Serial entrepreneur confirmed for Clean Energy Conference

5 March 2013

Serial entrepreneur confirmed for Clean Energy Conference

Venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur Nick Gerritsen of Carbonscape has just been confirmed as a keynote speaker for the Forest Industry Engineering Association’s (FIEA) clean technology conference in April. FIEA’s ‘Residues to Revenues/Clean Energy’ Conference series in Auckland (10-11th April) and Melbourne (15-16th April) is set to reveal a range of recently commercialised technologies which will to improve business bottom lines both commercially and environmentally.

Event director, John Stulen of FIEA said “It’s great to have Nick Gerritson in our conference line-up as he will recount his successes commercializing two clean technologies through startup companies – Carbonscape and Aquaflow. These developments mean that wood wastes can be used to improve other businesses.”

“In the past six years Gerritsen and his technology teams have turned waste pine sawdust into high value cooking coal. Taking advantage of this development means every company, in a sense, can become a next generation resource company. Rather than exploring for oil, it can be grown. Instead of creating mines, you make coal above ground. It is exciting stuff.”

With Aquaflow the team achieved proof of concept on a way to create crude oil out of waste water algae, and from this a range of fuels and chemicals that can be dropped in to existing commercial transactions.

Gerritsen was quoted in the Australia Business Review as saying “Speeding things up and substituting natural processes with modern technology is a bit like time travel. The next stage is to get the next stage of smart capital on board to start commercial production.”

Gerritsen joins a strong line-up of speakers including Pure Advantage’s Duncan Stewart and Phil O’Reilly of BusinessNZ speaking on the Green Growth Advisory Council.
Registrations are expected from the forest management industry, sawmillers, pulp and paper manufacturers as well as local councils using wood energy and active operators in the waste and materials recycling industries all coming together to see the next wave of opportunities around wood energy, clean technology and generating tomorrow’s revenues from yesterday’s residues.

Rounding out the speakers’ programme is well-known “Opinionist” - Te Radar is also the host of a TV series on sustainability. He will feature as the after-dinner speaker at this pan-industry conference.

Companies of all sizes with plans to improve their profitability and sustainability at the same time are encouraged to send their CEOs and business development managers. Full event programme and registration details are available by calling 0800 34 22 69 or from www.woodresiduesevents.com

About FIEA
The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA), a division of Innovatek Ltd, is a unique grouping in Australasia. It's the principal vehicle for technology transfer for forestry and wood products companies. Through a range of independent programmes, new product and process technologies are introduced to New Zealand and Australian companies. Technologies best suited to the size of the industry and to the local wood resource are being identified and "showcased".

A regular series of conferences, practical workshops and managed exhibitions are run every year. Forestry and wood product companies, key product suppliers, researchers and technology providers from throughout the world are targeted and involved with the programmes. In addition to these events, new resources from the technology programmes are being supplied to New Zealand and Australian companies.

For more information visit www.fiea.org.nz.

ENDS

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