)