64 PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY MAY 2016

Incubatenergy Network. Established in February 2015 by the Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, together with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, the Incubatenergy Network is a consortium of clean energy focused incubators.

Th e network connects these lead-ing incubators so they can share best practices and learn from their peers about eff ective strategies for supporting entrepreneurs in driving innovation in the energy industry. It is also fostering

Ron Schoff is the senior program manager for the Electric Power Research Institute’s Technology Innovation program, where he coordinates advanced R&D efforts across the organization to support changing needs within the utility industry. He holds a mas-ter’s of science in chemical engineering from Villanova University, and a bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Incubating the Technologies of TomorrowAn important conduit from entrepreneurship to commercialization.BY RON SCHOFF

Innovating Like Edison

W hat if the coating on a power plant’s condenser tubes was more durable and long-lasting? And what if a more durable coating also meant a reduc-tion in CO2 emissions? Th e industry may soon have a better grasp on

this thanks to a state-of-the-art hydrophobic coating being developed by NBD Nanotechnologies.

Would off shore wind farms be more plentiful with technology that is less obvi-ous and more scalable due to a turbine-less design? We may soon know the answer to this question as well. Accio Energy is redefi ning wind energy with advanced technology that generates energy from positively charged water droplets, with no moving parts or danger to wildlife.

the development of robust partnerships among members, while DOE, EPRI, NREL, and ultimately utilities and pub-lic stakeholders gain new insight on, and increased access to, clean energy innova-tors and innovations.

Just over a dozen incubators cur-rently in the network have supported upwards of 350 companies to date. Th e companies nurtured through this pro-cess provide a pre-vetted group of next-generation businesses with measurable success rates: over a billion dollars in follow-on funding, $330 million in rev-enue, and almost three thousand direct jobs are supported by these companies, with far larger regional economic impact overall.

Take for example NBD Nano-technologies. With support from the Greentown Labs incubator in Boston, NBD Nano has access to lower cost lab space. Th is has allowed the company to operate testing equipment to collect critical data.

Bringing innovative ideas such as these to life, or more importantly to market, can be a complex process for a budding entrepreneur attempting to navigate a world of business plans, marketing, branding and research and development. Th is is where clean energy incubators play a critical role, including with the aforementioned companies. As the power system continues to change at an unprecedented pace, providing the utility industry with innovative tech-nologies such as these is becoming more and more imperative.

Supporting this eff ort are regional incubators across the United States. Th e incubators provide entrepreneurs with access to mentorship, work space, funding opportunities, corporate partnerships and more. However, a need became apparent to bridge a gap between the excellent support provided by incubators and a successful product launch in what can be a crowded energy marketplace.

Now helping to fi ll that space is the

A need became apparent to bridge a gap between incubators and a successful product launch in a crowded energy marketplace.

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MAY 2016 PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY 65

break into new markets.Th e network also provides the

energy industry with a database of real technologies from real companies. EPRI is then able to dive even deeper to identify technologies within the network that are most relevant to our member utilities and to the needs identifi ed through our research. As an example, EPRI recently completed a

of the technology begins.NBD Nano and Accio are just two

of numerous success stories in the Incu-batenergy Network. Over the course of the network’s fi rst year in existence, many members have established formal partnerships allowing for the exchange of portfolio companies through a trusted system of referrals. Th is is help-ing entrepreneurs more effi ciently fi nd the resources they need to succeed and

Th is data in turn supported applica-tions for grant funding as well as pre-sentation opportunities. Th e equipment NBD operates at Greentown Labs was designed using CAD software provided through Greentown. Some parts were built in Greentown’s machine shop. NBD Nano has also received business development support through mentor-ship and networking opportunities.

NextEnergy, a Detroit-based incu-bator, is an important element in Accio Energy’s success, providing technical support in considering challenges that off shore wind energy faces, as well as the technical milestones the company needs to hit in order to land corporate partnerships. In addition, NextEnergy provided technical feedback and fi nan-cial commitments for R&D grant pro-posals that Accio submitted to DOE, including one that resulted in a $4.9 million award.

