07 November 2011
National and regional business leaders today announced the formation of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a growing national network of state and regional business groups promoting American companies as global suppliers of innovative energy technologies. AEE was unveiled in Denver, on the same day that its new Colorado chapter was announced.
The AEE network starts out with chapters representing more than 700 companies in nine states, with that number to more than double by early next year. When all AEE chapters now being formed are in place, over half of the US population will be in states represented by an AEE chapter.
AEE launches with strong national, regional and statewide components, including:
•State and regional chapters that encompass Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.
•A merger with the Clean Economy Network (CEN), a non-partisan organization focused on developing a new economy based on technology and innovation. CEN will become part of AEE's national and regional network.
Advanced energy includes all solutions that move us toward the goal of energy that is affordable, abundant and secure. Rather than favoring specific technologies, advanced energy is inclusive in nature and judged by the benefits it provides in the field and in the marketplace. Electric and plug-in hybrid cars, lightweight composites for airplane bodies, natural gas-fueled trucks, high-performance buildings, more efficient industrial processes, and the latest wind, solar, and nuclear technologies – these all represent advanced energy in that they produce energy savings, use resources more productively, reduce dependence on foreign oil and reduce health and environmental costs.
AEE believes that advanced energy represents the next innovation-based industry and that the United States is best positioned to drive its development and reap its rewards. With global energy consumption expected to increase more than 50 percent by 2035, energy solutions will need to be cost effective, price competitive, applicable on a wide scale, and secure in their sources. That makes advanced energy –technologies and services that produce or manage energy in innovative ways– an economic opportunity for American companies and workers.
AEE will develop a meaningful business federation for the purpose of creating a more supportive business and policy climate for the advanced energy sector. It will provide financial assistance to chapters along with communications, policy, research and data support.
Other business and public leaders committed to driving AEE and serving on its board include: George P. Shultz, former secretary of Labor, Treasury and State and Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Tim Healy, CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder of EnerNOC; William Ritter, former Colorado Governor; Phil Giudice, Managing Director at Rhumb Line Energy LLC; and former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
Initial AEE chapters announced today include:
•Advanced Energy Economy Ohio, a statewide effort launched to drive economic growth and jobs through new energy sources and systems. AEE Ohio brings together eight state economic development groups focused on advanced energy.
•Colorado Cleantech Industry Association, a statewide organization dedicated to promoting Colorado's cleantech industry.
•Clean Energy Trust, based in Illinois, which is focused on accelerating the development of Midwest clean energy businesses by connecting entrepreneurs, researchers and early stage companies with the expertise and capital needed to become sustainable.
•New England Clean Energy Council, an organization of over 400 advanced energy companies, venture investors, major financial institutions, universities, industry associations, utilities, labor and large commercial energy users in the six New England states seeking to elevate the region's clean energy economy to global leadership.
Discussions are under way that are expected to result in the formation of AEE state and regional chapters representing more than 20 states within the next year.
AEE has offices in Washington, DC, and Palo Alto, California.
