Voting Begins for America's Next Top Energy Innovator

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites Americans to vote online for the most innovative and promising start-up companies in the “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” challenge. Voting will end at 8:59 a.m. EST. on Monday, February 6, and the top start-up companies out of the 14 participating – based on the public vote and an expert review – will be invited to be featured at the premier annual gathering of clean energy investors and innovators around the country, the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, at the end of February.

"Through the America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge, we are unleashing start-up companies to do what they do best: create new products, new industries and new jobs,” says U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “We’ve challenged America's entrepreneurs and innovators to create new businesses based on discoveries made by our world-leading national laboratories.”

Americans can view profiles of the competing start-ups and vote on which ones could make the greatest contributions to the country’s economic and energy future by visiting http://energy.gov/topinnovator. An expert panel will also evaluate the companies and rank them.

“America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” is part of the Obama Administration’s Startup America initiative, which aims to create the best possible climate for high-growth entrepreneurs across the country. The companies participating in the challenge have signed option agreements allowing them to license valuable, cutting-edge technologies developed and patented by one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Thirty six companies in total have signed these option agreements with the national laboratories. They have done so under a streamlined, simplified application process. Learn more about the America’s Next Top Energy Innovator program HERE.

Below are descriptions of the companies participating in the challenge:

7AC Technologies, based in Woburn, MA, is developing Liquid Desiccant HVAC systems for Commercial and Industrial buildings using technology from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. These Liquid Desiccant HVAC systems deliver a 50 to 75% reduction in energy usage over conventional HVAC units. The system consists of a membrane conditioner responsible for drying and cooling the air and a heat-driven regenerator. The liquid desiccant design allows for the utilization of solar or waste heat sources, paving the way for net-zero energy retrofits to existing buildings with costs comparable to conventional HVAC. View a video on the company’s technology HERE.

Borla Performance Industries, based in Johnson City, has an option to license a novel, nano-pore membrane technology from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Combining this innovation with Borla’s exhaust technology will lead to a low cost, unique exhaust system that will double as an energy neutral device to recover and reclaim clean water from engines powered by diesel, gasoline or natural gas. Military and commercial applications include transport and stationery power plants, marine, cars and trucks. View a video on the company’s technology HERE.

California Lithium Battery (CaLBattery), based in Los Angeles, CA, is developing a low-cost, advanced lithium-ion battery that employs a novel silicon graphene composite material that will substantially improve battery cycle life. When combined with other advanced battery materials, it could effectively lower battery life cycle cost by up to 70%. Over the next year, CALBattery will be working with Argonne National Laboratory to combine their patented silicon-graphene anode material process together with other advanced ANL cathode and electrolyte battery materials. View a video on the company’s technology HERE.

e-Chromic LLC, based in Boulder, CO, will use electrochromic technology developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create a new thin film window material that reflects sunlight on demand, making windows more energy efficient while reducing cooling costs for consumers. View a video on the company’s technology HERE.