The summit is set to take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on July 18, 2012.

COLUMBIA, SC- The South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance (SCHFCA) is proud to be a sponsor at the 2012 South Carolina Clean Energy Summit. The summit is set to take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on July 18, 2012.

South Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance (SCCEBA) is organizing the summit, which will feature over 40 expert speakers from the wind, solar, biomass, recycling, energy efficiency, hydrogen and fuel cell, liquid fuels, and clean energy finance industries. Attendance is expected to reach over 300 people.

Former Congressman Bob Inglis is the keynote speaker for the event. "I'm very excited about the innovation that's occurring in South Carolina, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to discuss the ways in which a "true cost" comparison would drive that innovation even faster," Inglis said.

"We are pleased to be a part of the South Carolina Clean Energy Summit. Hydrogen and fuel cell technology is a big part of striving to be an energy independent nation as well as job creation in the South Carolina energy market," said Dr. Shannon Baxter-Clemmons, the executive director at SCHFCA.

SCHFCA is a partnership of government, business, academia and citizens working together to grow economies at the local, state and national level. SCHFCA seeks to enable energy security and to limit our environmental footprint with the use of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

The title of SCHFCA's session is Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, and will address topics including economic development, the role of clean energy, market value proposition and projects. The speakers for the session are Scott Greenway of Greenway Energy, Bill Mahoney of South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) and Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.

Additionally, SCCEBA is working with Palmetto Clean Energy to purchase about 2250 kilowatt hours of electricity, an amount equivalent to what's needed to power the one-day event. PaCE, a non-profit organization, allows customers of South Carolina's investor-owned utilities such as Duke Energy, Progress Energy and SCE&G to buy tax-deductible blocks of eco-friendly, renewable energy for as little as $4 per month and have them added to South Carolina's power supply.

By powering the summit with clean energy, SCCEBA hopes to raise awareness that the opportunity exists to purchase clean energy credits, so other businesses and organizations can take advantage of them as well. Credits can be purchased online at www.PalmettoCleanEnergy.org.

The 2012 South Carolina Clean Energy Summit is also supported by the South Carolina Solar Council, South Carolina Biomass Council, South Carolina Recycling Coalition, Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, South Carolina Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Wind Regulatory Task Force.

The 2012 SC Clean Energy Summit is one of the Southeast's premier clean energy conferences. This event to open to the public and the cost to attend is $30. To learn more, visit www.SCCEBA.biz.

For more information, contact Emily Nicholls at nicholls@schydrogen.org.

About the South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance (SCHFCA)
The South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance is a non-profit public-private partnership of academic, government and business coordinating resources in South Carolina to advance the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cells. For more information about the SCHFCA, please visit http://schydrogen.org/ or call 803-545-0189.

About SCCEBA

The South Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance (SCCEBA) was established in September 2011 and was initially sponsored by New Carolina - the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness.

SCCEBA has been tasked with building a broad-based business alliance that fosters the development of a clean energy industry in South Carolina. The alliance will represent the needs and interests of this growing industry through policy development, educational outreach to decision makers, and strategic economic development. Visit http://scceba.biz to learn more.

About PaCE

Palmetto Clean Energy gives customers the option to support the development of renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass.

Participating customers contribute directly to their local utility and the utility then passes all funds to Palmetto Clean Energy, Inc., a South Carolina non-profit corporation with tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code. Visit http://www.palmettocleanenergy.org to learn more.