May 7, 2008 | Filed under: CleanTech by Nick

Today, I spent the afternoon at the Berkeley-Stanford CleanTech Conference in Menlo Park, California. The conference focused on the policies and technologies required to make solar power a large contributor to California’s and the nation’s energy portfolio.

Electricity demand is projected to increase significantly over the next 20 years, and billions of dollars are being invested in renewable power generation technologies. Although renewables currently require subsidies to be competitive with electricity generated from coal, natural gas, or nuclear, big companies and utilities like California’s PG&E are looking to Solar as a way to meet future demands. The combination of rising fuel prices and public policy pressure has convinced many that the CleanTech industry is in the early stages of a future of massive growth.

A take-home message from the event was that regardless of who wins the next election (Obama, Clinton or McCain), national climate policies will be implemented to reduce the amount of carbon the US releases. In order to prepare for such a system, it is important to be aware of the possible ways such regulation will impact your business, and what you can do to be prepared. The CleanTech industry is working hard to develop the type of efficient power generating and saving technologies that may ultimately be mandated by the US government.

An ongoing topic of discussion, and ultimately set of resources here at Cleaner Commerce will revolve around what businesses need to know and what they need to do to be prepared for future regulations. We will continue to attend events like the Berkeley-Stanford CleanTech Conference in order to keep updated on the latest developments.