RTCC Newsletter: Industry Insights, Member Updates, and More

Message from the Executive Director

During this season of celebration, we had the pleasure of honoring the many accomplishments of our cleantech ecosystem at RTCC’s 5th Annual Cleantech Innovation Awards. Truly my favorite day of the work year, we gathered more than 200 of our closest cleantech friends to recognize the many advancements made in cleantech innovation and deployment this year. The spirit of inspiration and collaboration were palpable during the program and networking receptions, and I’m confident great things will continue to happen as we come together to do this important work.

On that note, I hope you’ll join us for our last event of the year—our Cleantech Catalyst on Wednesday, December 6. We will hear from a few of our accomplished colleagues and spend plenty of time connecting with colleagues. We’ll also have an ugly sweater (or whatever!) contest to ring in the season. Please come and bring your cleantech friends!

- Dr. Deb Wojcik

RTCC IN ACTION

2023 Cleantech Innovation Awards

Thank you to our 200+ attendees and everyone who contributed to the remarkable success of the 2023 Cleantech Innovation Awards at SAS Institute! This inspiring event showcased the extraordinary achievements of cleantech innovators in North Carolina and beyond.

Congratulations to our distinguished winners! Learn more about them here.

Thank you to our Lighting Talk speakers for sharing their insight on what makes NC a cleantech leader along with how the cleantech sector is growing across the state:

Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders, North Carolina Department of Commerce
Kevin Hernandez, ScottMadden Partner
Dr. Deb Wojcik, RTCC Executive Director

The 2023 Cleantech Innovation Awards would not have been possible without our sponsors:

Platinum Sponsor: PowerSecure, Inc.
Host Sponsor: SAS
Gold Sponsor: Hitachi Energy
Silver Sponsors: ABB - Town of Cary - Circular Design Consultants - City of Durham - DG Matrix - Duke Energy Corporation - HBCU Coalition.org - Ndustrial - Reynolds American Inc. - Yes Solar Solutions

2023 VIP Reception

This year's VIP Reception brought together industry peers, state-wide cleantech leaders, and event sponsors for an exclusive gathering ahead of the Cleantech Innovation Awards.

It was inspiring to see a diverse group of leaders from industry, academia, and government come together to connect and celebrate the remarkable progress in cleantech innovation this year!

RTCC TAC Kickoff

This month, RTCC launched the the Talent Action Committee (TAC).

The TAC works to ensure the state’s cleantech talent and workforce needs are met by bringing together stakeholders from

industry, government, academia, and nonprofits.

Committee members from a range of leading organizations met to discuss the ways we can build talent and connectivity in the cleantech ecosystem.

If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Emmit.

Image Source: Jim Haskins

RTCC at Smart Cities Connect

This past week, RTCC Director Dr. Deb Wojcik spoke on a panel at Smart Cities Connect to share RTCC’s role in facilitating collaboration at the regional level to bring about smarter solutions and more sustainable communities.

Thank you to Smart Cities Connect for hosting an amazing event and thank you to fellow panelists:

John Holden, Smart City Manager, City of Raleigh
Tom Snyder, Executive Director, RIoT
Nicole Coughlin, Chief Information Officer, Town of Cary
Rick Ralph, CIO, Town of Morrisville

FEATURED EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

As 2023 comes to a close, the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster is excited to celebrate the many accomplishments across our cleantech ecosystem this year!

Join us for our last event of the year, where industry, government, and academic leaders will provide “spark talks” focusing on their successes from the past year.

Speakers include:

Emily Barrett, Environment & Resilience Director, Central Pines Regional Council
Allison Carr, Clean Energy Training Program Manager, NC Clean Energy Technology Center
Jim Musilek, VP of Innovation & Business Development and Strategic Management, NC Electric Cooperatives

Attendees will connect with cleantech colleagues for a festive evening of celebration as we say goodbye to 2023 and look forward to a new year.

Learn more and register.

EnergyTech University Prize Webinar: Regional Events

Sponsored by the Office of Technology Transitions at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) is a collegiate competition challenging multidisciplinary student teams to develop and present a business plan that leverages DOE national laboratory-developed and other high-potential energy technologies.

As part of the American-Made Challenges program, EnergyTech UP awards more than $400,000 in cash prizes to student teams that successfully identify an energy technology, assess its market potential, and propose a strategy for commercialization.

Join the Regional Events webinar on December 5 to:

Learn about how teams will be assigned to regions
Find out which industry and academic organizations are leading each event
Hear tips about successfully preparing for the virtual pitch
Ask questions about getting started in January 2024.

Learn more and register.

BECOME A MEMBER

Have you considered joining RTCC?

RTCC delivers value to your organization through three strategic priority areas: Business Development and Collaboration, Education and Talent, and Innovation.

Our tiered membership structure is based on the type and size of your organization. Plus, membership benefits are open to all employees.

Learn more about the benefits of membership on our website or reach out to RTCC Membership Recruitment & Retention Manager Emmit Owens for more information.

CLEANTECH POINT OF VIEW

Power System Flexibility – A Key Enabler for the Energy Transition

In this Perspectives, Albert Moser, Professor at the Institute of High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics at RWTH Aachen University, Jochen Kreusel, Global Head of Market Innovation at Hitachi Energy, and Alexandre Oudalov, Manager of Power Systems of the Future at Hitachi Energy, explore the essential topic of power system flexibility.

Understanding the Current State of the Energy Transition in the U.S.

This year, Itron's Resourcefulness Insight Report examines the view of the energy transition among utility executives and state utility commissioners in the U.S., including the barriers they see coming and how they expect to meet those hurdles head on.