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At least 19 records

CleanTech University Prize (CLEANTECH UP) Competition

The Cleantech UP Competition built on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions (NCEBPC) in inspiring more graduate and undergraduate students to pursue entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization of clean energy technologies. The competition addresses remaining challenges for students to pursue cleantech education, entrepreneurship, and careers, including : limited access to energy - industry - tailored education and entrepreneurial trai ning; limited coordination of regional and national resources for students; uneven support between competitions and regions; limited cooperation and best - practice sharing; and inconsistent collection of feedback and learning between student participants. During the first year of the grant, in 2016, Cleantech UP competition was managed by Spark Clean Energy; in partnership with DOE and members of the cleantech and energy ecosystems, VentureWell implemented the National Cleantech University Prize (UP) Competi tion during 2017 and 2018.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Innovative Pathways: Transforming Impact Investments to Working Capital For Early Stage Cleantech Companies: Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020)

Project Objectives: The focus for the entirety of the last quarter was on the completion of the pilot loan funding within our portfolio, and the closing out of our DOE-CAP Grant: “Innovative Pathways: Transforming Impact Investments to Working Capital for Early Stage Cleantech Companies.” The fourteenth quarter (Q14) of the program performance was also dedicated toward two main activities: the continued fundraising efforts for a formalized LACI debt fund, as well as finalization of the lending processes for pilot underwriting amongst the LACI Team and with Mission Driven Finance. This quarter marked key successes around the workflows of the DOE-CAP grant, specifically around fund capitalization efforts. Activities during the thirteenth quarter included: 1. Finalization of the DOE-CAP grant activities and work-flows; 2. Due diligence, underwriting and issuance of one (1) loan in Q1 2021 and three (3) in Q4 2020 for technology providers in grant-funded zero emissions mobility & community pilots, in partnership with LACI and local organizations, totaling ten (10) total loans; 3. Development of fundraising and marketing materials, and distribution to 30+ possible funding sources over the course of Q13 & Q14; and 4. Reinvigoration of conversations with Mission Driven Finance, the prospective underwriting partner for key activities and governance documents, and finalization of all loan processing activities once the fund is capitalized

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Contech to Accelerate Cleantech: Seeding Emerging Innovation Programs for Construction Productivity and Energy Efficiency Integration; Preprint

Investments in U.S.-based start-ups that focus on advanced building construction technologies to increase construction productivity (contech) surged to approximately $3.1 billion in 2018 (as per Crunchbase data). More recently, emerging programs by government funding agencies, philanthropic foundations, and venture capitalists have been instrumental in supporting contech start-ups for innovations that increase productivity of energy efficiency integration and accelerate clean energy technologies (cleantech) for the buildings sector. These programs include R&D support and funding mechanisms for contech and cleantech. Traditionally, contech and cleantech are considered as two different innovation ecosystems. To enhance and scale up energy efficiency in buildings, creative programs that bring together contech and cleantech are critical. This paper provides a landscape assessment of the "contech-for-cleantech" innovation ecosystem in the U.S. and its impact in accelerating technology readiness and the development pipeline of "contech-for-cleantech". Technologies highlighted are robotics for retrofits, prefabrication of energy-efficient products, and advanced manufacturing of low-carbon net-zero buildings construction. Programs discussed include those led by (1) government funding agencies: American-Made Challenges with prizes like E-ROBOT for retrofits with robotics, (2) philanthropic foundations: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) that includes focus on energy efficiency and prefabrication, and (3) venture capitalists: Shadow Ventures Green Building Accelerator program which provides funding support to start-ups with ambitious plans for decarbonizing the built environment. This paper will also expand upon robust processes and criteria involved in judging and down-selection of start-ups through vetting and feedback from national lab researchers and industry experts in both cleantech and contech.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Cleantech University Prize (UP) Competition Final Report

The Cleantech UP Competition built on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competitions (NCEBPC) in inspiring more graduate and undergraduate students to pursue entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization of clean energy technologies. The competition addresses remaining challenges for students to pursue cleantech education, entrepreneurship, and careers, including: limited access to energy-industry-tailored education and entrepreneurial training; limited coordination of regional and national resources for students; uneven support between competitions and regions; limited cooperation and best-practice sharing; and inconsistent collection of feedback and learning between student participants. During the first year of the grant, in 2016, Cleantech UP competition was managed by Spark Clean Energy; in partnership with DOE and members of the cleantech and energy ecosystems, VentureWell implemented the National Cleantech University Prize (UP) Competition during 2017 and 2018.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NorthWest Cleantech Innovation Network

