They just keep going and going and going.
The Louisiana Business and Technology Center recently became a member of the Clean Energy Alliance, an organization that gathers business incubators to encourage cooperation among companies that use energy-efficient technology.
Charles D’Agostino, LBTC executive director, said the CEA received a large number of applications for membership, and so far only 13 incubators in the country have been chosen.
D’Agostino said the LBTC is Louisiana’s only incubator in the alliance.
“It says we’re doing things right, finding companies that can operate in that arena,” he said.
D’Agostino said the incubator’s new membership will give its clients a business advantage.
“What it does for our clients is qualify our companies to compete on that level,” he said.
D’Agostino said a company must produce or use energy with few to no pollutants to be considered “clean.”
“[We accept] anybody dealing with wind or water turbines,” he said. “All of these count as clean energy.”
D’Agostino said the LBTC’s membership encourages the incubator’s staff to continue their efforts.
“We feel we’ve been doing things properly, and when you get recognized by something like the Department of Energy, it really shows,” he said.
James Groelinger, CEA executive director, said the organization was formed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy in 2000.
“We’re really looking to create an organization of credible and capable members,” he said.
Groelinger said an advantage of the alliance is each member will be more aware of what others are doing and they can cooperate with each other.
“This way you’re not solving the same problem twice,” he said. “It will also become a more efficient attractor of government and non-government funding.”
Groelinger said an incubator looking to join the alliance must have a strong focus on clean energy development and a good reputation among its peers. Each prospective member must be recommended by existing members.
Groelinger said the alliance is encouraging for incubator clients as well because it offers them resources they may not get elsewhere.
“It tells them they’re in good places,” he said. “They’re in good hands.”
Groelinger said the LBTC’s membership is also good news for Louisiana.
“We started out with one member in New Jersey. Now we have three,” he said. “We had one in Colorado and now it looks like we’ll have five or six.”
Burns Mulhearn, president of LBTC client Geoshield, said he’s happy to be in the “clean energy” business.
“It’s an exciting time,” he said.
Mulhearn said the company wholesale distributes a film that goes over windows to make them more energy efficient.
Mulhearn said clean energy isn’t just good for the environment — it’s good for customers’ wallets as well.
He said the Geoshield film is designed so it will pay for itself in energy savings in about three years.
“You really get a good return on your investment,” Mulhearn said. “A lot of bang for your buck.”
Mulhearn explained that there are several advantages to fitting existing windows with the company’s products — all of which could be considered “clean energy.”
Mulhearn said the process of making glass produces a lot of pollutants, something that can be avoided if windows don’t have to be replaced. It also keeps old windows from ending up in landfills.
“We’re modernizing in a cost-efficient way,” he said. “And people really like it.”
 
 
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]