Innovator

Governor Deval Patrick today announced that the Massachusetts clean energy sector saw double-digit job growth for the third consecutive year and now employs more than 88,000 workers in the Commonwealth.

The 2014 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, released on Monday at the Boston Green Academy in Brighton, shows that the clean energy sector has grown by nearly 50 percent since 2010 and now includes 88,372 employees and 5,985 businesses. From July 2013 to July 2014, clean energy jobs in Massachusetts grew by 10.5 percent.

“We have long believed that a strong commitment to investing in clean energy would not only provide significant environmental benefits, but would also serve as an economic catalyst in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Patrick. “This sustained job growth proves our strategy is working and working well.”

The Massachusetts clean energy sector is now a $10 billion industry, responsible for 2.5 percent of Massachusetts’ Gross State Product. Employers are optimistic about the future, predicting a 13.3 percent jump in clean energy employment over the next year, with clean energy employment expected to surpass 100,000 in early 2015.

“The Patrick Administration’s framework and focus on clean energy as an economic driver have positioned the Commonwealth for sustained growth for years to come,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett.

“The clean energy industry is no longer a niche sector of the Massachusetts economy,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton. “It’s a vibrant market with jobs spanning all aspects of the supply chain and across a wide breadth of technologies.”

For the second consecutive year, the southeastern region, with 22 percent job growth, is the fastest growing Massachusetts clean energy economy. Statewide, energy efficiency jobs are the largest segment of the clean energy workplace with 65,000 workers, and energy efficiency employment makes up half of the jobs at clean energy startup companies. Renewable energy employment accounts for 21,000 jobs with more than 12,000 of those jobs related to Massachusetts’ growing solar industry.

“The consistent job growth in the Commonwealth’s clean energy sector over the last four years shows that the combination of forward-thinking clean energy policies and a strong innovation economy is the right way to grow an industry,” said NECEC President Peter Rothstein. “Today’s report proves that the clean energy sector is an economic engine here and is poised to accelerate the region’s economy to global leadership if we continue to lead on smart policies that support this industry.” 

Seven years ago, Governor Patrick crafted a clean energy plan for Massachusetts and, with the support of the Legislature, passed three progressive clean energy laws: the Green Communities Act, the Green Jobs Act and the Global Warming Solutions Act. These ambitious policies not only sought to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but transforming the energy marketplace to create clean energy business opportunities and jobs. In 2007, Massachusetts had 3 megawatts of solar capacity and 3 megawatts of wind capacity. Today there are 643 megawatts of solar and 103 megawatts of wind installed. Massachusetts is number one in the nation for energy efficiency for a third consecutive year according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Massachusetts was ranked by Clean Edge in 2014 as No. 1 in the nation for clean energy policy and clean energy investments per capita.

These strong local policies have driven creation of a highly competitive global cluster in which companies are increasingly selling to international markets. As part of the Patrick Administration’s Innovation Missions abroad, cleantech companies have announced a series of new international business collaborations. Earlier this month, French-based global building materials corporation Saint-Gobain announced it would operate a research and development test facility at Greentown Labs – a cleantech startup business incubator in Somerville. In March, Boston-based Digital Lumens traveled to Mexico alongside the Governor to mark its new partnership with Mexican-based food storage and distribution company Frialsa, which deployed Digital Lumens’ LED lighting system technologies across 10 facilities in nearly one million square feet of space. Boston-based EnerNOC, Inc. and Japan’s Marubeni Corporation announced a joint venture in December 2013 to provide energy efficiency technology to customers in Japan. 

The 2014 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, prepared for MassCEC by BW Research Partnership, includes a breakdown of company and employment data by technology sector and geographic region, as well as information on workforce trends.

“WeSpire has thrived in the state of Massachusetts due to unparalleled access to top talent, a robust investment community, and innovative companies willing to be early customers,” said Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder and CEO Boston-based WeSpire. “We’re extremely appreciative of the hard work the Patrick administration has done to help create the most dynamic clean-tech cluster in the world -- and proud to be a part of it.”

