Marty Turock Wins Clean Energy Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award from California Energy Commission
| Press Releases
SAN DIEGO, CA, October 13, 2025 – On October 9, 2025, the California Clean Energy Commission announced that Cleantech San Diego‘s longest serving clean energy champion, Martin (Marty) Turock, will receive the 2025 Clean Energy Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award at an awards ceremony in Sacramento on December 4. He is being recognized for his decades of work advancing clean energy, being a leader in the community, and making a significant positive impact on the State of California.
Turock, who formerly served as founder and executive director of Cleantech San Diego‘s Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN), was the first and longest-serving employee of Cleantech San Diego. He retired from the organization in 2023 after spending 16 years spearheading energy efficiency initiatives and deployments that catalyzed hundreds of new jobs and injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the region’s cleantech economy while creating financially viable avenues for cities and schools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance climate action goals.
“Anyone who knows Marty knows he is beyond deserving of this honor and we are grateful to have been the beneficiary of his hard work and passion since Cleantech San Diego’s earliest days,” said Cleantech San Diego President and CEO Jason Anderson. “We are excited and proud to congratulate Marty on this top recognition for his lifetime of dedication to our clean energy future.”
Turock began his career with General Electric then moved to Graviton, two companies that provided the foundation for him to launch a career that has converted him into a cleantech champion for the San Diego region and a model for California. Over the last two decades, his relentless pursuit to advance clean energy solutions such as energy efficiency, renewables, battery storage, and transportation electrification projects has improved thousands of lives.
As Executive Director of Cleantech San Diego’s Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN), Turock supported 75 startups, secured over $546 million in follow-on investment, created over 800 new jobs, and mentored over 150 cleantech executives and entrepreneurs, while encouraging college students to pursue energy careers. He also helped lead the retrofit of over 75,000 streetlights across 14 cities and San Diego County, saving over 30 million kWh per year, and guided over 300 municipal and school facility managers through clean energy transitions.
An advocate for equity, Turock brought clean energy solutions to schools, including Zero Net Energy schools, electric school bus vehicle-to-grid pilots, and data-driven energy conservation contests, helping create healthier environments for local youth. He enlisted the 11 school districts that launched the first 87 electric school buses serving disadvantaged communities. He also spearheaded Prop 39-funded efficiency and solar PV upgrades in 528 schools, cutting 48 million kWh/year in energy use and saving $11 million annually. These efforts collectively reduced 70 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions across 44 school districts.
Turock’s Lifetime Achievement award will be presented at the 2025 Clean Energy Hall of Fame Awards ceremony being held December 4, 2025, 3:00-5:00 pm at California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Auditorium, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
About Cleantech San Diego
Cleantech San Diego is a member-based business organization founded in 18 years ago that positions the San Diego region as a leader in the cleantech economy by fostering collaborations across the private-public-academic landscape, engaging in advocacy efforts to promote cleantech priorities, supporting energy entrepreneurs through the Southern California Energy Innovation Network, and encouraging more equitable investment across the San Diego region. Stakeholders include more than 135 businesses, universities, governments, and nonprofits committed to advancing sustainable solutions for the benefit of the economy, the environment, and all members of the community. Learn more at cleantechsandiego.org.
About the Southern California Energy Innovation Network
The Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) is a free incubator program for clean energy startups based in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial counties that are developing technologies to help California meet its climate goals. The program provides access to the resources and facilities of regional partner organizations and connections with industry in order to accelerate the commercialization of emerging energy technologies. Managed by Cleantech San Diego, the program is the result of multiple grants from the California Energy Commission to help advance California’s energy innovation industry. Learn more at cleantechsandiego.org/scein.
Media Contact:
Shannon Bresnahan, Cleantech San Diego, 858-220-5313, shannonb@cleantechsandiego.org
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