Midwest Renewable Energy Association: Announces Tesla co-founder to speak at 28th annual Energy Fair

Contact: Allison Lindquist : 715-592-6595
ext. 106, allisonl@midwestrenew.org

Co-Founder of Tesla to Speak at MREA’s 28th Annual Energy Fair

Custer – The Midwest Renewable Energy
Association (MREA) officially announced today that Chief Technical
Officer and co-founder of Tesla JB Straubel will take to The Energy
Fair’s main stage at 6:00pm on Saturday, June 17, 2017 to deliver his
keynote address in celebration of The 28th Annual Energy Fair.

“Advancements in clean energy technology are a bright spot in the US
economy with more people now employed in solar energy than the oil and
gas industry,” said Nick Hylla, MREA’s executive director. “Tesla is a
global leader in this market and is inspiring the US clean tech
industry. JB Straubel is a big part of that success. One of the
foremost challenges of growing this industry domestically is workforce
development. Having grown up in Wisconsin, JB can be an inspiration to
a new generation of innovators and engineers in our region.”

Tesla is at the forefront of electric vehicle and battery storage
technology. In a time of rising concerns about the effects of climate
change, Tesla is an optimistic light on the road to a clean energy
future by way of innovation. Tesla first came to fame when the company
put all-electric vehicle technology on the map as a truly feasible way
of eliminating carbon emissions as a byproduct of transportation.

Since then, Tesla has branched out to energy storage technology to be
used in tandem with solar. As Chief Technical Officer, Strabel manages
the technical direction and engineering design of Tesla products like
battery technology. Tesla batteries are designed to integrate with
solar to harness the power of the sun and reduce consumers reliance on
fossil fuels. Homeowners, businesses, and utilities are using Tesla
energy products to reliably increase their use of renewable energy and
foster a clean energy ecosystem. Tesla has even produced a home
battery that stores excess solar energy, making off-grid living less
challenging and therefore giving more people freedom from the utility
grid.

Additionally, Straubel created and manages Tesla initiatives
including: the Tesla Energy business, providing grid storage for
commercial utilities and residential consumers; the worldwide Tesla
Supercharger network of fast DC chargers; and the Tesla Gigafactory,
which is leading the way toward increasing worldwide battery
production and lowering the cost per kWh.

Straubel has had a lifelong interest in electric vehicles, including
rebuilding an electric golf cart at the age of 14, building an
electric Porsche 944 that held a world EV racing record, solar car
racing, and building a hybrid trailer system that he designed while in
college.  In 2008, the MIT Technology Review chose Straubel as “#1
Innovator of  35 under 35 for the year”. In 2009, DesignNews named him
“Engineer of the Year”. In 2015 he was listed as #2 on Fortune’s 40
under 40 most influential business and innovation leaders. Straubel is
an inventor on over 30 patents covering most areas of Tesla’s core
battery, motor, and controls systems.

“Having JB Straubel speak at The Energy Fair is so exciting because
Tesla has seen an unprecedented amount of interest from people across
the country. People uniting to support a clean energy solution – that
is what The Energy Fair is all about,” said Allison Lindquist, MREA
Events Coordinator.

JB Straubel will be on hand for a Q&A session after his keynote
address, and will also drive a solar powered remote control car in the
Fair’s wildly competitive Green Mini Demo Derby.

The MREA’s 28th Annual Energy Fair will be held June 16-18, 2017.
Featuring over 200 exhibitors and workshops related to clean energy
and sustainable living, The Energy Fair is a place for the public to
learn, connect, and empower each other to take action toward a
sustainable future. Admission to The Energy Fair is free to MREA
Members. Discounted Energy Fair Tickets go on sale April 1, at
TheEnergyFair.org. NEW this year: Attend a second Energy Fair in St.
Paul, MN on September 9-10, 2017, with a pre-fair Solar Professional
Day on Sept. 8th.

Stay tuned for more announcements about The 28th Annual Energy Fair.