The Leading Lights of Midwest Cleantech

Life-changing technologies like the automobile, personal computer, and even electric lighting all once faced the same challenges of public perception now faced by clean technology.  Following their inception, these were written off as “novelties”, or “luxuries for the wealthy”, before they went on to take the world by storm. Cleantech is now at this tipping point – emphasised by the fact that governments across the world, including the UK, recognise the need to break their fossil fuel habit. These ideas were part the keynote speech delivered by Ira Ehrenpreis, partner at venture capital firm Technology Partners and specialist in the cleantech sector, at the Clean Energy Challenge (CEC), held last week in Chicago. UKTI were sponsoring this fascinating event, which gave me the opportunity to attend and open my eyes to the rich supply of talented entrepreneurs and innovative cleantech companies developing across the Midwest. The challenge showcased 17 Midwestern businesses in Student and Early-Stage categories, each offering tangible cleantech solutions to everyday problems with the ultimate goal of reducing fossil fuel dependence.

Ehrenpreis emphasised that we stand at the edge of a cleantech revolution and must strive for “cleaner, better, cheaper” technologies coupled with sustainable business models. With government support, universities and small companies will be the driving force in developing disruptive clean technologies, and it is companies like those showcased at CEC that represent the future of energy generation, supply, and efficiency.

In the $100,000 Student Challenge, the innovations on display ranged from redesigned wind turbines to algal bioreactors for wastewater treatment. Bearing Analytics (Purdue University) took home the prize with an invention that spoke directly to the rich manufacturing heritage of the Midwest. Their sensing system for bearing failure prevention targets the rail and wind industries, increasing efficiency and potentially prevents losses of up to $50bn per year. The technologies competing for the $100,000 Early Stage Challenge were similarly diverse, including an online service company with an innovative financial model to help businesses and homeowners upgrade their properties to save energy. Top honors went to LuminAID (Chicago) for a solar-powered inflatable camping lamp designed for humanitarian aid to be deployed at refugee camps and in the aftermath of natural disasters. Their inspiration came from the 2010 Haiti earthquake when the inventors realized that light was as essential to aid as food, water and shelter. Their “Give a Light, Get a Light” scheme encourages customers to purchase additional lamps to send to the developing world.

With the Green Deal and Electricity Market Reform, the UK has taken significant strides towards a cleantech future – the Green Deal enables homes and businesses to make energy-saving improvements to their homes without having to pay the costs up front. The US is also pioneering cleantech:  Dr David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy emphasised the US’s commitment to cleantech, especially electric vehicles. Aiding this effort is the new $120m battery storage research hub based at Argonne National Lab whose goal is to develop batteries with 5x capacity, for 1/5 cost, in 5 years. This ambition underlines the importance of government in supporting risky projects in which companies alone would be unable to invest.

Despite its recent economic difficulties, the Midwest remains the manufacturing base of America – with a skilled workforce and world-class research universities, the Midwest will play a key role in facilitating the cleantech transition. This conference emphasized to me that we are on the verge of cleantech becoming as common a part of the energy mix as oil and gas. The UK has heavily invested in cleantech and it was reassuring to see organizations like the Clean Energy Trust pushing forward this agenda in the US. With the help of the Science & Innovation network and UKTI, perhaps some of these technologies will cross the pond and into British homes as part of the Green Deal. Watch this space for LuminAID as they march on to the national finals and look out for their solar, inflatable lamps at a camping store near you!