Gutenberg Communications

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/08/09 -- SDForum, Silicon Valley's leading source of information and education in the technology community, today announced its third annual State of Clean Energy conference: "Global Challenges and Opportunities" to be held on January 12, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST at AMD Commons Auditorium in Sunnyvale, CA.

Clean and green energy hold the promise to free us of dependence on nonrenewable energy sources and drive the creation of jobs, while reducing costs and fostering innovation. Technology plays a central role in the green energy movement, creating high-growth investment and business opportunities in the sector. This year's event will take a critical look at clean energy technologies utilized in the US and compare these techniques to environmentally friendly leaders around the globe.

"This is a unique gathering of global leaders and influencers in clean energy who will speak about how far the needle has moved," said Susan Lucas-Conwell, CEO of SDForum. "I suspect attendees will be surprised at how much we have to learn from the rest of the world."

"Whether driven by cost pressures, operational inhibitors, or environmental stewardship goals, businesses of all sizes are seeking ways to reduce energy use and manage carbon emission across all of their infrastructure and operations," said Rich Lechner, Vice President of Energy & Environment, IBM. "Technology is helping the world in which we live become more instrumented, interconnected and intelligent, driving the development of innovative, clean energy solutions that have a positive impact on both the environment and the bottom line."

"At SAP, we believe sustainability initiatives improve a company's bottom line by eliminating inefficiency and improving productivity," said Scott Bolick, VP of Sustainability Solutions, SAP. "We therefore have aggressive environmental targets including the reduction of our carbon footprint to 2000 levels by 2020, which is a 50% cut. We became our own case study for environmental action, and that demonstrates to our customers that we're not just selling into a hype, but there really are meaningful benefits to keeping the environment top of mind."

Speakers include:

--  Rich Lechner, Vice President, Energy & Environment, IBM
--  Sally M. Benson, Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project,
    Stanford University
--  Scott C. Bolick, Vice President, SAP Sustainability, SAP Labs
--  Dian M. Grueneich, Commissioner, California Public Utilities
--  Marc LePage, Special Advisor, Climate Change and Energy, Embassy of
    Canada
--  Steve Reale, General Partner, Levensohn Venture Partners
--  Camille Ricketts, GreenBeat Writer, VentureBeat
--  Dylan Steeg, Director, Intel Capital
--  Robert Walker, Principal, Sierra Ventures
    

Price & Registration

Early bird pricing is $120 for SDForum members and $150 for non-members. Visit SDForum's website at www.sdforum.org/cleanenergy for details.

Location: AMD Commons Auditorium, One AMD Place, Sunnyvale, CA

For sponsorship details, please contact Julie Welch, Programs and Events manager, at julie@sdforum.org.

To follow the play-by-play of event activities on Twitter, follow us (@SDForum).

About SDForum

SDForum has been instrumental in setting the high tech industry agenda for more than 25 years. As a high-tech non-profit dedicated to educating and creating relationships within the technology community, SDForum reaches 12,000 professionals annually, providing the latest insights on emerging technology trends and best business practices through more than 20 programs a month. Long-standing relationships in Silicon Valley include technology companies such as HP, IBM, Microsoft and Nokia as well as sponsorship from over 30 venture capital firms, financial institutions, international trade organizations and service providers. For more information, visit www.sdforum.org.

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