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Written by Elizabeth Guimarin
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- Celebrate accomplishments of 2013
- Visit and catch up with Friends
- Enjoy Refreshments
Thursday Morning Meeting, Dec 12
8:00am - 9:30am
Free, No reservations required.
Saratoga Federated Church, Richards Hall
20390 Park Place, Saratoga, CA 95070
Enter on west side, corner of Oak Place and Saratoga-Los Gatos Rd (hiway 9).
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Electrifying Mobility in Metropolitan Regions |
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Written by Eric Lemons
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What can California and The Netherlands learn from each other?
by Dr. Peter van Deventer
 Electric driving (or e-mobility) is emerging in importance as a cleaner and more efficient form of alternative transportation. But a reliable and safe network of charging points for electric vehicles is essential. Hence e-mobility must be aligned with regional planning, as well as transportation policies, road maintenance and asset management. How can government influence its development?
Innovation is needed to meet the challenges for a successful and large-scale adoption. How can the necessary innovation be fostered by public-private cooperation, since creative solutions are often generated by small companies which lack the resources to develop the market?
Dr. Peter van Deventer will highlight the efforts undertaken globally by leading metropolitan regions, identify opportunities for the e-mobility sector, and highlight the importance of knowledge and innovation exchange programs to facilitate public-private partnerships.
Peter van Deventer, a native of The Netherlands and currently residing in California, has been appointed by the Dutch national government to lead the e-mobility knowledge and innovation exchange program between the US and The Netherlands. Since 2009, Dr. Peter van Deventer has been involved in research and introduction of electric vehicles and e-mobility. He has given numerous (international) presentations on this subject and he has written various publications including two books.
Peter has worked, studied and lived in Europe, Africa and the US. He has worked at the crossroads of engineering, innovation and leadership, in the private sector, in academia, and in local and regional governments. Peter received his BSc and MSc degrees from Wageningen University and PhD from The Ohio State University.
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Venture Capital and Impact Investing |
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Written by Eric Lemons
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* What are the high potential sectors, exciting technology, innovative strategies, and new niches today?
* What does Ms. Pfund look for when interviewing start-up entrepreneurs?
- Impact Investing
- Meaningful Social, Economic and Environmental Returns
- Power of Venture Capital to Promote Social Change and Environmental Improvement
Nancy Pfund founded DBL Investors with the goal to combine top-tier financial returns with meaningful social, economic and environmental returns. As a leading player in the growing field of “impact investing”, DBL has helped to reveal the power of venture capital to promote social change and environmental improvement. Come spend an evening with Ms. Pfund and learn about clean tech venture capital and the roles of public policy in the success of clean tech start-ups. Ms. Pfund currently sponsors or sits on the board of directors of a number of companies, including SolarCity, BrightSource Energy, Primus Power, Eco.logic Brands, EcoScraps, OPx Biotechnologies, PowerGenix and, prior to their public offerings, Tesla Motors and Pandora Media.
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A Local Co-Gen Power Plant |
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Written by Daun Jacobsen
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Recently, I had a chance to tour a local power plant; the Silicon Valley Power’s Donald Von Raesfeld Power Plant in Santa Clara. Also see: http://www.energy.ca.gov/ and search for “Von Raesfeld”.
Silicon Valley Power is run by the city of Santa Clara. They have many sources of power, a good number of which are renewable sources located in California. (See http://siliconvalleypower.com for more specifics.)
But the power that is described in this write-up comes right from within Santa Clara.
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Read more...
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Alternative Energy: The Big Picture |
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Written by Larry Luckock
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- Harvesting natural energy
- Generating energy
- Converting energy
- Storing energy
- Distributing energy
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Written by Elizabeth Guimarin
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Rising interest in clean power is presenting electric monopolies with competition for the first time. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) gives towns and cities the opportunity to get in on the energy market and decide where their energy will come from.
Speakers:
- Kim Malcolm, Director, CleanPowerSF
- Shawn Marshall, Mill Valley Council Member; Executive Director, Local Energy Aggregation Network
- Marcie Milner, Senior Regulatory Manager, Shell Energy North America
- Hunter Stern, Business Manager, Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
~ Video & Discussion ~
Presented by the Commonwealth Club of California - Climate One
More than a thousand communities across the country are taking electric power into their own hands. Supporters say that is a great way for communities to get greener electricity. San Francisco's proposed community power option has a goal of 100% renewables and may be provided by a unit of Shell Oil. That juice could cost up to 40 percent more than the local monopoly, PG&E. Skeptics are wary of such cost premiums and say local power may not be as green as people think. A conversation with four experts on local and clean power nationally and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Making it Green, Making it in USA: Story of a VERY Green Light |
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Written by Nancy Wahl-Scheurich
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Nancy will describe how her tiny start-up went about designing and bringing to market what is arguably the “greenest” desk lamp available today. Nancy Wahl-Scheurich is an LEED AP and Founder and CEO of LittleFootprint Lighting.
A product idea inspired by LEED
From idea to design to production
o Research
o Material choices
o Partners
o Standards
o Obstacles & Opportunities
Ongoing Challenges and Victories
LittleFootprint Lighting
Nancy Wahl-Scheurich draws on more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience, having held key roles in international product management, international sales, and international marketing in the software industry. When her first child was born, Nancy opened her own consulting business and took on assignments ranging from international product management and corporate account management for software companies to account management for a boutique advertising agency. In addition to her consulting work, she taught various Marketing classes at California State University Monterey Bay from 2003 to 2009. Prior to founding LittleFootprint Lighting, Nancy served as vice-president, International Sales, at General LED.
Nancy is a LEED Accredited Professional and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. She earned a BA in Inter-American Studies and French and a BS in Business Administration at the University of the Pacific. She has an MS in Marketing from California State University Long Beach. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and German.
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