CleanStart Todos with Ryan Barr COO of Repurpose Energy

CleanStart Todos with Ryan Barr COO of Repurpose Energy

Our guest is RePurpose Energy cofounder, Ryan Barr. RePurpose Energy reuses electric vehicle batteries to create low-cost energy storage solutions.

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The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

Both California and New York have declared they want people to buy only EVs starting in 2035 and more states are considering joining the push.  But that leaves the existing 276 million gasoline and diesel vehicles still on the road in the US (31 million in California)...

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD voted to approve their 2030 plan. Make sure you read the Full Plan and Connect with SMUD. Here is the full board meeting Presentation ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses,...

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

What is one of the leading threats to the spread of solar PV installations in the US?  The lack of a good way to deal with old or broken panels from existing installations.  Fifty thousand tons of these are piling up in warehouses in the absence of a better solution. ...

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives,

Greenberg Traurig LLP, BlueTech Valley,

Buchalter, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science

at Sacramento State

Follow us on Social Media to keep upto date!

CEC’s EPIC forum goes virtual

CEC’s EPIC forum goes virtual

 

The annual EPIC forum is one of the best places to hear about what the California Energy Commission is doing with its $130 million in Electric Program Investment Charge funding. Historically everyone would converge on Sacramento for a convention bringing together a diverse set of industry leaders to share best practices, learn about emerging technology, and connect about future projects and partnerships.

You can read about how 2019 and 2018 went and see how much they impacted the future.

Now it has gone online.  You can register here. They are focusing on having several break-out discussion sessions to capture that networking feeling. Join in on September 2-3 for the first virtual CEC EPIC Forum to explore strategies to achieve zero net carbon in the built environment.

The lightning talks look exciting with several of our regional companies participating. Attendees will explore exciting industry advancements, learn what challenges exist in scaling them, and opportunities California and businesses can pursue to accelerate building decarbonization across all communities. As you register you can learn more about the agenda.

California’s goal to reach carbon neutrality in the energy sector by 2045 is a challenge that brings a unique opportunity to reimagine everything. This year the EPIC forum looks at carbon neutrality in new and existing building development. Using advanced technologies, new practices in architecture and construction, enhanced load flexibility, and incorporating innovative policy and financing models, California’s innovators are developing the blueprint to create super-efficient, all-electric buildings powered primarily by onsite renewable energy and capable of supporting the larger electric grid.

The EPIC Virtual Forum features, panels, breakouts, networking, and virtual exhibits.  If that excites you and you want to join the future, register here.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.

Sponsors

SMUD
ChicoSTART
RiverCity Bank

California Mobility Center, Revrnt, HumanBulb, Witanlaw, Eco-Alpha, Momentum

CleanStart ToDos with Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank.re

CleanStart ToDos with Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank.re

Our guest Jerremy Spillman is the Co-founder and CRO at Hank, an end-to-end, AI virtual building engineer that’s forever changing how buildings are managed! Recently, the company has experienced a surge in sales from office building owners who want their systems to circulate more fresh air into workspaces because of COVID-19. CleanStart To Do’s are a short online conversation about what you can add to your To Do list while observing the COVID-19 orders to self-isolate. Join us as we interview our featured guests and ask them for their recommendations on how entrepreneurs and innovators can not only cope, but thrive, during this unprecedented time.

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The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

Both California and New York have declared they want people to buy only EVs starting in 2035 and more states are considering joining the push.  But that leaves the existing 276 million gasoline and diesel vehicles still on the road in the US (31 million in California)...

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD voted to approve their 2030 plan. Make sure you read the Full Plan and Connect with SMUD. Here is the full board meeting Presentation ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses,...

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

What is one of the leading threats to the spread of solar PV installations in the US?  The lack of a good way to deal with old or broken panels from existing installations.  Fifty thousand tons of these are piling up in warehouses in the absence of a better solution. ...

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives,

Greenberg Traurig LLP, BlueTech Valley,

Buchalter, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science

at Sacramento State

Follow us on Social Media to keep upto date!