To help overcome these barriers for clean tech/climate tech entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest Cleantech Innovation Network (NWCIN) was established in October 2021 with support from the Department of Energy. Launched as a consortium of three organizations: VertueLab, the CleanTech Alliance (CTA) and University of Washington Clean Energy Testbeds (WCET), the NWCIN successfully leveraged the strengths and expertise of each organization to deliver four assistance programs: Cascadia Cleantech Accelerator (CCA), an 18-week yearly cohort-based virtual program providing business and technical mentorship Lab2Launch (L2L), a program to educate and connect entrepreneurs to regional research institution resources and technologies available to license Federal Funding Assistance (FFA), to provide support to companies from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska that are applying for SBIR/STTR and other federal grants Cleantech Hardware Innovation Prototyping (CHIP) to provide access to facilities and lab/office space at the Washington

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC)

This is the Final Technical Report for the Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC) to enable successful clean energy commercialization activities at universities located throughout the Southeast U.S. The MCC was successful as it advanced university-based clean and renewable energy commercialization by creating the opportunity to seed fund a new venture through the regional Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) competition held annually, and developing an environment in which students are excited about solving energy challenges.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC) (Final Technical Report)

The over-riding objective of the Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC) is to enable successful clean energy commercialization activities at universities located throughout the Southeast U.S. The MCC was successful as it advanced university-based clean and renewable energy commercialization by creating the opportunity to seed fund a new venture through the regional Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) competition held annually, and developing an environment in which students are excited about solving energy challenges.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Cleantech University Program Regional Competition. Final Report

The Berkeley Cleantech University Program (CUP) provided aspiring student entrepreneurs with the mentorship, business development skills and training, and investor feedback they need to turn their clean energy ideas into businesses offering real-world solutions. Annually for three years, the Berkeley CUP recruited teams of students across the country to develop their clean energy technology and refine their business plan, and provided them with mentorship and training during the crucial incubation phase. Each year, the regional program culminates in a final pitch competition, where two finalists and one grand prize winner are determined. Teams are judged on a variety of factors, including but not limited to technical feasibility, scalability, and impact. A total of 18 teams representing 10 universities have participated in the Berkeley CUP. The contest attracted and sustained a growing body of innovative cleantech ideas, young entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate partners in the western region of the United States.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Cleantech Innovations Launch to Market

The NREL Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) brings economically viable cleantech innovations to market. We create technology incubation program and solutions that address gaps preventing innovations from getting to market and preventing market growth.

accelerator↗

Strategic styles of hardware product development could accelerate commercialization in cleantech startups

Hardware-based startups risk having longer times-to-market, deterring investment in the clean technologies that are critical to a sustainable future. We interviewed 55 leaders at hardware startups, 20 of which are cleantech, mapped their development timelines, and found prototyping to be the longest development step (median of 19 weeks per prototype) regardless of prototype complexity or iteration. Qualitative interview analysis reveals the prototyping team’s choice of development style is a major factor affecting timeline. We define two development styles: natural and structured, typified by free-form exploration and rule-based execution, respectively. On average, natural development takes 35% less time than structured, and is thus preferred for early iterations, but adopting structure at strategic points is needed for timely commercialization. Critical points of transition to a structured style include adding new team members or engaging external partners, which demand clear communication and expectations. When pivoting to a new product or market, returning to a natural style is beneficial.

Looney, Erin (ORCID:0000000168959312)↗

SF Cleantech Pitchfest: DIY Efficient Windows

Berkeley Lab chemist, Raymond Weitekamp presents his paint-on window coatings and his company PolySpectra at Berkeley Lab's Cleantech Pitchfest on June 1, 2016.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

SF Cleantech Pitchfest: Nano Sponges for Carbon Capture

Berkeley Lab materials scientist, Jeff Urban presents his research on using metal-organic frameworks to capture carbon at Berkeley Lab's Cleantech Pitchfest on June 1, 2016. Removing excess carbon from an overheating atmosphere is an urgent and complicated problem. The answer, according to Berkeley Lab’s Jeff Urban, could lie at the nanoscale, where specially designed cage-like structures called metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, can trap large amounts of carbon in microscopically tiny structures. A Harvard PhD with expertise in thermoelectrics, gas separation and hydrogen storage, Urban directs teams at the Molecular Foundry’s Inorganic Materials Facility.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