Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster News
March 1, 2016
Thank you for your support of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster. This month's newsletter features blogs from Duke Energy's Lynn Good and the Research Triangle Energy Consortium's Vik Rao. We are also pleased to highlight RTCC’s upcoming SMART Series event featuring Duke Energy’s Coalition of the Willing on March 18 and our Cleantech Connect Career Fair in April. 

RTCC would also like to welcome our newest members:

In This Issue:

  • Cleantech Point of View
  • Upcoming RTCC Events
  • RTCC in Action 
  • Member News
  • Industry News & Trends
  • Market Intelligence
  • Industry Events

CLEANTECH POINT OF VIEW
What energy companies of the future are working on today
By Lynn Good , Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Duke Energy Corporation

Originally Featured on LinkedIn

Everyone has seen the incredible disruption to businesses wrought by rapidly changing technology. In fact, history is like a beach littered with shipwrecked companies that either ignored or missed the winds of change.

Successful companies, on the other hand, recognize the evolving landscape, innovate and adapt to new realities. My guess is that when you think “innovative” or “tech-savvy,” your local utility doesn’t come to mind. But, the transformational change the electric industry is undergoing is surprisingly intense.

How Electric are Cars Going to Get?
By Vikram Rao, Executive Director, Research Triangle Energy Consortium

With Electric vehicles are at in interesting inflection point. Car makers are finally getting serious about traversing the main hurdle: battery cost. When the Nissan Leaf first emerged, and for that matter also the Chevy Volt hybrid, lithium cells cost over $450 per kWh (kilowatt hour).

As a rule of thumb, each mile driven uses 0.25 kWh. A hundred mile range will require 25 kWh in principle. But it is impractical to drain down to zero and a useful figure is likely 80 or 85%. In other words, 100 mile range likely needs a battery pack with about 30 kWh.

UPCOMING RTCC EVENTS
RTCC SMART Series: Duke Energy's Coalition of the Willing
Join RTCC on Friday, March 18 from 8:00-10:00 AM at the RTP Headquarters to learn how Duke Energy is collaborating with leading industry competitors to transform the grid and incorporate additional renewable energy resources. Jason Handley, Director of Smart Grid Emerging Technology and Operations for Duke Energy, will provide an overview of Duke Energy's Coalition of the Willing project and what it will mean for the future of energy.

RTCC Cleantech Connect Career Fair
The Cleantech Connect Career Fair will take place on April 21, 2016 from 3:00 – 5:00 PM in conjunction with the  2016 State Energy Conference at NC State University’s McKimmon Center. 

Exhibition opportunities are available for employers starting at $500.  

Access to the career fair is free for students and job seekers, but registration is required.

RTCC IN ACTION
RTCC Smart Series: Talent Event Recap 
On January 26, representatives from ABB, Strata Solar, TE Connectivity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and RTI International used the results from RTCC’s recently released “Talent Needs for the Energy and Technology Industry” survey to frame a conversation about cleantech workforce development in the Research Triangle Region. 

RTCC @ DistribuTECH
RTCC, in partnership with RTCC members and 8 delegates, exhibited at DistribuTECH Conference, February 9-11, in Orlando, FL to promote the Region as top location for jobs, investment and talent. RTCC hosted a special event, “Power Play”, featuring 12 speakers who presented case studies on Grid Edge Solutions, Renewables Integration, Internet of Things, Grid Modernization and Microgrid Technologies. You can download the presentation here. Special thanks to all our delegates, speakers and members that helped make our effort a success!
RTCC Talent Survey Featured in RTI International’s Annual Report

RTCC’s survey of the Research Triangle Region’s cleantech sector to assess the talent needs for the energy and technology industry made RTI International’s list of the 15 things they learned in 2015You can check out the complete report here.

NC Clean Tech Summit
RTCC was pleased to partner with and sponsor the NC Clean Tech Summit hosted by UNC- Chapel Hill February 18-19, 2016. The Summit brought together professionals from business, policy, and academia to discuss the growth and innovation occurring in the cleantech sector. The Summit’s focus on connecting students with mentorship and career opportunities was great chance for cleantech companies to connect with top talent.  
MEMBER NEWS
INDUSTRY NEWS & TRENDS
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Clemson University Power System Conference
When: March 8-11, 2016
Where: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
More Information:
Data4Decisions
When: March 22-24, 2016
Where: Raleigh Convention Center
More Information:
EV Challenge Annual  Competition
When: April 15-17, 2016
Where: Centennial Campus at NCSU
More Information:

Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information contact Ken Delaney.
State Energy Conference
When: April 20-21, 2016
Where: McKimmon Conference & Traning Center

EDPNC Leading Delegation to IE Expo
When: May 5-7 2016
Where:  Shanghai, China
More Information:  
Up to $3,500 in travel and lodging funds are available from the EDPNC to enable companies with less than 500 employees to attend this event.  

Contact Paul Wyatt for details.
ASME 2016 Power & Energy Conference and Expo
When: June 26-30, 2016
Where: Charlotte Convention Center

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Greentech Forum
When: October 2016
Where: Osaka, Japan
More Information:
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