December 16, 2010

NYSERDA-Supported Companies Gain National Recognition in 2010

Honors for Cutting-edge Energy Companies Show Growing Prominence for New York’s Clean Energy Economy

December 16, 2010 — This year, several “Made-in-New York” clean energy companies supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) received national recognition or reached significant milestones on their work to improve the environment, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and increase our use of renewable energy.

These companies include firms in Rochester and New York City that have developed plug-in tools to measure home energy use, a Troy company that is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing, an Ithaca business that turns CO2 into plastics and an Albany company that will make wind power more productive through better forecasting, among others.

“This has been a tremendous year of accomplishment for clean energy businesses who have worked with NYSERDA,” said NYSERDA President and CEO Francis J. Murray. “The success of our business partners continues to show that New York provides fertile ground for growing clean tech businesses. NYSERDA is proud to have played an integral role in the development of cutting edge technologies and companies all across New York State.”

NYSERDA's programs support the development and commercialization of innovative energy and environmental products and technologies through initiatives including a statewide network of business incubators, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, product development funding and others. More information can be found at the nyserda.ny.gov energy innovation and business development pages.

Here are some of the projects funded by NYSERDA that achieved significant milestones in 2010:

• NYC and Rochester companies recognized for tools to monitor electric use in homes: Clients of NYSERDA-supported incubators in Rochester and New York City were recognized for their products to help businesses and consumers monitor and manage their electric use. ThinkEco in New York City and Tenrehte Technologies Inc. in Rochester have both developed plug load monitoring systems that allow consumers to measure home energy use through a tool that plugs into a normal electrical outlet, measures power consumption, and reports the data wirelessly. Both companies received “Best in Show” awards: Tenrehte was named “Best of Green Technology” at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, while ThinkEco won the Consumer Electronics Association Line Show in New York City and was also awarded a Consumer Electronics Show innovations honor for early 2011.
• Troy Company Awarded Research Grant to Reduce Emissions in Manufacturing: Ceralink Inc. (Troy), a small woman-owned business specializing in advanced ceramics technologies was awarded a $900,000 R&D award from the US Department of Energy in May to support work on developing industrial processes that significantly reduce green house gas emissions and energy demand in high-quality manufacturing processes. Ceralink’s three projects to use microwave and radio frequencies for heating materials were among 48 projects nationwide selected by the USDOE for the Industrial Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge www.energy.gov/8943.htm. Ceralink has received $1.2 million of funding over the past ten years.
• Early-Stage companies in Schenectady and Highland win national business plan competition: Two companies supported by NYSERDA took top honors in a national technology business plan competition held in June. Ener-G-Rotors, Inc. (Schenectady), which manufactures generators that recover and convert waste heat into electricity, won the top prize of $25,000. Prism Solar Technologies, LLC (Highland), which designs and manufactures products to improve the efficiency of solar energy collection, received third place of $5,000. The competition, held by the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI) and the AC Net (Anaheim Center for New Energy Technologies), attracted 60 finalists from across the nation. These two companies have received about $1.7 million each from NYSERDA to help their businesses grow.
• Ithaca manufacturer noted as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the World: In March, Ithaca-based Novomer was recognized as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Technology Review. Novomer, which is pioneering high-performance environmentally-responsible polymers, also was awarded $18.4 million in July in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to produce polymers and plastics that use CO2 as the primary raw material and has received $475,000 of NYSERDA funding. http://www.technologyreview.com/companywatch/tr50/
• Syracuse incubator cited as international leader: The Clean Tech Center, a Syracuse-based business incubator funded by the NYSERDA, was recognized by national audiences for its work to grow central New York’s clean energy economy. In July, received the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s 2010 Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise award for its work to promote sustainable business practices. In February, The Clean Tech Center was selected one of the “Top 10 Global Cleantech Cluster Organizations 2010” in a report produced by Sustainable World Capital. Syracuse’s Clean Tech Center is currently ranked second in the United States. cleantech.com/news/5640/top-10-cleantech-clusters.
• Battery developers in New York and Niskayuna secure major federal contracts: In a highly competitive environment, two members of the NYSERDA-funded New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY-BEST) Consortium received $5.5 million for projects to increase America's competitiveness in grid-scale energy storage from the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The City University of New York received two contracts of $4.6 million to develop products to improve connections and reduce cost in connecting renewable power to the electric grid, GE Global Research Center (Niskayuna) received a $950,000 award to develop a component that supports better connections between solar photovoltaics and the electrical grid. NY-BEST is an industry-led coalition working to build and promote a vibrant, world-class, advanced battery and energy storage sector in New York State. http://www.ny-best.org/
• Albany windpower consultant wins major award from Department of Energy: AWS Truepower, an innovative clean energy company that has grown with the assistance of NYSERDA, in September received an award of $2.2 million from the Department of Energy to help enhance the use wind power. The funding, which will allow the company to improve short-term wind forecasting, will help accelerate the use of wind power in electricity transmission networks by allowing utilities and grid operators to more accurately forecast when and where electricity will be generated from wind power.
• Green materials company recognized as international environmental leader: Ecovative Design of Green Island, which makes packing foam out of compostable materials such as mushroom roots and seed husks, was named a “Technology Pioneer for 2011” by the World Economic Forum – one of about 30 companies worldwide to be named. The company uses the biochemical machinery of mushrooms to create a resin similar to plastic, but which is much more environmentally friendly.
• Innovative energy storage company wins technology award: Ioxus Inc. of Oneonta, a manufacturer of innovative electronics for the military, transportation and alternative energy markets, received a Technology of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan for its work in the ultracapacitor market. Ultracapacitors are rechargeable storage devices that prolong the life of other energy sources, such as batteries. Frost & Sullivan is a worldwide consulting firm that works with growing companies.

More information on these and other NYSERDA R&D projects can be found at: NYSERDA Energy Innovation and Business Development.

Contact:

Alan Wechsler
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3561