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Friday, April 10, 2009
Regional Spotlight: Beyond Massachusetts
A clean tech kick for New England
By Mass High Tech staff
MHT's Efrain Viscarolasaga: Preparing the smart grid for more power
MHT's Efrain Viscarolasaga: Solar installation booms in New England
MHT reporter Efrain Viscarolasaga on NECN: Green tech brings jobs back to Mass.
For months, advocates of clean tech have positioned it as a vehicle for economic recovery, with New England’s clean tech cluster leading the way. Now that the president’s economic stimulus initiative is in place, we asked CEOs of several New England clean tech companies about the bill’s impact on their sector, and what else government can do to spur the energy economy.
How confident are you that the stimulus funds targeted at clean tech will help your specific industry sector thrive in the years ahead? Why?
Energy management
Tim Healy
CEO, EnerNOC Inc.
www.enernoc.com
“From a direct funding perspective, the stimulus package won’t have a direct impact on EnerNOC’s business, as the business model is specifically designed to not rely on government subsidies. That said, there are non-monetary benefits that will help drive EnerNOC’s growth. Most notably, the stimulus bill sends a clear message from the federal government that it expects state public utility commissions to put the appropriate incentives and regulatory structures in place to spur more demand-side initiatives by utilities. There is also the tangential benefit that as more money is spent on the smart grid infrastructure, that creates more opportunity for the applications, like demand response and monitoring-based commissioning, which really make the smart gird “smart.”
Fundamentally, the investment in smart grid contained in the bill is aligned with the overall mission of our business: to deploy the most cost effective, cleanest and quickest-to-market energy resources that can address society’s environmental concerns, help bring supply and demand into balance, enhance reliability for utilities and help keep electricity prices low.
Natural gas conversion and CO2 capture
Andrew Perlman
President and CEO,
GreatPoint Energy Inc.
www.greatpointenergy.com
The stimulus package, if implemented in a timely and efficient manner, has the potential to accelerate our business through a greater focus on commercialization of clean technologies. Thus far, government energy funding has largely been at the laboratory stage but President Obama, Secretary Chu, Gov. Patrick and Secretary Bowles recognize the need for greater focus on commercialization to enable technologies to move from lab to pilot, demonstration and full-scale development. In the case of GreatPoint, we are ready for full-scale deployment and we could benefit from (Department of Energy) loan guarantees, equity support, accelerated siting and approval processes, a portfolio standard and carbon reduction legislation, and government clean energy purchasing requirements. Stimulus funding is just one piece of this package, but it is clear that Congress and the DOE are intent on extending and enhancing the stimulus to broaden the level of benefits to the sector and to transform our energy production, transportation, deliver and consumption in a dramatic fashion in the coming years.
Polyvoltaic materials
Rick Hess
President and CEO,
Konarka Technologies Inc.
www.konarka.com
I believe that the stimulus package will support and help grow the solar sector. The R&D and manufacturing incentives will contribute strong support to research, as well as the manufacture of new generation technologies, such as those of Konarka. The fact that our manufacturing plant in New Bedford is located in a challenged economic zone should further enhance our ability to be considered for benefits of the stimulus package.
Wind energy
Paul Gaynor
CEO, First Wind Inc.
www.firstwind.com
We are confident that the stimulus package will have a positive impact on the wind industry. By providing tax incentives to developers such as First Wind, the government has put in a mechanism that will continue the growth of wind-related projects, which is critical during a time when financing for capital-intensive projects is challenging. In addition, with a number of shovel-ready projects ready to go, First Wind is precisely the kind of company that can make an immediate impact on the economy as a driver for both short term construction and long-term green-collar jobs.
What more can the federal and state governments do to help New England be a leader in clean tech and contribute to a national economic recovery?
HEALY: At the federal level, the biggest thing the government can do is keep the pressure on state public utility commissions to explore and adopt incentive structures and policies that put energy efficiency and demand-side solutions on equal or better footing with traditional generation resources, which creates a more favorable market for technology solutions like those being developed right here in Massachusetts. On a local level, there’s been a lot of forward-looking policy and initiatives, and now it’s just time to execute. That means investing in the solutions that are being developed right in our backyard.
We believe that there’s substantial peak-demand savings opportunity in Massachusetts that could be unlocked if we really walked the walk, and made sure that utilities and businesses looked to efficiency and demand response first, employing all cost effective measures available before building more infrastructure or operating dirty, less efficient power plants.
PERLMAN: Although New England holds the No. 2 spot for venture-backed clean tech companies when compared to California, political support is still fairly new. There is still a lack of support in the New England region for early-stage ventures trying to commercialize groundbreaking technologies, but there are measures that can go a long way to stimulating New England’s clean tech industry.
• In California, two of the biggest state pension funds have made a commitment to investments in clean tech. Similar commitments in New England pensions could have a major impact.
• Catch the attention of serial entrepreneurs and bring them in at the earliest stages to create a burgeoning clean tech environment.
• Investors and businesses need to lobby the state and federal governments for more clean-energy incentives, rebate programs, and regulatory standards.
• Follow California’s lead and pass strong climate change and stiff environmental regulations and generous tax incentives to create a huge market.
• New England’s representatives in Washington, D.C., could do much more to bring Department of Energy research and commercialization dollars to the region.
HESS: I think Massachusetts specifically is doing a considerable amount already in supporting clean tech through its solar incentive plan, as well as its support for wind and biofuels. Konarka has received loan support from the state throughout its development. I think both state and federal programs should continue to support the development and deployment of new clean technologies and work to attract new companies to the region and encourage those already here to expand and grow in New England. New England has the knowledge base and university system to support these new technology developments locally and we must continue to leverage this strength.
GAYNOR: In addition to the federal stimulus, we believe that states play a critical role in encouraging the development of the wind industry. For example, here in Massachusetts, Gov. Patrick and the Legislature have taken key steps by establishing aggressive goals for wind power (2,000 MW by 2020) and through the establishment of the Energy Facilities Siting Commission and the passage of the Green Communities Act.
The state of Maine has really stepped up under the leadership of Gov. Baldacci, which is why First Wind has built so many projects within the state. The Northeast is the cornerstone of our wind development efforts, and we believe that New England has the potential to be a leader for wind power if states continue on this path.
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