Southeast Bioenergy Conference to be held in Tifton August 12-14, 2008

Georgia continues its commitment to developing alternative energy with The Center of Innovation for Energy and Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, part of Georgia’s Centers of Innovation program (COI), sponsoring the 2008 Southeast Bioenergy Conference in Tifton, Georgia, August 12-14, 2008. “The development and large scale commercialization of alternative energy is one of the hottest topics in the nation – and the world,” said COI for Energy Director Jill Stuckey. “Our center is forging the path for bioenergy development in Georgia. As a sponsor of the Bioenergy Conference, we encourage everyone to attend and learn more about the exciting progress of bioenergy in Georgia and the Southeast.”

The three-day conference, targeted to a wide audience of growers, entrepreneurs, investors, business developers, researchers, educators, elected officials and the general public, will feature more than 60 national and international experts delivering the latest information and answering questions on the changing face of the bioenergy industry. Speakers include Governor Sonny Perdue and Ron Fagen, president and CEO of Fagen Inc., one of the world’s foremost design-builder of ethanol plant construction, who will keynote the conference. Fagen is currently building the First United Ethanol facility in Mitchell County.

Conference participants will learn the latest developments in the Southeastern U.S. related to renewable energy businesses and government, including: *Insight from renewable fuels financial experts *Incorporating energy conservation and renewable energy production into everyday life *Innovative tools that make the business of bioenergy more efficient *Common misperceptions of ethanol *Turning wood chips into fuel *Information from Federal legislators regarding programs designed to help development companies

The final day of the conference features an industry tour of several of Georgia’s bioenergy businesses. Companies on the tour include First United Ethanol, a 100-million-gallon corn ethanol facility under construction in Camilla; Hurst Boilers in Coolidge, makers of biomass boilers aimed at reducing or eliminating energy and waste disposal costs; Langdale Industries, in Quitman, a timber processing facility, biomass boiler and OSB plant and World Ethanol – a paulownia tree research facility, plywood operation and ethanol facility located in Lenox.

“As Georgia continues to embrace renewable energy technologies and industries, the COI for Energy and the COI for Agribusiness are evidence of Georgia’s pro-business environment—which is critical to the success of this emerging industry,” said COI for Agribusiness Director Bill Boone. “The COI for Agribusiness’s role in alternative energy is literally at the ground level. We assist companies and resarchers working to determine the most efficient types of biomass to grow or harvest.”

Conference registration is $225 per person. Conference registration is required for the industry tour (space is limited). For more information or to register for the Southeast Bioenergy Conference visit the COI for Energy website – energy.georgiainnovation.org or the COI for Agribusiness website – agriculture.georgiainnovation.org.

To learn about the COI for Energy, go to energy.georgiainnovation.org ; to learn about the COI for Agribusiness go to < a href=”http://agriculture.georgiainnovation.org”>agriculture.georgiainnovation.org.

The Centers of Innovation program, created in 2003 by Governor Sonny Perdue, and housed in the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is comprised of six centers for strategic industry growth and development: agriculture, aerospace, energy, life sciences, logistics and manufacturing, located respectively in Tifton, Eastman, Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah and Gainesville. Among the services they provide to Georgia businesses are access to university-level research and development, product commercialization, industry-specific business counsel, and client connections to research grants and potential investor networks. For more information, visit georgiainnovation.org.