Created by the U.S. Division of Power (DOE) to assist commercialize clear power applied sciences, the Power Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) supplies grants to incubators supporting power innovation and improvement throughout the USA. With a 30 % decline in local weather tech enterprise capital funding in 2023, federal help is important to kick beginning new firms tackling local weather change.
The EPIC Awards are in the course of their third spherical of grants and have improved upon their supply mannequin to maximise their affect. Recipients transfer by way of two levels of the competitors with money prizes at every stage as they advance. The EPIC Spherical 3 will award $4 million to “the nation’s most revolutionary incubators supporting power startups and entrepreneurs,” in line with the EPIC web site.
The winners from the second spherical of grants had been introduced on the finish of 2023. We linked with every of them to learn the way they’re accelerating clear power improvements of their communities.
From reimagining manufacturing in Appalachia to transportation in Michigan, these facilities are supporting their native communities and serving to them face the distinctive challenges for every of their areas as employers and jobs transition to a extra sustainable financial system.
The Deployment Engine (Charleston, West Virginia) — Launched by ADL Ventures, The Deployment Engine (TDE) is an accelerator based mostly in Appalachia that helps widespread deployment of revolutionary decarbonization applied sciences within the building trade. Specializing in options that advance the sphere of “industrialized building,” an strategy to creating buildings utilizing manufacturing methods, TDE invests in firms which have a excessive decarbonization potential by way of using lower-embodied carbon constructing supplies and improved operational power effectivity. “With an emphasis on ‘studying by doing,’” stated Program Supervisor Alyssa Watson, “TDE focuses on creating buyer (vs. investor) deal movement and touchdown our start-ups their preliminary clients to ignite an industrialized building ecosystem in Appalachia.”
TDE’s location within the Appalachia group supplies a worthwhile function in “revitalizing its financial system by fostering a brand new startup ecosystem round industrialized building, which is repurposing previous belongings (factories, mills, underused rail) to supply jobs and deploy industrialized inexpensive housing for the locals,” stated Colby Sawnson, an government in residence at ADL Ventures.
REACH (Fort Collins, Colorado) — Based mostly on Colorado’s Entrance Vary, REACH helps entrepreneurs on the nexus of meals, power and water (FEW) programs.
REACH is utilizing the EPIC grant to “assist affiliated early-stage startups residing on the FEW nexus as they navigate the complexities of commercializing applied sciences,” stated Jeff Muhs, managing director of accelerator applications at Colorado State College. “In communities throughout our area, power and meals manufacturing often produce wastewater and compete for restricted fresh-water sources, and power is required to pump water for irrigation, to deal with wastewater, and to course of and transport all three commodities.”
Examples “embody agriculture waste-to-energy programs minimizing water use and co-located dryland agriculture and photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure, or ‘agrivoltaics,’” Muhs stated.
Ascend (Hadley, Massachusetts and Detroit) — Ascend by VentureWell, in partnership with TechTown, helps “hard-tech startups addressing power and mobility challenges,” stated Christina Tamer, vice chairman of ventures at Enterprise Effectively. It’s based mostly in Michigan, the middle of the American automotive trade for greater than a century. By “partaking a various group by way of regional partnerships,” Tamer stated, Ascend allows the adoption of zero-emission autos, power storage and charging, and promotes security and power effectivity in transportation.
Ascend’s six-week accelerator program is designed “to bridge the hole between buyer discovery and funding readiness,” stated Tamer.
LabStart (Golden, Colorado) — LabStart“is a hybrid local weather tech startup studio and incubator,” stated Megan Holcomb, the group’s chief working officer. It takes an “equity-centric program mannequin” to “uplift passionate individuals and leading edge improvements from the earliest attainable levels — earlier than an organization is shaped and earlier than a clear power expertise is licensed.” LabStart is tackling the shortage of range in clear power entrepreneurship by serving to startups navigate the complexities of commercializing expertise birthed within the laboratory. They’re utilizing the EPIC Prize funds to “present gifted entrepreneurs from socially or economically deprived backgrounds with people-first capability constructing, entry to important networks, entry to private and non-private capital, and Nationwide Lab licensing experience and steerage,” stated Holcomb.
“By demonstrating the success of underrepresented entrepreneurs in deep local weather tech innovation,” stated Holcomb, “we hope systemically underserved communities can be impressed to enter local weather entrepreneurship in the event that they see success from friends with relatable life histories.”
