“We are delighted and excited by the successful launch of this first annual conference,” said conference chairperson Cristina Archer. Archer, a preeminent expert on high atmosphere power generation, is an assistant professor of energy, meteorology, and environmental science at CSU Chico, as well as a consulting assistant professor at Stanford University. “The emerging high altitude wind power industry needed a center of gravity, and we are pleased that the first global conference is anchored here in Northern California,” she said.
According to Archer, the conference is meant to allow participants to engage in a variety of discussions on the latest innovations, developments and specifications in high altitude wind power generation and distribution. Attendees can immerse themselves in two full days of presentations and case studies from local, national and international speakers, as well as interactive discussions on crucial issues.
Sponsored jointly by CSU Chico, the BayTEC Alliance and the Cleantech Innovation Center, the conference is part of a regional strategy to develop a world class cleantech economy in Northern California. BayTEC Alliance is a public-private community initiative aimed at transforming the regional economy; the Cleantech Innovation Center is its first flagship project.
“We are proud not only to be a sponsor of this important conference, we are excited to host it at the new Cleantech Innovation Center at Oroville,” said Weldon Larson, chairman of the BayTEC Alliance. “This event represents precisely the type of activity that taps into the innovative capabilities and spirit that exists in our region.”
Besides Archer, speakers at the two-day event represent a who’s who of the wind power field, including: Dr. Ken Caldeira, climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University; Dr Saul Griffith, Co-founder of Makani Power, Squid Labs and Potenco; Anthony J. Asterita, a founder of Magenn Power and a renown expert in advanced lighter-than-air applications; JoeBen Bevirt, founder of Joby Energy; Pierre Rivard, president and CEO of Magenn Power; Len Shepard, CEO of Sky WindPower; and Robert Creighton, CEO of WindLift.
The conference is open to anyone interested in new developments in airborne wind capture devices and alternative energy. Cost to attend the event is $135 (general) and $35 with a valid student ID. For more information, updates on late additions to the program and to register for the event, visit the website at hawpconference.com.
About California State University Chico:
Founded in 1887, CSU Chico is a highly ranked public university located 90 miles north of Sacramento. A comprehensive university with more than 15,000 students, Chico State offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through seven colleges and six schools. The campus embraces the teacher-scholar model where faculty research and creative activity enrich student learning in and outside the classroom.
About the BayTec Alliance:
The BayTEC Alliance is a non-profit collaboration of individuals from the public sector, the private sector, academia and the community at large in the Butte County region. The purpose of the Alliance is to help ensure that Butte County and the surrounding region can collaborate and compete as a successful region in the new global economy. Our objective is to unify regional action around a common set of initiatives and to create a worldwide awareness for the region’s attractiveness as a place to build a business and to live, work and raise a family.
The first initiative adopted by the Alliance is to build a healthy, sustainable economy based on “clean” technology. One of the goals of the Alliance is that the region become recognized on a worldwide basis as a center of excellence in clean technology disciplines and a hub of cleantech industry. Development of the first Cleantech Innovation Center in the region has been the first major step in this direction.
About the Cleantech Innovation Center at Oroville:
The Cleantech Innovation Center at Oroville is a place where new ideas come to grow into profitable, carbon-smart businesses, products and careers. The CIC is the lynchpin in a regional network of resources connecting leaders in private industry and academia, entrepreneurs and students who have a passion to create an earth-friendly economy as a regional advantage. The objective is to be the focal point for clean and green technology entrepreneurship and business growth in the 17 counties of Northern California. The mission is three-fold: to incubate and attract new cleantech businesses and help existing businesses transition to cleantech; to support and fast track applied research in emerging cleantech areas; and to support workforce development and readiness in Northern California.
