Ygrene Energy Fund Georgia, in collaboration with Invest Atlanta, the City's development authority, established the Clean Energy Atlanta program in 2012 with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and overhauling the City's commercial building stock while creating jobs and bringing new business to downtown Atlanta. The Clean Energy Atlanta program plays an integral role in the City's commitment to leading the nation's environmental charge through the US Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge. As an early leader in the DOE's nationwide efficiency campaign, the City of Atlanta has committed to improving its overall energy performance by 20% by the year 2020. This commitment represents significant change throughout the City's energy sector and its partnership with Ygrene underscores the belief that improved commercial building efficiency will play a key role in achieving that stated goal. Ben Taube, who is leading this effort in Atlanta, will explain the structure of this program, how to access the capital, process for contractors, and much more...
Ben Taube is president of BLT Sustainable Energy, Inc., is an experienced leader in developing cleantech companies with an extensive expertise in shaping environmental partnerships, policy and education. Ben has successfully been part of the formation of a number of new companies such as First Century Energy which is a solar developer and integrator and Consensus Energy, Inc. which focuses on driving energy efficiency retrofits into the small and mid tier commercial building sector.
Ben is also an expert advisor for a variety of companies on how to develop the energy efficiency market. One such client that Ben advises is Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) which is a SBA Microloan Intermediary, a USDA Intermediary Re-lender, and a Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Ben provides advice to the CDFI on the creation of energy loan programs for the CDFI. Additionally, Ben is focused on the creation of a financing program in Atlanta, GA for the private building sector with the creation of a property assessed clean energy lending program that is scheduled to begin in April 2013 with $500 million in private capital coming to the market.
Ben also is an owner of Evaporcool LLC, which is a TN based energy efficiency technology for the HVAC sector. To date, the entire Evaporcool system is manufactured and assembled in Tennessee.
Ben served as the founding executive director of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA); one of the founders and current Chairman of Global Cleantech Cluster Association and has held posts such as the Environmental manager for the City of Atlanta, the Director of Government Affairs for EcoSmart and Public Affairs Manager for GREENGUAD Environmental Institute.
Ben has won many accolades and awards such as the 2011 Atlanta Business Chronicle Environmental Emerging Leader Award and received the 2008 Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 under 40 leaders award among others.
Ben is a native of Memphis, TN and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Memphis and a masters in environmental policy and management from the University of Denver.
