Biomass Among Conference Topics

The future of the biomass energy segment is among the topics at an alternative energy conference taking place in Michigan in October.

“Tomorrow’s Energy… Today!,” is being held October 23-25 in Detroit on the opening day and in Dearborn, Mich., the next two days. The event is being billed as a “partnership of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and NextEnergy that connects early adopters of alternative energy systems such as original equipment manufacturers and the military with technology providers, manufacturing suppliers, utilities and funding organizations to represent the entire value chain of stakeholders that play a role in commercialization.”

Scheduled speakers include Professor Zongqiang Mao of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China; Ho Hiang Kwee, associate professor of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; and Takehiko Kato, president of Interlink Corporation of Japan. They will join representatives of Motorola, the U.S. Army and John Deere on the program at the event.

According to the show’s organizers, “The goal of this event is to accelerate the product development of alternative energy technologies by sharing system requirements and best practices in manufacturing, engineering, and materials advancements. A second objective, and no less important, is to educate manufacturing and engineering firms on the opportunities that exist to become a supplier to the growing alternative energy industry.”

Among the workshop and session topics are “Ethanol & Biodiesel: A How-to Guide in Manufacturing a Plant for Success,” “What Does It Take to Be a Supplier to the Growing Alternative Energy Industry?,” and a “Fuels, Biofuels and Biomass” panel.

Those seeking additional information about the event can go to www.sme.org/aet on the Web or call the SME Resource Center at (800) 733-4763 or (313) 425-4500.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and strives to keep manufacturing professionals up to date on trends and technology.

NextEnergy is a non-profit corporation founded to assist in the commercialization of energy technologies that contribute to economic competitiveness and the environment.