(Enabling) Business Opportunities
in Clean Tech
Tod Perry
Sweden-U.S.
Entrepreneurial Forum
September 2009
NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle
Energy Challenges
All three imperatives
must be simultaneously
addressed
Energy (Entrepreneurship) Challenges
“Energy entrepreneurship is much harder than entrepreneurship in
other sectors…”
-Bill Aulet, MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer & Entrepreneur in Residence
1. Multi-dimensional knowledge: sciences,
technologies, knowledge monitization,
markets, manufacturing, etc.
2. Longer time frame: EnerNOC vs.
Evergreen Solar. How does this work
with 10-15 year VC funds?
3. Larger scope and scale: $10s-100s
investment required per
technology/company
4. Public perception and emotion. Energy:
a right or privilege?
5. Government affairs: regulation,
subsidies, price setting
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NREL: A DOE National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest
INL
Brookhaven
Lawrence Berkeley
Argonne
NETL
NREL
Lawrence Livermore
Oak Ridge
Sandia
Los Alamos
Savannah River
Nuclear Security
Science
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Nuclear Energy
Fossil Energy
NREL is Unique….
Only national laboratory dedicated to renewable energy
and energy efficiency R&D
Collaboration with industry and university partners is a
hallmark
Ability to link scientific discovery and product
development to accelerate commercialization
NREL: FY2009 Program Portfolio
Estimated $460.5 Million
Wind & Hydro $31.1M
Facilities and
Infrastructure $66.6M
WFO $24.8M
Weatherization $7.4M
Water $.7M
Vehicle Technologies $23.5M
Transmission and
Distribution $2.1M
Systems Integration $4.5M
ARRA $110.7M
Solar $65.2M
Other DOE $17.2M
Integrated Deployment $12.7M
Hydrogen $14.8M
Updated May 2009
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Geothermal $1.4M
FEMP $8.6M
Basic Sciences $7.7M
Bioenergy $33.2M
Buildings $28.3M
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NREL: Funding and Staffing
450
$ Millions (2009 dollars)
400
350
300
ARRA
Infrastructure and Equipment
Operations
Payroll Staffing
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
250
200
150
600
400
100
200
50
0
Updated May 2009
0
Payrolled Staff
500
NREL R&D Portfolio
NREL: Technology Development Programs
Efficient Energy Use
• Vehicle
Technologies
• Building
Technologies
• Industrial
Technologies
Renewable Resources
• Wind and water
• Solar
• Biomass
• Geothermal
Energy Delivery and
Storage
• Electricity
Transmission and
Distribution
• Alternative Fuels
• Hydrogen Delivery
and Storage
Foundational Science and Advanced Analytics
NREL: Technology Investment Pathways
Source: NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NREL: A Better Resource for Start-Ups
• Internal education
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
With IP
Protection
Without IP
Protection
Research: Patenting Research for Society
Research Development Societal Impact
Government Funded
Research Development
Societal Impact
Government Funded
Privately Funded
Patents enable private investment in technology
maturationand society penetration by allowing companies
to capture value for their risk.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Ampulse Case Study
NREL: A Better Resource for Start-Ups
• Internal education
• External support: Growth Forum
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NREL: Supporting Start-Ups
November 3-5, Denver, CO
www.cleanenergyforum.com
NREL: Growth Forum

More than half of the companies that participate in the Forum
have received funding (91/171)
Raised $635.62M in cumulative financing within one year;
$1.12B within two years of participating in the forum
Raised more than $2.5 billion (as of August 2009) since giving
their presentations
Added 3000+ US jobs
Realized $1 billion in sales

cleanenergyalliance.com
Denver, CO
Industry Growth Forum



Number of Jobs by Energy Type
(US)
22
381
Sales by Energy Type (US)
$56,100,000
93
228
Biofuels
Biofuels
130
21
Biomass
Biomass
104
142 0
9
$82,500,000
Electric Vehicles
Energy Efficiency
326
1008
15
Electric Vehicles
Energy Efficiency
$752,300,000
Energy Storage
Energy Storage
Geothermal
Geothermal
Grid
Grid
Hydrogen/ Fuel
Cell
3
543
Buildings
Buildings
NREL: A Better Resource for Start-Ups
• Internal education
• External support: Growth Forum
• External support: Accelerator
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
NREL: A Better Resource for Start-Ups
•
•
•
•
Internal education
External support: Growth Forum
External support: Accelerator
External outreach: me in
Stockholm!
THANK YOU
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy Future
Tod.Perry@nrel.gov
Visit us online at www.nrel.gov
303-275-3673
Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC