Energy Nano focuses on innovation and industry needs

The Second Energy Nanotechnology International Conference, held last month, was more than a forum for the latest developments in nanotechnology research. The addition of the new Start-Up Company Showcase, which provided guidance to four promising energy companies, assured participants that real industry concerns would be discussed.

High Merit Thermoelectrics was the winner of the first-ever Startup Company Showcase, held at the Second Energy Nanotechnology International Conference last month in Santa Clara, Calif. High Merit plans to commercialize a new, state-of-the-art thermoelectric material, which is more efficient and less costly than current alternatives.

The three other companies participating in the Startup Showcase were solar panel producer Silicon Valley Solar, energi.ca, which developed a chipset for smart inverters on individual solar panels, and green energy company Abundant Fuels.

Companies were judged by a panel of industry experts on the following criteria: the information presented about their management teams; their proposed energy-related product, service, or technology to be commercialized; the profitability potential of their product or service; and their assessment of the competitive landscape.

The conference also included a special Commercialization Panel, featuring representatives from Quantum Insight, Agland Investment Services Worldwide, Honda Strategic Venturing, Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, Greentech Media, and Alameda Capital LLC. During the Commercialization Panel companies were asked to discuss active areas of investment, challenges, and commercialization strategies that their businesses faced.

In addition to these panels, the conference also included plenary sessions, oral and poster presentations, and exhibitions. The meeting provided attendees with the opportunity to network with nanotechnology professionals from industry, academia, and venture capital organizations.

Speakers included Martha Krebs of the California Energy Commission, who discussed "California's Clean Energy and Climate Response Imperative: Where Is the Room at the Bottom?" and Martin Keller of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who presented "Case Study: The BioEnergy Science Center and the Importance of Nanotechnology in Bioenergy Research."

Also speaking at the conference were Deepak Srivastava, NASA Ames Research Center and Nanoexa, a developer of high-performance clean energy storage products; professor Arun Majumdar, University of California, Berkeley; M. Godfrey Mungal, dean of engineering at Santa Clara University; and ASME Past President Terry Shoup, professor, Santa Clara University.

Sponsors and exhibitors at the conference included Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC; Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber; Hunt Construction Group; Winter Technologies; the ASME Santa Clara Section; and the California Institute of Nanotechnology. The conference was co-produced by the MIT, Stanford, and U.C. Berkeley Nanotechnology Forum.

The next Nano Energy Conference is scheduled for Aug. 10–14, 2008, as part of the 2008 ASME Heat Transfer/Fluids/Energy/Solar/Nano Conferences in Jacksonville, Fla. Check the conference Web site, www.heattransferconference.org/2008conference.html, for information as it becomes available.

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