ARPA-E Announces 2012 Energy Innovation Summit Featuring Bill Gates, Fred Smith and Lee Scott

Department of Energy
Sept 9, 2011

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Director, Arun Majumdar, announced yesterday that the Agency will hold its third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit from February 27 – 29, 2012 at the Gaylord Convention Center just outside Washington, D.C. Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft; Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx; and Lee Scott, former CEO of Wal-Mart; will join Secretary Chu and Director Majumdar as distinguished keynote speakers.

“After two successful Summits, I’m excited to once again bring some of our nation’s top thought leaders to Washington to discuss the importance of research, development and deployment of game-changing energy technologies.” said Director Majumdar. “Engagement by business executives such as Bill Gates, Fred Smith and Lee Scott in the Summit emphasizes the critical link between the private sector and government funded R&D for innovation in energy technologies and highlights the important role innovation plays in enabling business, economic growth, and national security.”

Now in its third year, the Summit is designed to unite key players from all sectors of the nation’s energy innovation community to share ideas for developing and deploying the next generation of clean energy technologies. The event is co-hosted by ARPA-E and Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI).

Last year’s annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit attracted more than 90 speakers and 2,000 attendees from 49 states and 20 countries. Attendees included members of research and development institutions, global corporations, technology entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and government officials.

The event will feature a technology showcase with more than 150 exhibits from ARPA-E-funded projects and applicants in areas such as grid-scale storage, power electronics, batteries for electric vehicles, building efficiency, advanced carbon capture and electrofuels. The showcase will also feature new ARPA-E programs such as rare earth alternatives, plant engineering for fuel applications, advanced thermal storage, network integration architecture for the electrical grid, and power electronics for PV applications. A wide range of other energy technologies and new topic areas will also be discussed at the Summit.

In addition to an expanded showcase, the 2012 Innovation Summit will once again feature America’s top businesses focused on developing energy technology. The Summit connects top corporate businesses with clean energy researchers and entrepreneurs with the goal of building lasting partnerships for commercialization. Some of last year’s corporate participants include Lockheed Martin, Dow, Dupont, Battelle and Bosch.

Many more speakers will be added in the coming months. To register for the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit and for the latest news on the Summit program, please visit:http://www.energyinnovationsummit.com.