PORTLAND (Ore.) (16 July 2014) – The second IEEE Technologies for Sustainability (SusTech) Conference announced the closing keynote speaker will be Eric Wanless, Senior Associate with RMI’s industry and electricity practices.

The second IEEE Conference on Technologies for Sustainability (SusTech) is happening July 24-26 in Portland, Ore. The goal of the Sustech Conference is to explore the development and application of science, engineering and technology to promote sustainability. The program features workshops, keynotes and presentations of contributed papers and invited speakers on research, technologies, methodologies, tools and case studies.

Wanless’ keynote address “Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era”, will discuss how integrating all four energy-using sectors (transport, buildings, industry, electricity) and four kinds of innovation (technology, policy, design, and strategy) can yield tripled efficiency, ~74%-renewable total supply, and an 80%-renewable, half-distributed, highly resilient electric grid.

Educational workshops have been scheduled on “Unintended Consequences of Renewable Energy” (life cycle analysis) and “Repairing The World (IEEE 1874)” (Open repair manuals).

Other Keynoters include Prof. Digby D. Macdonald of UC Berkeley “Nuclear Options for Our Energy Future”, Joseph Fjelstad of Verdant Electronics “Sustainability Writ Large – A Perspective on Sustainability, Its Impact and Implications”, Gerald Engel, from the University of Connecticut “Ethic Responsibility”, and Thomas Tierney, IEEE-USA Vice President “Sustainability Policy in the U.S. : Creating and Preserving a Future for Our Next Generation”.

Details on the conference and the preliminary program can be found at https://ieee-sustech.org/.

The goal of the IEEE Technologies for Sustainability (Sustech) Conference is to explore the development and application of science, engineering and technology to promote sustainability in these areas:

• Alternative Energy
• Energy Efficiency
• Transportation Electrification
• Smart Grid
• Sustainable Electronics
• Societal Implications / Quality of Life

SusTech 2014 is sponsored by the IEEE’s Western United States Region, Oregon Section, and IEEE-USA units, and co-sponsored by the IEEE Consumer Electronics Society and IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology.

Contacts:

Ed Perkins, SusTech 2014 Chair, e.perkins@ieee.org, 503.612.9397