“Massachusetts is a great place to start and grow a clean energy company, and the Patrick Administration has made it a priority to lead the nation in energy innovation through the MassCEC and smart legislation,” said Tod Hynes, founder and president of Brighton-based XL Hybrids Inc. “XL Hybrids almost doubled its workforce in 2014 to meet rapid growth in demand for its fuel saving, hybrid electric powertrain technology for commercial fleets. The region’s clean energy ecosystem including MIT and other leading universities and companies is truly world-class.”

“The clean energy sector is one of the most vibrant parts of the Commonwealth, and owes a tremendous debt to the leadership of Governor Patrick and his office and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center team, which have both provided unwavering support, visibility and focus,” said Tom Pincince, president and CEO of Digital Lumens. “Our employee base has more than doubled over the past two years, with a sustained focus on hiring military veterans, in addition to providing career paths for paid interns and co-ops from the Commonwealth’s many colleges and universities.” 

“While the world is our marketplace with operations in North America, China and Australia, Boston is our home and we are proud to have added over 30 team members at our global headquarters in Massachusetts over the past year,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of Boston-based Oasys Water Inc. “The innovation and water industry ecosystems here in Massachusetts are second to none, and we have great access to world-class talent and facilities, which makes Boston a great place to build a global water company.”

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton today announced MassCEC is now accepting applications for the fall session of the 2014 Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Internship Program.

The program provides paid internship opportunities for college students and recent graduates at Massachusetts-based clean energy companies. With 80,000 people working in the Massachusetts clean energy sector, the internship program helps to train the next generation with the skills needed to succeed in this growing industry.

Clean energy businesses interested in hosting an intern, and current students as well as and recent graduates looking to apply to the program can find out more information by visiting the program’s website page at www.masscec.com/intern.

During this session, MassCEC will provide Massachusetts-based clean energy companies with stipends of up to $12 per hour for up to 10 weeks for each full-time intern, with a cap of $2,400 per intern.

Over the past three summers, the program has placed well over 871 students and recent graduates in internships at more than 224 clean energy companies across the state. As a result of the internship program, more than 54 students gained full-time or part-time employment.

Governor Deval Patrick today announced the winners of the first Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIIP) water innovation challenge. The Governor made this announcement with Israeli Chief Scientist Avi Hasson during the U.S. - Israel Connected Summit “Going Global with Water Tech” forum. Following the forum, Governor Patrick joined representatives from Massachusetts-based Desalitech Inc., Director General of the Israel Ministry of Economy Amit Lang, representatives from the City of Ra’anana, the Israel Water Authority and City of Newton Mayor Setti Warren to celebrate the start of construction on a new municipal water treatment facility in the City of Ra’anana.

“Addressing global water challenges requires innovation and investment in new technology, water management practices and infrastructure improvements,” said Governor Patrick. “Today’s announcements emphasize the innovative ideas resulting from the collaboration between Massachusetts and Israel. I look forward to our continued progress in making Massachusetts a leader for water innovation.”

This year’s MIIP winners, Triton Systems of Chelmsford and Applied Cavitation Technologies (ACT) of Israel, will be awarded joint funds of $250,000 from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and approximately $250,000 from Israel’s Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), which implements MIIP through MATIMOP, the Israeli Industry Center for R&D.

The goal of the MIIP challenge is to reward companies in Massachusetts and Israel for partnering together to develop efficient clean water technologies.  The companies will use the funding to develop and test devices to help reduce the amount of sewage sludge generated in the treatment of wastewater. Governor Patrick also announced today that MassCEC will provide up to $250,000 for a new round of the MIIP clean technology funding challenge, which will again be launched in partnership with MATIMOP. Challenge applications will be accepted later this year.

"Our long standing relationship with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has yielded great joint collaborations and we are looking forward to continuing to support and foster economic growth in both regions, focusing on areas of common interests, via R&D collaboration,” said Avi Hasson, Israel's Chief Scientist. "We are happy to see MIIP’s steady evolvement as a sustainable program for leveraging innovation and growth, and appreciate Governor Patrick's vision and leadership in initiating this collaboration.”

