GREEN SPACE: NextEnergy names new president, launches new website

Thursday, October 30, 2008 | Source: Metromode

Sometimes the universe means for things to happen. The day before your intrepid Green Spacer was schedule to meet with NextEnergy's Mark Beyer for a catch-up session, she received in her in box a press release announcing the organization's new president.

Guess what my first question was about?

NextEnergy's new president and chief operating officer, Keith Cooley, has a name probably familiar to Metromode readers: he's most recently been director of the state's Department of Labor and Economic Growth. One of the first things he brings to the table is an executive order signed by Governor Granholm adding an energy department to DELEG, which fits in perfectly with the finally-established Renewable Portfolio Standard that calls for 10% of the state's energy production be from renewable sources by 2015.

It is this documentable shift in political winds that poises NextEnergy to become an even bigger player in Michigan's attempt to diversify its economy.

And they've already done a bunch.

A third of their efforts are spent on attracting federal dollars to Michigan alternative energy projects -- so far, they've netted $28 million of which more than $26 million has stayed in Michigan. Much of this is in the homeland security sector, where efficiencies mean more than just sustainability. It means security too.

The next third of the NextEnergy pie is devoted to industry services. Here's where they work on establishing a wind energy manufacturing work group to prepare companies and draw attention from out-of-state and overseas companies. It's also where small businesses are nurtured and bigger ones are helped to evolve with the times.

Finally, the organization works with foundations to write white papers on subjects like Renewable Portfolio Standards and build a flexible testing platform.

The website they launched late this summer describes all this in clear terms, but what you can't yet see is one of the most important parts of the site: a database of all state university research projects in the alternative energy sector, which sounds like a no-brainer but is found no where else in the U.S.

Looks like Keith Cooley has arrived to take the helm of an organization that is full steam ahead.

Source: Mark Beyer, NextEnergy
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh