Live from the Summit: Green technology akin to very cheap energy supply

During the final session at the DLA Piper Global Technology Leaders Conference, panelists were excited to talk green, even in a blue economy.

The panel agreed that businesses are developing and using green technology for one reason -- their bottom line.

The panel agreed that environmentalism today has the potential to generate tremendous cost savings as well as complement brands that are already thought of as socially responsible. The movement of environmentalism from college campuses to boardrooms, of course, has the fortunate byproduct of being beneficial to everyone on the planet.

The real estate financing and development industry has enormous potential to use green technology to lower costs and reduce carbon emission. One panelist noted that owners and investors should retrofit outdated technology where possible and sensible from a financing perspective, but also consider where its energy supply originates and whether it can hedge against volatility.

Panelists did not expect the likely domestic recession to slow the sprint toward green technology, noting that efficiency is the cheapest source of “new energy” available. “There are five sources of energy: oil, gas, coal, nuclear, and conservation,” one panelist said.

The panel also noted that the successful push toward green technology will require government action. The increasing politicizing of energy efficiency will lead to new regulations, and lawmakers need to continue to reward the adoption and implementation of these technologies with tax credits and other incentives.