The MIIP was launched in 2011 as a direct result of Governor Patrick’s first Innovation Partnership Mission to Israel. During that ten-day trade mission in March 2011, a coalition of the state’s leading business executives and senior government officials explored growth opportunities of common interest for Massachusetts’ and Israel’s innovation industries. During that mission Governor Patrick and Shalom Simhon, Israeli Minister of Economy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Jerusalem resulting in this partnership.  

During today’s forum, Governor Patrick also announced MassCEC will work with MATIMOP and Israel NEWTech (an arm of the Israel Ministry of Economy) to launch the Global Water Innovation Network (Global WIN), a new initiative founded by Massachusetts and Israel, and intended to include potential partners around the world to collectively advance the adoption of water technologies in global markets.

“Massachusetts and Israel have forged a strong partnership around our shared goals of solving the world’s greatest water challenges,” said MassCEC Chief Executive Officer Alicia Barton. “This new water innovation challenge, coupled with the formation of Global WIN, will ensure that this collaboration continues, driving the deployment of cutting edge technologies and positioning Massachusetts and Israel to capture the economic benefits of this growing sector.”

"Our collaboration with the State of Massachusetts, and in particular with MassCEC, will continue to focus on challenges that the innovative industries in both states can jointly address", said Israel Shamay, head of the Office of the Chief Scientist's Americas Operations. "The next program round will focus on providing environmental and energy efficiency solutions for the oil and gas industry, and a special emphasis will be given to joint projects addressing beta sites and demonstration phase of the R&D process."

"Israel NewTech is very pleased to take part in building a global network of water Eco-system, together with MassCEC,” said Oded Distel, Director of Israel NEWTech. “Innovative water tech companies are facing similar challenges across the world. We believe that this kind of collaboration can assist introducing innovative products and services to the global market."

“The scale and complexity of our global water challenges are such that they cannot be addressed by yesterday’s solution,” said Chairman of the New England Water Innovation Network Earl Jones. “We must innovate – and innovate faster. Cooperation between two of the world’s leading hubs of water innovation, Massachusetts and Israel, as well as future members of Global WIN, is energizing in both its vision and potential.”

Desalitech Inc.’s new municipal water treatment facility in the City of Ra’anana will purify water from an old municipal well that closed because its nitrate content rose above public health limits for public consumption. The innovative plant will be built by Desalitech for Mei Raanana, the water corporation for the City of Ra’anana, and supply enough high-quality drinking water for 18,000 city residents daily. 

“A primary goal of the project was to implement a best-in-class solution, achieving high quality drinking water while reducing production costs and environmental aspects. Desalitech’s solutions are uniquely capable of purifying water with maximum water use efficiency while consuming less energy than any other system we considered,” said Boaz Friedman, CEO of Mei Ra’anana. “This system represents a sustainability plan that will provide a reliable water source to the city.”

“It is a great pleasure for me to stand with our Israeli and Massachusetts friends and contemplate the extraordinary growth we have had in the last year,” said Nadav Efraty, CEO of Desalitech. “The world needs high efficiency water and wastewater treatment far more than most realize, and Desalitech’s products are unrivaled in their ability to meet this challenge. However, we could not be saving the water and costs that we are without the partnership and endorsement we have gotten both in the US and in Israel.”

"Desalitech is a success story that reflects the importance and vitality of the Massachusetts Israel economic relationship, and we are glad they call Newton home,” said Mayor Setti Warren. “I am thrilled to join them on Governor Patrick's mission as they announce this exciting new initiative in Israel."

Desalitech Inc., previously based in Israel, relocated to Massachusetts last year, following Governor Patrick's trade mission to Israel in 2011. The company focuses on reverse osmosis processes for industrial and agricultural water and wastewater treatment, greatly reducing negative ecological impacts while improving the productive and responsible use of natural resources. Desalitech was named in the 2013 Global Cleantech 100 as a top company in clean technology.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton today announced $191,000 in grants to boost energy efficiency job training programs across the Commonwealth. 

The grants are part of MassCEC’s Green Workforce: Energy Efficiency program and are geared towards programs focused on giving students the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of energy efficiency.

