Google’s Green Energy Czar to Deliver Keynote at Cleantech Open National Awards Gala

The Cleantech Open announced William Weihl, Green Energy Czar at Google, will present the keynote address during the “Academy Awards of Cleantech” Awards Gala at The Masonic Center in San Francisco on November 17, 2009.

As the Green Energy Czar at Google, Weihl leads efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and manages the company’s greenhouse gas footprint. “We see a chance to make a difference in the field of renewable energy and energy information that can help bring the world to a lower carbon and more efficient economy,” said Weihl of Google’s initiative to become carbon-neutral.”

Weihl is an experienced technologist, entrepreneur and committed environmentalist with deep and broad experience in computer science. His extensive business and high-tech experience includes ten years as a professor of Computer Science at MIT, five years as a research scientist at Digital’s Systems Research Center and five years as Chief Architect and then CTO of Akamai Technologies.

“Weihl’s generous gift of his time and energy speaks to the immediate need to not only have big business participate in identifying entrepreneurs that show promise in ideas that seek to build a clean energy future, but to also actively engage the nation’s future thought leaders and inventors of clean technology,” said Rex Northen, executive director of the Cleantech Open.

The Cleantech Open is made possible by the generous support provided by National Expansion Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Platinum Sponsor: PG&E; Gold
Sponsors: Autodesk, The Cleantech Circle, Google, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati; Silver Sponsors: Accretive Solutions and RoseRyan; and Program Sponsors: California Clean Energy Fund, Ernst and Young, and Korn/Ferry International.

To learn more about the Cleantech Open, or to attend the Expo and Awards Gala, visit www.cleantechopen.com.

The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest cleantech business competition. Their mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. The program provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships to turn ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has helped hundreds of clean technology startups bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helping alumni contestants raise over $125m and making thousands of green collar jobs possible. Fueled by a network of more than 400 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s clean tech sector a thriving economic engine. For more information, visit www.cleantechopen.com, and follow @cleantechopen on Twitter.

In addition to the original competition held in California, the Cleantech Open was expanded in 2009 to include two new regions: the Rocky Mountain region (including Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming; and the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Cleantech entrepreneurs will compete for a total of more than $1 million in prizes. Past alumni successes include Adura Technologies, Cool Earth Solar, Enverity, Federspiel Controls, GreenVolts, GroundSource GeoThermal, Lucid Design Group, Mission Motors, and Syncromatics.