Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast
From the national economy to discussions around the dinner table, energy has become a dominating force in our lives. In the Southeast, rising energy prices and energy inefficiencies pose a risk to our state economies, businesses, and workforce.
Amidst this uncertainty, leaders in our region have begun to understand sustainable energy can provide significant economic growth, enhance energy security and job creation opportunities. It is time for the Southeast to ensure our energy resources are working for us, instead of placing a strain on our economic well-being through rising costs, which may include carbon constraints in the near future.
To turn these risks into economic opportunities, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, along with our partners and sponsors, is pleased to present Making Energy Work: Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast on February 3, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina at the Raleigh Convention Center, the second LEED certified convention center in the nation.
The forum will bring together over 800 leaders from across the region and nation to discuss the Southeast’s emerging new energy economy and developing sustainable energy resources. Participants will include local, state and federal government, educators, business and industry, electric cooperatives and investor owned utilities, facility managers and owners, design and engineering companies, academic institutions, economic developers, and community organizations from across the Southeast.
Anticipated speakers include experts from the U.S. Department of Energy, New Energy Finance, Green For All, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing, San Francisco State University, AdvantageWest North Carolina, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Southeastern Energy Efficiency Alliance, and Natural Capital Investment Fund.
The forum will discuss concrete examples and formulate a salient, timely vision of an economically sustainable energy future for the Southeast by answering the fundamental questions necessary to create a new energy economy, including:
- What can be done to create a skilled workforce that is prepared to contribute in the rapidly emerging sustainable energy industries?
- What can be done to assist manufacturers and other non-energy industry firms to transition into the rapidly growing sustainable energy industry?
- What types of financing are available to renewable energy companies, and how could financing be impacted by future carbon regulations?
- How are regulatory and financial barriers slowing the implementation of sustainable energy in the Southeast and impeding the growth of sustainable energy businesses?
- How do we integrate renewable energy and energy efficiency to ensure reliable electricity?
- What is the impact of our energy inefficiencies, and how do we translate energy efficiency improvements into greater economic opportunities?
- How can industry growth provide opportunity for low-wealth communities with high-energy burdens?
- How can green buildings and energy codes reduce energy demand in a region poised for significant population growth over the next 25 years?
- How can local governments and communities implement successful – and responsible – sustainable energy projects?