Since 2008, the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has hosted an annual Summit to engage and connect bioenergy stakeholders, the general public and students with research and development updates from throughout campus and the state. (You can see highlights from past summits here.) 
As the United States’ energy needs continue to evolve, the research, policy and technology needed to support these needs will change too. It’s been 260 years since Benjamin Franklin flew a metal key attached to a kite into a thunderstorm. One hundred and thirty years later, the first electric plants were built in New York and Wisconsin. The first gas-powered American automobile was built in 1893, three years after the first American electric vehicle.
In the past 60 years, U.S. energy and technological innovation led to the construction of the first nuclear power plant and commercial photovoltaic cell, and novel energy advancements ranging from mass-cultured microalgae to energy-efficient micro-grids.
Wisconsin farmers and agricultural industries lead the country in the development of on-site waste-to-energy systems and anaerobic digesters, adding energy to the list of critical contributions they make to our society.
True to the Wisconsin idea and our land-grant mission, UW-Madison researchers are working to develop new and innovative technologies that will strengthen our energy future. This year the WBI has partnered with UW–Madison Energy Institute to expand the breadth and scope of the Summit to include a wide-range of energy topics. On October 30, we will host the 2012 Energy Summit, “Innovating Our Way to a Sustainable Energy Future.” The Summit will address the full spectrum of energy challenges and opportunities facing our state and nation, and highlight the many ways UW–Madison is leading the way in energy research, education, and outreach.
This years Energy Summit will feature researchers and energy and industry professionals from across the United States. Session tracks will include: Energy and its Societal Impacts, Energy and the Wisconsin Idea, and Innovation to Solve our Energy Challenges. This year the Energy Summit is proud to bring keynote speakers Bill Banholzer, Executive VP and Chief Technology Officer of DOW Chemical; former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko, and Gundersen Lutheran CEO Dr. Jeff Thompson.Date: October 30, 2012Monona Terrace and Convention Center1 John Nolen Drive
Madison, WI 53703 Click here to view the 2012 Energy Summit Agenda.
Free for students. $39 for non-students
