National Clean Energy Summit to have economic focus
My News 3, 9/7/10 - The past two National Clean Energy Summits at UNLV have been high profile affairs. Last year, Bill Clinton and Al Gore gave separate addresses.
On Tuesday morning the third annual summit kicks off at Cox Pavilion. Our state’s dismal unemployment figures have not been lost on summit organizers.
National clean energy summits at UNLV in 2008 and 2009 were the domain of scientists and politicians. 2010 will be the year of businesspeople.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out what are the best policies for government and the private sector to bring together capital with clean energy ideas that can lead to new technologies being created and new jobs,” explains Daniel Weiss, director of climate strategy for the Center for American Progress.
The Center for American Progress is a Washington, D.C. think tank which is cosponsoring this year’s summit along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and host UNLV.
“The next step is, how do we drive private investment into these new, clean energy technologies?”
There is, perhaps, an element of irony in the fact that Nevada, which has the nation’s highest unemployment rate, is hosting this year’s summit. The summit’s theme is “Investing in American Jobs”.
“The American Recovery Act has already created nearly 30,000 jobs in Nevada,” says Weiss.
Many of those new jobs are green collar and Weiss’s group estimates there will be 800,000 new clean energy jobs nationally by 2012. But can the Silver State wait that long?
“Nevada can’t wait,” responds UNLV graduate dean and VP for research Dr. Ronald Smith. “Nevada cannot wait. We need jobs. We need to diversify.”
Dr. Smith says that this year’s summit has been fine-tuned with an ear to finding solutions to the economic woes of the host state.
“You look at many of the panelists; these are really professionals in the area of business and how to bring capital. If we can’t bring capital to the projects they are going to fail. All the science in the world won’t solve this, solve our problems, unless there is capital behind it. And that’s what this is about.”
That means you’ll find as many MBAs at this year’s summit as there were doctorates in the sciences at summits past.
The day-long summit will be followed Wednesday by UNLV’s own summit at Cox Pavilion, which will focus exclusively on clean energy solutions for southern Nevada.
Read the whole article
National Clean Energy Summit to have economic focus
My News 3, 9/7/10 - The past two National Clean Energy Summits at UNLV have been high profile affairs. Last year, Bill Clinton and Al Gore gave separate addresses.
On Tuesday morning the third annual summit kicks off at Cox Pavilion. Our state’s dismal unemployment figures have not been lost on summit organizers.
National clean energy summits at UNLV in 2008 and 2009 were the domain of scientists and politicians. 2010 will be the year of businesspeople.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out what are the best policies for government and the private sector to bring together capital with clean energy ideas that can lead to new technologies being created and new jobs,” explains Daniel Weiss, director of climate strategy for the Center for American Progress.
The Center for American Progress is a Washington, D.C. think tank which is cosponsoring this year’s summit along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and host UNLV.
“The next step is, how do we drive private investment into these new, clean energy technologies?”
There is, perhaps, an element of irony in the fact that Nevada, which has the nation’s highest unemployment rate, is hosting this year’s summit. The summit’s theme is “Investing in American Jobs”.
“The American Recovery Act has already created nearly 30,000 jobs in Nevada,” says Weiss.
Many of those new jobs are green collar and Weiss’s group estimates there will be 800,000 new clean energy jobs nationally by 2012. But can the Silver State wait that long?
“Nevada can’t wait,” responds UNLV graduate dean and VP for research Dr. Ronald Smith. “Nevada cannot wait. We need jobs. We need to diversify.”
Dr. Smith says that this year’s summit has been fine-tuned with an ear to finding solutions to the economic woes of the host state.
“You look at many of the panelists; these are really professionals in the area of business and how to bring capital. If we can’t bring capital to the projects they are going to fail. All the science in the world won’t solve this, solve our problems, unless there is capital behind it. And that’s what this is about.”
That means you’ll find as many MBAs at this year’s summit as there were doctorates in the sciences at summits past.
The day-long summit will be followed Wednesday by UNLV’s own summit at Cox Pavilion, which will focus exclusively on clean energy solutions for southern Nevada.
Read the whole article
