CEI PARTNERS

Austin Energy is a community owned electric utility and a department of the City of Austin.

Partnering with Austin Energy, CEI hosted the inaugural Clean Energy Venture Summit in May, 2007. The Summit promoted “The Utility of the Future” by connecting thought leaders, clean energy entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts and government officials through keynote addresses, discussion panels and insider looks at emerging technologies. 20 early-stage clean energy companies gave outstanding presentations introducing their business plans to prospective investors, private and municipal utilities, and potential partners. The Clean Energy Venture Summit has been called “The Most Blogged Cleantech Conference Ever,” and our highlights included keynote speeches from James Woolsey – Former CIA Director, and Dick Gephardt – CEO of Gephardt Group.

The Clean Energy Alliance, established in 2000 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is an alliance of leading business incubators dedicated to providing business and financial services tailored to the needs of the clean energy community.

As a charter member of the Clean Energy Alliance, CEI partners with the nation's leading incubators to provide a supportive network of business and financial consultants tailored to the needs of the clean energy community. CEI founding Director Richard Amato has served the Alliance as Chairman, which currently consists of 20 members nationwide. In addition, CEI teamed up with the Austin Clean Energy Initiative (ACE) in 2001 to promote both economic and environmental benefits of clean energy in Central Texas. ACE successfully completed its mission in 2006 having elevated clean energy awareness throughout Austin with its publication of the Enriching Economy and Environment Report in 2002 and its generation of events and forums focusing on the state of clean energy. The initiative continues today with the efforts of Solar Austin and the Clean Energy Development Council at The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

The CleanTX Forum provides the networking and educational environment for professionals interested in building the Texas clean technology community. Their mission is to promote entrepreneurship in the field of clean technology and renewable energy in Texas, by providing a forum for executives, entrepreneurs, investors, analysts, and policy makers to share real-world experiences, opportunities, and challenges in the field.

Since 2004, the Incubator has welcomed over two dozen executives from the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to participate in the New Perspectives in Electric Power Industries program. As an annual partnership offering educational and cultural learning opportunities, participants take a variety of courses at the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs Graduate School of Business, network with business and industry leaders throughout Texas, as well as experience an array of culinary and travel destinations throughout the state. The opportunity allows KEPCO executives to benchmark CEI infrastructure and practices, specifically relating to entrepreneurial ventures in clean energy.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the U.S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development and a lead lab for energy efficiency research and development.

The mission of the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) is to promote and provide for the efficient use of energy, while protecting human health and safety, and the environment. SECO administers and delivers a variety of energy efficiency and renewable programs which significantly impact energy cost and consumption in the institutional, industrial, transportation and residential sectors.