“We must work hard to train the next generation of clean energy workers if we want to achieve our ambitious energy and environmental goals,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett, chair of the MassCEC Board of Directors. “The Green Workforce program allows students to gain the knowledge and experience they need for careers in this growing field.”

“With more than half of Massachusetts’ clean energy workers focused on energy efficiency, we must make sure that growing companies have access to a skilled workforce as they expand in the Commonwealth,” said Barton.

Programs receiving funding through this program are:

Medford Vocational Technical High School (Medford) - $48,102 – Medford Vocational High School will purchase equipment to aid in the training of construction and engineering students in careers that promote high efficiency and sustainable energy for residential and commercial properties.

North Shore Community College (NSCC) (Danvers) - $48,659 – NSCC will offer training in the energy efficiency field, specifically in weatherization, to vocational high school students, recent vocational high school graduates and students enrolled in an alternative high school program.

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School (Lexington) - $49,531 – Minuteman will upgrade equipment used to train students in industry standard practices in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration field.

Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) (Framingham) - $45,318 – SMOC will upgrade its combustion safety lab, which allows students to learn the skills necessary to safely work on appliances like furnaces, space heaters and water heaters, and offer classes for students who want to gain crew chief training.

The upgrades and improvements made possible through these grants will allow each of these programs to properly train and prepare students for the energy efficiency field, which makes up for more than half of the 80,000 clean energy workers in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC) today announced $200,000 in grants to Massachusetts entrepreneurs and researchers to advance clean technology innovation. 

"The award winners announced today are striving to create the next generation of solutions to global clean energy challenges and this critical early-stage funding will speed the pace of innovation,” said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton.

The MassCEC Catalyst Program, which is funded by MassCEC and managed by MTTC, awards early-stage researchers and companies grant awards up to $40,000 to help demonstrate the commercial viability of clean energy technology developed at startup companies or spun out of research institutions.

“As prior awardees have shown, this funding can be truly catalytic in helping to build entrepreneurial ventures in Massachusetts. These grants, while very small, enable inventors to take technologies from idea to early prototype to demonstrate that the technology works.  The results of these grants then enable the inventors to raise additional commercialization funding,” said Abigail Barrow, director of the MTTC.

Previous Catalyst award winners have gone on to raise over $22 million in follow-on funding from various sources, including angel investors, venture capitalists and grants from federal programs including The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the National Science Foundation and the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR). Recipients must use funding for projects that move their technologies towards commercialization.

The following researchers will each receive $40,000 grants:

• Mark Brandstein and Dan Thompson,  UltraCell Insulation, Newton – UltraCell is commercializing a patent for making building insulation from all recycled cardboard to uniquely address the $7 billion insulation industry’s challenge of tighter building insulation codes, green building material content requirements, and a dwindling supply of newspaper print used to make cellulose insulation products today. The award money will be used to support a sufficiently large research and pilot production run scheduled for this summer to gain a wider review and evaluation of their product by potential customers, distributors and partners. 
• Helen VanBenschoten,  Compas Industries, Fall River – Compas Industries has invented a novel hybrid solar cell with competitive efficiencies, very low cost, and earth friendly materials. The award will enable them to purchase key equipment, lease lab space, and pay a part time research assistant so they can complete their prototype cell development and submit prototypes to their potential customer for evaluation.
• Jaime Mateus, Anfiro, Cambridge – Anfiro is developing the next generation of membranes for water treatment and purification. Their technology significantly reduces the energy and cost of water treatment, enabling clean and affordable water. MassCEC's Catalyst award will enable them to expand their pilot data in preparation for scaling their technology.
• T. Alan Hatton and Aly Eltayeb, “Electrochemically-mediated CO2 Capture”​Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge – Hatton and Eltayeb have developed a new technology for the capture of carbon dioxide from large-scale power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This technology can also be used readily at a smaller scale for environmental control in large commercial buildings, and in small enclosed spaces such as submarines and spacecraft. The award will be used to build a small-scale demonstration unit as a prototype for full-scale deployment of this scalable technology.
• Brian Neltner,  Microreactor Solutions, Somerville – Microreactor Solutions is developing unique conductive materials that will reduce the expense of manufacturing solar cells by reducing the need for silver paste. This Catalyst grant will be used to take these conductive materials, incorporate them into samples, get them into the hands of manufacturers for evaluation, and begin the process of scaling up to pilot plant production scales.

