Energy Huntsville seeking sustainable energy solutions in area tech sector

Energy Huntsville's Jay Newkirk talks about the organization as Mayor Tommy Battle looks on Thursday. WT Martin/HNW

(From release) Energy Huntsville is providing the spark for collaborative solutions to energy opportunities that leverage the City’s technologies and talent. Now entering their second year, the 80 local companies comprising Energy Huntsville see continued growth in their sector.

Formed by Mayor Tommy Battle in 2011, Energy Huntsville seeks to bring together the energy technologies of government, industry, academia and utilities into a structure that will ultimately create more jobs in the Tennessee Valley.

“We are beyond pleased with the progress of Energy Huntsville,” said Chair Jay Newkirk. “We have more than 100 local companies looking to us for creative ways to diversify their workforce and apply energy management practices to their buildings and campuses.”

Energy Huntsville is holding monthly meetings to keep abreast of the latest updates in the energy sector. They highlight trends and innovations through local and national speakers and provide networking and follow-up.

“Just today we learned that the small nuclear reactors we thought were years away from being produced are going full speed ahead in the private sector,” said Newkirk. “This has huge implications for the Army that is looking for innovative ways to be energy independent and sustainable in the event of a disaster.”

Newkirk noted that Redstone Arsenal was without power for days following the April 27, 2011 tornadoes and critical work had to be sent to other installations.

“What is exciting to us is that Huntsville has the intelligence, skill, and manufacturing capabilities to design, create and produce energy solutions,” said Mayor Battle. “It is natural for us to draw on the enormous pool of talented workers in the aerospace and defense sectors. Energy Huntsville is providing the forum and the opportunity for those connections to take place.”

Mayor Battle says he is pleased and proud of the progress Energy Huntsville is making and that the effort is garnering national attention. Last month, the Mayor was asked to join the mayors of Cincinnati and Washington D.C., in a Planet Forward sustainability forum at George Washington University to talk about the energy innovations and solutions in Huntsville.