Spotlight July 2020

Spotlight July 2020

CleanStart, in collaboration with BlueTechValley, is launching a new investor pitch event for clean tech startups. Our goal is to increase awareness of these promising startups by hosting networking events to hear what these companies are doing and introducing them to a broad range of potential investors, supporters, and peers. July’s Spotlight Pitch featureed four companies who presented to a five-person panel who will provide each presenter feedback and then questions will be taken from the attendees.

The Companies

Check Out More:

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

The Other Path to Decarbonizing Transportation

Both California and New York have declared they want people to buy only EVs starting in 2035 and more states are considering joining the push.  But that leaves the existing 276 million gasoline and diesel vehicles still on the road in the US (31 million in California)...

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD 2030 Board Meeting

SMUD voted to approve their 2030 plan. Make sure you read the Full Plan and Connect with SMUD. Here is the full board meeting Presentation ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses,...

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

Green Products Creating Disposal and Recycling Challenges

What is one of the leading threats to the spread of solar PV installations in the US?  The lack of a good way to deal with old or broken panels from existing installations.  Fifty thousand tons of these are piling up in warehouses in the absence of a better solution. ...

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives,

Greenberg Traurig LLP, BlueTech Valley,

Buchalter, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science

at Sacramento State

Follow us on Social Media to keep upto date!

Helios Altas Getting Ready to Move to Scale in Small Hydropower

Helios Altas Getting Ready to Move to Scale in Small Hydropower

Helios Altas is getting ready to go big. We have reported on them in the past and they continue to hit new milestones.  They are now getting ready to scale, looking at manufacturing around the country. We hope they stay here. They certainly have opportunities to install their equipment in the state.

Clean energy advocates are of two minds on whether hydro should be counted as “green”.  Large hydroelectric dams supplied by huge reservoirs have been controversial as creating too much collateral environmental damage–destroying fish and wildlife habitat, interfering with fish migrations, trapping nutrient-rich silt, among other things.  As a result, there has been a compromise to favor only “small” hydro as part of the qualified renewable resources used to meet the 100% renewable goal or to qualify for funding from multilateral sources like the World Bank. Further, the expressed preference is for sites either where dams already exist but have never installed power generation turbines, or which do not require big water impoundments (“run of the river” installations).   However, the smaller the installation, the more costly it is in terms of cost per kilowatt. His solution overcomes many of those concerns and has been deployed in a variety of environments around the world while in demonstration mode.  

Helios Altas, founded by Mike Carrol and headquartered in Roseville, has taken a very clever, low-cost approach to come up with a simple device for taking advantage of even the smallest water flows. HIs device has a very elegant simple water wheel that requires only a channel to direct flows underneath it.  The company’s flagship products, PowerBall and PowerWheel produce clean electricity from moving water in canals, industrial water loops, rivers, tidal flows and the base of dams. They have been prototyping, deploying and confirming it is efficient enough to work in many circumstances. With this success, they are looking to move towards manufacturing and scaling to deploy the devices in California, where they already are used to power remote monitoring equipment, and in the rest of the world where they could power village microgrids.  They see applications to bring power to 900 million people in remote areas that currently do not have power. They have a great video explaining their device and its applications at the bottom of their home page.

Mike has had success in getting small irrigation districts and public power districts in the state interested and is working toward some substantial PPA agreements in the Philippines and Malaysia.  He has 1 kW and 2.5 kW units operating in demos and intends to produce units up to 10 kW in size. He believes he will soon see orders for 300 units. That would open up about two dozen new jobs to assemble and install the units.  

Helios Altas is one of the many companies in our region that have been working steadily and patiently for years to commercialize their innovations.  Now they seem ready to make a break-out move that will solidify their success for the future.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.

Sponsors

SMUD
ChicoSTART
RiverCity Bank

California Mobility Center, Revrnt, HumanBulb, Witanlaw, Eco-Alpha, Momentum