(photo credit: Martin Abegglen)
California’s cleantech industry has gained a lot of momentum the past few years. In fact, some in the industry would tout the Golden State as a cleantech leader with cities like Oakland and San Jose ranking among the greenest cities in the country.
The cleantech industry not only helps the state’s environment but helps elevate the state’s economy to a new level, creating thousands of jobs and bringing billions of investment dollars to the state.
“We talk about sustainability. We talk about livable cities. You’re not going to get there through incremental changes with technology. If we can support businesses who are thinking in a new way and support solutions that really are going to help move the needle, I think that’s going to have not just an impact on the economy, but it’s going to have an impact on the environment of the Bay Area and regional centers across the U.S.,” said Doug Davenport, executive director of Prospect Silicon Valley.
Prospect SV, recently launched in San Jose, will help “support innovators in clean energy technology and help them commercialize their technology by putting them into demonstration space or to help them with other resources that allow them to test or introduce their product in that market.”
What does the cleantech market include? Building energy efficiencies, energy storage, smart grids, renewable energy and clean transportation.
The nonprofit organization will partner with cities, within the region, “who are seeking new solutions that bring their cities closer to sustainability and partner with innovators globally to bring solutions to the table that could have a great impact.”
So far, there are 100 cleantech firms in San Jose alone.
To further support cleantech innovators, Prospect SV will be operating the San Jose Demonstration Center set to open in spring 2014. The facility will have state-of-the-art labs, simulators, equipment and office space.
“We see SV as a place where things are going to happen first and so we’ve got an opportunity to put those high impact solutions on stage here,” said Davenport.
Promoting new business formation and job creation in the Silicon Valley through the next generation of cleantech innovation–that’s a successful combination.
“What we’re going to be doing together is learn a business model that accelerates really important solutions that can be a catalyst for how cities are built all while supporting the regional and state economies,” said Davenport.
