The programme, funded by the US Department of Energy, also aims to connect critical industry and energy sector partners and advance clean energy technologies emerging from universities and federal laboratories. The network, through its website, networking opportunities and identifying industry best practices, provides nationwide coordination in order to address the unique challenges facing energy start-ups.
Over time, the website will include funding, laboratory and event resources in addition to an evaluation tookit that will recommend resources specifically targeted to guide start-ups, based on their commercialisation readiness level.
“This website of resources and tools for incubators and entrepreneurs will serve as a focal point of the network” said Matt Ringer, NREL's project manager. “With our past experience building databases for a variety of related energy resources, NREL is well positioned to develop this type of resource for the clean tech industry.”
Beth Hartman, EPRI's project manager for the new network, added that with the issues consistently seen when transferring clean energy technologies to the market, this type of incubation is particularly challenging. To address these issues, the network will help leading incubators in the clean energy industry learn from each other how to best find resources for supporting entrepreneurs. This will include connecting them with innovative partners from established industry leaders.
“Start-ups in the energy industry, unlike other industries, typically require more capital, longer timelines, and intense networking to commercialize workable technologies” Hartman said. “This community will provide a smart focus on early stage clean tech incubation to meet strategic needs in the energy industry. In the end, our collaboration will support new technologies in energy that add diversity to our energy mix, reduce pollutants and create a more flexible power system for our nation.”
EPRI is aiming to serve as the convening force behind building greater success for innovation across the industry by sharing strategies and helping to facilitate connections between leaders in the clean energy incubator space. The company is also working, along with the NREL website, to help organise a variety of in-person and virtual events aimed at sharing best practices on both incubation techniques and clean energy technologies.
The first of these will be a workshop at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, Feb. 9-11. Later this year, a national summit will bring together an entire marketplace: start-ups, incubators, clean energy investors, and industry participants.
The Clean Energy Incubator Network is also planning to establish a SmartIncubation programme, in which the network will publish the results of its clean tech start-up analysis every six months, identifying and recommending best practices and strategies.
For additional information:
Clean Energy Incubator Network
