BOSTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth debate and discussion about the state of the New England Clean Energy Economy will be at the center of the 4th Annual Conference on Clean Energy (CCE08), held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on November 18th and 19th. Conference participants will hear more than 30 leading innovators across the clean technology spectrum discuss the status and future prospects of multiple segments of the market.

With representatives from more than 20 companies presenting at this year's CCE08, attendees will hear panel discussions dedicated to issues relevant to the wind, solar, demand response, energy storage, transportation and bio fuels markets. During these panels, companies at various stages of execution will debate the state of their own industry examining each topic from the vantage points of innovation, user adoption, costs and practicality. Among the companies participating are: A123, Boston Power, FloDesign, Magnolia Solar, Nxegen and Protonex.

"We have put together an exciting mix of companies and technologies which will be sure to educate and enlighten our audience as to what developments and strides are being made in clean technology," said Abigail Barrow, founding director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC), which is a co-organizer of the event. "This conference represents a tremendous opportunity for the developers of technology to meet and exchange ideas with other professionals dedicated to the science of producing cleaner forms of power."

This year's keynote addresses will include: Oliver Morton, chief news and features editor, Nature, and author of the book "Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet," which will be launched on November 18th; and Ian A. Bowles, Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts.

There will also be panel discussions addressing the critical finance aspects of clean energy, from seed and equity funding through the financing of major projects. The equity funding panel is made up exclusively of top venture capitalists investing in clean technology including Atlas Ventures, Fidelity Ventures, Virgin Green Fuel and Flagship Capital. These panelists will provide the audience with an overview of the health of green technology business opportunities in New England as well as the industry's potential over the next five to ten years. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from the firms controlling the investment capital as to what technologies are likely to attract the attention of investors and ultimately the technology market place.

Attendees will have the opportunity to extend these discussions into one-on-one sessions in the Exhibit Hall featuring clean energy entrepreneurs and companies. In addition, there will be an opportunity to speak with experts at the CCE08 reception on November 18th.

"Forums that encourage healthy debate and intense discussions as to the future of energy production in this country are an extremely positive occurrence. Renewable is a small fraction of the energy Production today and is expected to grow to over 10-20 percent over the next decade," says Dr. Ashok Sood, president and CEO of Magnolia Solar, one of the many experts that will be featured as a panelist at CCE08.

"Boston has an unparalleled talent pool and with the commitment of investors and the dedication of the regions top engineers and academic institutions, there is ample reason to believe that this region can become the global leader in clean technology."

    For more information, visit the CCE08 site at
http://www.greenovationconference.com/.

About the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center

The Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center was created in 2004 as a program in the Massachusetts Economic Stimulus Bill. Its goal is to support technology transfer activities from public and private research institutions to companies in Massachusetts. To achieve this goal, the Center works with technology transfer offices at Massachusetts research institutions; faculty, researchers, and students who have commercially promising ideas; and companies across the Commonwealth.

About the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition

The Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition, formed in 2004, is an industry association focused on accelerating the success of Massachusetts companies and organizations developing and deploying hydrogen, fuel cell and related technologies. The Coalition achieves its objectives by pursuing several initiatives, including promoting member companies, representing member companies at conferences, holding educational forums, identifying funding and market opportunities, and promoting industry interests with state and national governments.

SOURCE Conference on Clean Energy