Chicago Climate Tech Week to return, showcasing clean energy and sustainable innovations

The second annual Chicago Climate Tech Week will take place this month to showcase clean energy and sustainable innovations, including solar power, electric vehicles, ethanol jet fuel, regenerative agriculture and more.

About 3,000 people are expected to attend next week's event, Sept. 16-20. During its first year in 2023, more than 2,000 people attended, organizer P33 said.

The week will feature panel discussions, expos, networking events and speakers including Gov. JB Pritzker in conversation with Michael Polsky, CEO of Invenergy, a Chicago-based sustainable energy company.

Events will held at venues around the city, including the Illinois Institute of Technology and mHub, a nonprofit tech incubator in Fulton Market. The main events are hosted by organizations headquartered in Illinois or the Chicago area, and 90% of partner events will be hosted by local startups and organizations.

Tifair Hamed, chief marketing officer of P33, said Chicago and Illinois have “the infrastructure, the policy support, the investment support and the talent pool required to create a very favorable environment for the growth and adoption of climate technologies.”

More than 123,000 clean energy jobs are in Illinois, and 85,000 of those are in Chicago, according to Clean Jobs Midwest.

In July, P33 also organized the third annual TechChicago Week, which drew 9,000 attendees. That event focused broadly on the tech ecosystem in the city.

The need for a separate Climate Tech Week “arose because climate tech is a rapidly evolving sector that requires focused attention to address unique challenges and opportunities, such as decarbonization, sustainable energy solutions and innovations in environmental technology,” Hamed said. “Chicago Climate Tech Week plays a vital role in showcasing Illinois as a global leader in clean energy innovation.”

Illinois became the first Midwestern state to mandate a carbon-free future, with the goal to be fueled entirely by clean energy by 2050, after Pritzker signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021.

“This is part of a broader trend in which clean energy investments have accelerated due to favorable state policies and incentives,” Hamed said.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy provided more than $469 million to Illinois for energy efficiency and grid resilience initiatives.

Some parts of Climate Tech Week are free but require registration, as an all-day event featuring panels about biotech, energy, quantum tech and workforce development at the tech hub 1871 in the Merchandise Mart on Sept. 18. There's also a free event Sept. 19 at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Called STEMFEST Clean Energy Career & Community Summit, it will feature interactive exhibits for students showcasing zero-emissions vehicles and clean energy tech.

A full schedule can be found on Chicago Climate Tech Week's website.