Th e company has also received sup-port from the Clean Energy Trust, CET, an energy accelerator supporting the Midwest region. Accio was a fi nalist in the 2015 CET Challenge, and has received support in making presenta-tions at large energy conferences such as the ARPA-E Innovation Summit. Both NextEnergy and CET will provide sup-port to Accio Energy as off shore testing

THE INCUBATOR NETWORKFIG. 1

The Incubatenergy Network consists of more than a dozen energy incubators across the U.S.

Accio Energy received incubator support for developing its wind energy technology.

Greentown Labs

NYC Acre

Electric Power Research Institute

(EPRI)

CLT Joules

Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)

Energy Excelerator

NextEnergy

Clean Energy Trust (CET)Innosphere

Oregon BEST

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(NREL)

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

Prospect Silicon Valley

Cleantech Open

Cyclotron Road

Members of the Incubatnergy Network attend a networking event last August.

(Cont. on page 67)

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Picture Energy

Photos contributed by Westar Energy.

66 PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY MAY 2016

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MAY 2016 PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY 67www.fortnightly.com

sumers and grid reliability. Consensus may be achieved, with

technological capabilities as policy option drivers. Th en, conveying the necessary information to the relevant stakeholders within each state will permit development of responsible state-centric regulatory reforms.

In the interest of stimulating discus-sion, I invite readers to off er alterna-tives. Th e aspiration is to stimulate productive discussions that result in actionable recommendations, just as we did at the several transmission summits in Kansas.

If there is a better, more achievable option, I will embrace it and join in promoting it. In the absence of such a better proposal, I encourage readers to consider who could convene a produc-tive work group, who should participate in the deliberations, and what specifi c topics can be addressed productively.

So that this entreaty results in action, I encourage you to send your suggestions to the editor of Public Utilities Fortnightly, who has agreed to collect, tabulate and report them. Send them to mitnick@fortnightly.com. PUF

rate-making purposes.■ Protecting Aff ordability and

Equity: distributed generators’ respon-sibility to non-participating custom-ers, technologies available to assist the low-income customer, to better manage their energy use.

Th ese are illustrative of issues that, taken individually, might enable con-sensual development of policy options appropriate for most jurisdictions. Such policies taken collectively could lead to a de facto comprehensive electric energy planning process for state regulators, policy-makers, utilities, and consumers.

Concluding ThoughtsTh e objective would not be to have a model or best practice recommenda-tion. Th e objective would instead have a template of issues, and possible policy and regulatory paths to facilitate utiliz-ing technological capabilities. And to stimulate development of responsible energy policies, while protecting con-

applied. A consensus outline can be the basis for identifying options for policy-makers and regulators.

Th e goal would be, to establish the necessary laws and rules permitting investment and operational options appropriate to their regions. Changes that will permit utilities and customers to monetize their opportunities. While protecting system reliability, aff ord-ability, resiliency, energy diversity, and low-income households.

Electric policies could be developed for:

■ Infrastructure: transmission, distributed generation, storage, ancil-lary services, and electric vehicles as grid support.

■ Analytics: to determine benefi ts and costs incurred by customers and utilities resulting from distributed generation, especially by multi-site commercial entities, promoting redun-dancy and resiliency requirements that establish value to the customer for

Th rough longer-term advanced R&D programs, the network is helping to identify technologies with high potential for public benefi t. And it’s supporting an important conduit from entrepreneur-ship to commercialization. PUF

Currently the Incubatenergy Net-work is focused on incubators in the United States. But the potential exists to expand internationally, to ensure we are looking at the best technologies to fi ll industry-wide needs.

research report on Accio’s wind technol-ogy, further examining the technology and path to commercialization.

EPRI is also able to fi ll critical R&D space by connecting start-ups with member utilities that may be able to provide opportunities for fi eld testing. Collecting this data can be the diff erence between an innovative idea and a marketable product. Th e network also provides opportunities for collaboration on advanced R&D initiatives EPRI is pursuing, that align with initiatives within the network.

Advertising Index

Advanced Control Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Burns & McDonnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

Duke-American Transmission Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover

EDF Renewable Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Energy Bar Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

InterSolar US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Innovating Like Edison(Cont. from p. 65)

Legislator’s Take(Cont. from p. 59)

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