May 10, 2010

New Companies at Saratoga Technology + Energy Park® Signal Growth of Region’s Clean Energy Economy

tw telecom Opens State-of-the-Art Customer Co-Location Data Center at Malta Campus

State and federal officials Monday called recent business expansions at the Saratoga Technology + Energy Park (STEP) a sign of continued strength in the region’s clean energy economy.

In the last six months, four companies have located their operations and three have expanded their operations at STEP, which is owned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  In total, there are now 11 clean energy and environmental technology companies in STEP’s facilities in addition to the recently-inaugurated TEC-SMART (Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies), Hudson Valley Community College’s premier green technology training facility.

The most recent additions to STEP include nfrastructure Technologies, Inc., The Radiant Store, Inc., Clough Harbour & Associates, and tw telecom.  Companies that expanded their presence include The Building Performance Institute (BPI), C9 Corporation, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

Congressman Paul Tonko said, “The growth in the Saratoga Technology and Energy Park strengthens upstate New York’s reputation as a leader in high technology and clean energy deployment and development.  It’s a result of a bold vision coupled with a strong public-private partnership that has led to job growth and investment in the Capital Region, and we will  continue to build on this strong foundation for the future.

Assemblyman Tony Jordan said, “STEP has become the hub for clean and alternative energy research and development in Upstate New York. The unique concentration of knowledge and expertise at this Park represents a significant investment by New York and the companies located here, and will continue to attract the kind of businesses that Upstate New York needs to attract in order to grow this critical sector of our economy.

Francis J. Murray Jr., president and CEO of NYSERDA said: “By providing a community for forward- looking clean energy companies, STEP is playing an important role in the remarkable growth of the clean energy economy in Tech Valley and New York State.  These companies’ commitment to STEP represents confidence in the growing momentum of this sector in our region.

“The newest additions to STEP are innovative companies that fit perfectly in STEP’s unique knowledge community.  We welcome them to the Park and look forward to working with these companies and the rest of the STEP community to make STEP an anchor for our region’s economic growth,” Murray added.

Also at STEP today, tw telecom, a leading provider of managed voice, Internet, and data networking solutions for businesses, opened its state-of-the-art 13,000 square foot customer co-location data center at STEP’s 107 Hermes Road building.  The new facility, which received more than $70,000 in financial incentives from NYSERDA, is designed and equipped with energy efficient technologies that will significantly reduce electricity load.

"Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient technologies have been deployed in building the new tw telecom co-location facility. The assistance of NYSERDA’s New Construction program was essential in developing these designs," said Dan Maynard, vice president and general manager.  "Some of these technologies include:  utilizing high-efficiency chillers and a water-side economizer; employing a system known as “blanking;” high-efficiency T8 lights; and industry-leading security and fire suppression systems."

STEP’s knowledge-based community is a strategic location that enables companies to tap into a highly-skilled workforce and state-of-the-art facilities. It’s proximity to universities and clean energy manufacturing and research companies creates an opportunity for synergy and collaboration.

Last month, Hudson Valley Community College opened TEC-SMART at STEP.  This $13.5 million partnership between Hudson Valley and NYSERDA will train the technicians the Capital Region and New York’s clean energy and semiconductor businesses are expected to need in the future.  The facility includes advanced energy-saving measures and features more than a dozen classrooms and laboratories for workforce training in the clean tech and semiconductor industries.

Companies at STEP include:

• Auterra, Inc., a developer of patent-pending inorganic materials, has developed an environmentally-friendly flame retardant additive for plastics and coatings for solar photovoltaic thin film applications.
• The Building Performance Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting energy efficiency excellence in the building trades.
• C9 Corporation , an advanced semiconductor technology company that focuses on bringing their silicon-carbide technology to customer-specific applications and producing silicon carbide-based devices that are free of defects.
• Clough Harbour & Associates (CHA), named a top 100 US design firm by the Engineering News-Record, provides environmental, industrial, electrical, mechanical, transportation and traffic engineering as well as energy, landscape architecture, construction engineering, and technology services.
• Electrovaya, a world leader in the field of portable power solutions with its award-winning, patented Lithium Ion SuperPolymer^® battery technology.
• GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the world’s first truly global leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company.
• LINC is designed to build necessary connections among research, business, and financial communities to bring new, innovative lighting products to market, and increase research and development dollars invested in New York.
• Lockheed Martin Corporation, an advanced technology company, is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.
• nfrastructure Technologies, Inc. helps large enterprises design, build and operate mission-critical technology infrastructure by working with leading technology hardware and software vendors to provide comprehensive data center, network, security, unified communications, end-point, structured cabling, staffing and outsourcing solutions.
• The Radiant Store, Inc. is a diversified company specializing in the areas of renewable power, thermal solar hot water systems, integrated solar hydronic, and radiant heating systems.
• tw telecom, a leading provider of integrated and converged network solutions, provides managed network services specializing in Ethernet and transport data networking, Internet access, local and long distance voice, VoIP, VPN and security, to enterprise organizations and communications services companies throughout the U.S.

Visit Saratoga Technology + Energy Park for more information about the program.

Contact:
Jeffrey Gordon, NYSERDA
518-862-1090 ext. 3544
jrg@nyserda.ny.gov