About the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center

The Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC) was created in 2004 as a program in the Massachusetts Economic Stimulus Bill. Its goal is to support technology transfer activities from public and private research institutions to companies in Massachusetts. To achieve this goal, the Center works with technology transfer offices at Massachusetts research institutions; faculty, researchers, and students who have commercially promising ideas; and companies across the Commonwealth. The MTTC is based in the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. More information is available at www.MaTTCenter.org.

Contact Heather Nichols, Rachael Neff, Juli Hanscom - 617-725-4025

Governor Deval Patrick today celebrated the success of internship programs run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and announced $435,000 in awards for the first round of MassCEC’s Learn and Earn program, which will provide funding for programs to prepare high school students for higher learning opportunities and careers in clean energy and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“Training young people for careers in STEM will put them on the path for future success,” said Governor Patrick. “Internship programs are working to ensure that innovative Massachusetts companies have a rich pipeline of talented workers to help their businesses flourish here in the Commonwealth.”

The internship programs run by MassCEC, MLSC and MassTech have placed over 2,300 interns at companies across the Commonwealth over the past five years. Each of Friday’s grant recipients will receive $145,000 in funding for their programs.

“Massachusetts is a hub of innovation and having a strong talent pipeline is vital to the continued growth of our innovation economy,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki. “These internships help our companies recruit and retain top talent in our Commonwealth.”  

“Employers need access to highly-trained workers as they look to expand their businesses here in the Commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett, who also chairs the MassCEC Board of Directors. “These grants will ensure that the next generation of clean energy workers is exposed at an early age to the benefits of careers in the growing clean energy industry.”

Institutions receiving funds are:

• Brockton High School – This program will allow 30 Brockton High School juniors and seniors to learn about various sectors of clean energy, and then work on projects, possibly including the construction of a solar-powered pump to water the school’s garden beds and building a solar-powered weather station at the school. Students will also have the opportunity to earn college credit through Bridgewater State University’s “Energy and its Social Uses” course
• Greater Lawrence Technical School - This program will train 24 students this summer, and 60 more over the fall and spring, in the installation of solar electric panels for both commercial and residential uses. The students will train on ground-level, full-sized practice roofs and students will install a fully-functional solar electric system at the school as a final project.
• Northeastern University and John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science – This program will educate 25 students around clean energy topics, while providing support for high school students preparing to pass Advanced Placement calculus exams, which can earn students college credit.

In April, Governor Patrick announced an economic development package that provides new tools and training so the Commonwealth’s workforce is prepared to meet the needs of employers, invests in its Gateway Cities to promote development across the entire state and provides incentives to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The Governor’s bill,An Act to Promote Growth and Opportunity, builds on the Administration’s proven growth strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure that has led to record job creation in Massachusetts and made the Commonwealth a global leader in key innovation economy sectors. The bill supports the future workforce of the innovation economy by investing in internships and mentoring programs to ensure that the pool of potential employees in the Commonwealth is trained and experienced in our high tech industries. The Innovation Institute leads the MassTech’s technology and innovation initiatives. The internship program provides grants to qualifying high tech companies to hire interns, providing students with experience and networking opportunities. The mentoring program provides entrepreneurs with access to advice and support. 

In response to growing demand for more internship opportunities for college students, MLSC launched the Internship Challenge in 2009. The innovative workforce development program reimburses companies for 12-week paid internships, creating hundreds of new internships each year while supporting the growth of small businesses by enabling them to hire interns at no cost. The program enhances the talent pipeline for Massachusetts companies by providing students with necessary practical workplace experience and exposure to the life sciences industry, which helps motivate them to stay and work in Massachusetts upon graduation. The program runs year-round, offering full and part-time positions for students and recent graduates. To date, MLSC has invested more than $10 million in the creation of over 1,600 internships hosted by more than 400 companies across Massachusetts. Interns have represented over 150 different colleges and universities.

