Energy, legislative leaders address NY EXCEL participants
Rep. Paul Tonko and John B. Rhodes, president and CEO of
NYSERDA, with members of the NY EXCEL Class of 2015.
Cleantech leaders and entrepreneurs gathered Aug. 5 with business and agency leaders
involved in advancing clean energy initiatives in New York State during a reception
at Skidmore’s Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery.
Hosts of the event were the New York Executive Clean Energy Leadership Institute
(NY EXCEL), the Alliance for Clean Energy in New York (ACE NY), and the Battery and
Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST).
Catherine Hill, F. William Harder Professor of Management and Business at Skidmore,
is director of NY EXCEL, which is supported by the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
NY EXCEL educates entrepreneurs and executives about the markets, financing models, permitting requirements, technology solutions and other unique aspects of New York’s cleantech industry. NY EXCEL also helps participants build vital networks and provides mentoring to help participants create successful cleantech initiatives. The ultimate goals of NY EXCEL are to increase the number of clean energy entrepreneurs in the state and address the long-term challenge of energy independence.
A NY EXCEL highlight is a weeklong cleantech boot camp for entrepreneurs focused on developing sustainable energy solutions. Now in its second year, the program (held on the Skidmore campus) immerses participants in coursework related to financing models, permitting requirements, technology solutions and other unique aspects of New York’s cleantech industry. NY EXCEL is particularly effective at helping participants build networks in an effort to ensure entrepreneurial success and enhance business development and job creation.
This year’s class of 20 participants, which included business executives, entrepreneurs and students, also visited some of the region’s important cleantech assets, including College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and iCLEAN Incubator, New York Independent Systems Operator (NYISO) and Skidmore’s own 2.6 MW solar array. In January members of the Class of 2015 will return to Skidmore to pitch their cleantech business plans to investors.
