CLEANPOWER Conference Coming to Indy
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis has landed another big convention. The American Wind Energy Association is bringing the second annual CLEANPOWER conference to the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indy in 2021. More than 10,000 attendees and 600 exhibitors are expected for the four-day conference, which Visit Indy says will drive an estimated $10.5 million in economic impact for central Indiana.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, AWEA Senior Vice President of Member Value Experience Jana Adams said Indianapolis has a lot of advantages for hosting the conference.
"Obviously, it’s been named the number one convention city for conferences and trade shows," said Adams. "It’s very centrally-located. We have a strong base of manufacturers and members within the state of Indiana. There’s a great and growing wind development happening within the state of Indiana and it’s easy to get to for our members. It’s also just beautiful; the downtown has a lot of features that make it easy to navigate and have a really good experience when you’re here for a convention."
Adams says the conference will feature a wide range of companies showcasing their technologies in the wind, solar and energy storage markets. She says those companies "are here to do business and a lot of that business is going to happen in Indiana so I think it’s really good for the state, but that’s the major value proposition of any trade show is to create an environment where companies can come together and make business happen and we know Indianapolis is going to be a great location for us to advance that goal."
Adams joined Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch and representatives from local businesses and organizations, including Karen Cecil, director of global environmental sustainability for Columbus-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI), to announce the conference. The announcement comes in conjunction with Governor Eric Holcomb proclaiming August 11-17 as American Wind Week in Indiana.
"There’s currently 2,300 megawatts of wind power capacity, which makes Indiana the 12th state in the nation in terms of wind energy capacity and that is enough electricity produced from that wind power to power over a half a million average homes," said Adams. "So it’s really significant. Indiana has a bright current state in wind power and there’s also a lot of development happening; there’s numerous wind farms in various stages of development across the state that are going to only grow that 2,300 megawatts."
The AWEA says CLEANPOWER is the next evolution of the association’s WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition, which has been held annually since 1974. The conference, according to the AWEA, will "create opportunities to build beneficial partnerships across the cleantech industry."
"In Indiana, it is important to recognize how clean energy and tourism collectively work together to better our communities," Crouch said in a news release. "Our state has a lot to offer in both industries, and it’s exciting to see them acknowledged on the national level. As we host the 2021 CleanPower, I hope to find new and innovative solutions to clean energy while promoting Indianapolis’ tourist destinations."
The conference will be held in Indy on June 7-10, 2021. The inaugural conference will take place in Denver on June 1-4, 2020.
Adams says Indianapolis has a lot of advantages for hosting the conference.