"Life sciences companies cite Massachusetts' talented workforce as one of the main reasons to locate and grow here,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., MLSC President & CEO. “The MLSC Internship Challenge has been a key investment by the state to ensure that our life sciences workers bring both classroom and hands-on experience to their employers. Since its launch in 2009 this program has funded over 1,600 internships at 400 companies all across the state and we’re pleased that our program is serving as a model for similar programs at our sister quasi-public agencies.”

Funded as a pilot program in the 2012 Jobs Bill, the MassTech Intern Partnership launched in spring 2013 and since that time has matched 180 interns at over 100 companies across the Commonwealth, including innovative firms in robotics, eHealth and big data, among other sectors. When the first year’s participants were surveyed, nearly 90 percent of the programs participants rated their experience as ‘very favorable’.

“The MassTech Intern Partnership, with the support from the Commonwealth, introduces students to new learning opportunities, as well as to the contacts, job prospects, and career opportunities that the Massachusetts innovation economy offers,” said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of MassTech. “The program is a win for startups too, as they benefit from the addition of talented interns who help the company to expand operations, providing a measurable boost in productivity at these small companies.” 

Since 2011, MassCEC’s internship program has placed 589 interns at more than 173 clean energy companies across Massachusetts, helping business grow in the Commonwealth while providing students and recent graduates with practical, on-the-job training as they begin their clean energy careers. Fifty-one interns have gone on to secure permanent jobs with their employers following their internships.

“The MassCEC internship program grows bigger every year and is an invaluable resource to the clean energy industry, which has grown by 24 percent over the past two years,” said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton. “Employers gain access to a skilled, energetic workforce, while students and recent graduates have the opportunity to take the skills they learned in the classroom and use them in the expanding global clean energy sector.”

Gov. Patrick (center) and (from left to right) Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Innovation and Industry Support Senior Director Jeremy McDiarmid, SolarOne’s Founder and CEO Moneer Azzam, Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Mark Sylvia and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Alicia Barton, and visit a SolarOne solar-powered streetlight installation on a road in Masdar City.

Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton and Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Mark Sylvia yesterday visited the installation of a Massachusetts company’s solar-powered streetlights on a road in Masdar City to promote the Commonwealth’s growing clean energy sector as part of a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) led by Governor Patrick.

“Massachusetts companies are seeing their products succeed in the global marketplace, while creating jobs and economic opportunity here at home,” said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton. “It’s exciting to see the signs of Massachusetts innovation halfway around the world.”

In 2009, SolarOne provided 306 solar-powered streetlights for parking lot and roadway lighting at Masdar City following a field test with competitors from all over the world.  SolarOne’s streetlights were able to withstand a severe sandstorm and multiple cloudy days, setting them apart from the competition.

“We’re proud that the Massachusetts clean energy marketplace is vibrant and serves as a test bed for innovators who are bringing their technologies abroad,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Mark Sylvia.

In May, SolarOne was awarded an $89,000 grant, with a $58,000 match, under MassCEC’s InnovateMass program, for a partnership with the City of Somerville and CIMCON Software to demonstrate the company’s networked, off-the-grid solar-powered lighting for pedestrian and bicycle paths in Somerville.

“Massachusetts and the UAE are leading hubs of sustainable technology innovation,” said Moneer Azzam, founder and CEO of SolarOne. “This experience and idea exchange will deliver payback with new economic engines, regional job growth and exciting new tools to address the planet’s energy and climate-change challenges. SolarOne is proud to exemplify this and thrilled to participate in this cooperation.” 

The visit came as the group traveled to Masdar City, an urban development, 35 minutes southeast of Abu Dhabi that is heralded as a blueprint for the future of sustainable communities. In 2008, Masdar City broke ground and embarked on a journey to develop the world’s most sustainable eco-city, focusing on use of clean energy, electric vehicles and energy efficiency to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The city is hub of innovation, and includes the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level established with the ongoing support and cooperation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Massachusetts – UAE Innovation Partnership Mission is a mission to strengthen the state’s partnership with the UAE and expand business opportunities between the two countries in the clean-tech innovation, life sciences and academic sectors.