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TEC 2010 Keynote – Michael T. Eckhart
Michael T. Eckhart is founding President of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), a Washington DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with members wind, solar, hydro, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biofuels and waste sources of electricity, thermal energy, hydrogen and fuels. At ACORE, he has established a Board of Directors and Advisory Board of 35 national leaders and a membership of over 700 organizations.
In international work, Mr. Eckhart is on the governing bureau of REN 21 global policy network, co-head of the North American Secretariat of REEEP, and U.S. chair of the World Council for Renewable Energy. He initiated and produced the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) world meeting in 2008. He oversees ACORE’s US-China Program, and also maintains strong working relationships in Europe, India and Africa. Representing ACORE, he is an official U.S. Observer at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He serves on the Advisory Committee to Prince Charles’ Rainforest Project.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Corporate Responsibility Award for Social Entrepreneurship, a 2008 recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, a 2006 recipient of RSF’s Good Deal for All Award, and a four-time participant in the Clinton Global Initiative.
Prior to ACORE, he developed financing for solar energy under the SolarBank Initiative through which he trained over 1,000 bankers in India on the financing of solar PV, and for which he was named Renewable Energy Man of the Year of India in 1998. He also worked extensively in South Africa, founding the Shell-Eskom solar PV joint venture in 1997 which implemented PV on over 10,000 rural homes.
Earlier, he was Chairman & CEO of the power generation development firm United Power Systems, Inc.; Vice President of the venture capital firm Areté Ventures, Inc.; a strategic planner of General Electric Company’s power systems sector; and a Principal with the energy practice of Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he conducted many of the original national studies on the emerging new energy technologies in the 1970s..
Mr. Eckhart served in the US Navy Submarine Service. He received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In international work, Mr. Eckhart is on the governing bureau of REN 21 global policy network, co-head of the North American Secretariat of REEEP, and U.S. chair of the World Council for Renewable Energy. He initiated and produced the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) world meeting in 2008. He oversees ACORE’s US-China Program, and also maintains strong working relationships in Europe, India and Africa. Representing ACORE, he is an official U.S. Observer at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He serves on the Advisory Committee to Prince Charles’ Rainforest Project.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Corporate Responsibility Award for Social Entrepreneurship, a 2008 recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, a 2006 recipient of RSF’s Good Deal for All Award, and a four-time participant in the Clinton Global Initiative.
Prior to ACORE, he developed financing for solar energy under the SolarBank Initiative through which he trained over 1,000 bankers in India on the financing of solar PV, and for which he was named Renewable Energy Man of the Year of India in 1998. He also worked extensively in South Africa, founding the Shell-Eskom solar PV joint venture in 1997 which implemented PV on over 10,000 rural homes.
Earlier, he was Chairman & CEO of the power generation development firm United Power Systems, Inc.; Vice President of the venture capital firm Areté Ventures, Inc.; a strategic planner of General Electric Company’s power systems sector; and a Principal with the energy practice of Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he conducted many of the original national studies on the emerging new energy technologies in the 1970s..
Mr. Eckhart served in the US Navy Submarine Service. He received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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