And the CTO winner is... EcoFactor
The Cleantech Open held its first ever national awards gala tonight, incorporating finalists from two new regional pageants in Seattle and Boulder along with the larger pool of entrants from the original California competition. Here's a quick recap of the contestants and national award winners.
November 17, 2009
The Cleantech Open, now in its fourth year, hails its annual awards gala as the "Academy Awards of Cleantech." There was perhaps more truth to the Hollywood metaphor this time around.
Although there's still plenty of substance to be found on the Expo floor, where companies put their prototype wares on display and the entrepreneurs remain the focus, the actual awards gala has become a somewhat vapid, self-congratulatory affair, with endless sponsor thanking and (my own personal pet peeve) introductions of the people who introduce the people who present the awards...
Anyway, I'll spare you the speeches and just report the results.
To set things up, there were twelve pageant contestants vying for the $250,000 grand prize package (of cash and services), as well as the even more valuable bright shiny media spotlight.
The organizers decided in advance (somewhat arbitrarily) to include in the running three finalists from each of this year's two new regional competitions (Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain), plus one company in each of the six industry segment categories from the deeper pool of entrants in the original California competition.
1. Alphabet Energy (Energy Efficiency): A novel thermo-electric material for efficient waste heat recovery, initially targeting heavy industry
2. Armageddon Energy (Renewables): A distinctive ruggedized PV module with integrated micro-inverter and frame that ships as an installation-ready flat pack
3. EcoFactor (Smart Power): home energy management as a SaaS -- EcoFactor remotely reads and programs your IP enabled thermostat, optimizing settings to achieve 20-30% HVAC energy savings.
4. FuelSaver (Transportation): Dynamically adjusting aerodynamic extensions to reduce drag and improve fuel economy in long haul trucking
5. Greenlite Motors (PNW): a 100 mpg hybrid urban three wheeler
6. Hydrovolts (PNW): an in-river water turbine
7. LivinGreen Materials (PNW): Dye-sensitized solar cell maker
8. MicroMidas (Air/Waste/Water): Turns sewage sludge into biodegradable plastics
9. NewSky Energy (Rocky Mountain): Scrub CO2 from the air (using some kind of proprietary catalyst electrolysis) and sequester the carbon in commodity products like limestone and baking soda.
10. Rivertop Renewables (Rocky Mountain): Glucaric acid as the miracle platform chemistry for various bio-friendly products, including phosphate free detergents, biodegradable diapers, fertilizers, etc.
11. Suntrac Solar (Rocky Mountain): Flat panel rooftop solar hot water concentrator using linear tracking
12. Tru2Earth (Green Building): Recycled plastic roofing materials made from PET plastic
The envelope please...
Well, okay, first you have to suffer through the minor door prizes like we did in the hall. There was a new $100,000 Global Award for entries from regions not currently covered by the CTO (as voted on by the audience in the hall via "text-in"), won by an innovative algae farming project in Puerto Rico.Then, we had the "people's choice" award (for bragging rights only), won by Alphabet Energy. Then, the "Sustainability" award (for the company that best incorporates sustainability practices into its own operations), won by Hydrovolts.
Did I mention the award for technical merit in a non-food biofuel? Just kidding...
Okay, now we finally get to the grand prize award announcements.
Second Runner Up: MicroMidas.
First Runner-Up: Alphabet Energy.
And the first ever CTO National Grand Prize goes to... EcoFactor.
I know the company well and can honestly say that the judges chose a worthy victor. Congratulations to John Steinberg, Scott Hublou, and company!
Matt Lecar is a veteran energy industry expert with 18 years in utilities, international business development, cleantech venture capital, and consulting. Most recently, he served as Fund Manager for the CalCEF Angel Fund, a first-in-kind seed stage fund focused exclusively on clean energy markets. This article is part of a series called "View from the Poletop" -- broad perspectives on the current state of markets in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and smart grid.