Focus on the Fellows: Tom McKinnon

Tom McKinnon, Professor Emeritus at the Colorado School of Mines and Director of InventWorks

In our second installment of Focus on the Fellows, we highlight Tom McKinnon, managing director of InventWorks Inc. and Professor Emeritus at Colorado School of Mines.  Tom has followed a fascinating career path that has included work at NREL (when it was the Solar Energy Research Institute); TDA Research, a small contract research company; University of Colorado; Colorado School of Mines, researching combustion biofuels, “green” fire suppression, and new materials for lithium batteries; Fullerene Sciences Inc., a nanomaterials company; Novare Biofuels; and Boulder ElectroRide, which made high-performance electric motorcycles.  Tom even has experience on the legislative side from when he cofounded a bill for the Colorado ballot to place a small carbon tax on natural gas.

So how did Tom find his way to the field of cleantech?  Energy had been on Tom’s mind for quite some time, and the field of alternative energy was of particular interest to him but he wasn’t sure where to start.  Fate seemed to intervene when he went to a job interview in Boston during his senior year at Cornell University and shared a cab with a man who would eventually become his boss at SERI.  After a few years at SERI, he went east to get his PhD in Chemical Engineering at MIT, researching combustion, and then continued to follow a path in research and energy.

Focus on the Fellows: Tony Formby

Tony Formby, cofounder of Squirrel POS Systems and angel investor

For the third edition of our Focus on the Fellows we are highlighting Tony Formby, a Vancouver, B.C. native who has lived throughout North America and played an instrumental role in the development of touch screen user interface technology before becoming an angel investor, focusing the majority of his attention on cleantech.

Tony started his professional life in Ottawa, working as an aid to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.  After five years, he realized he had become jaded in his views and wanted different career opportunities.  So in his late twenties he moved back to Vancouver, teamed up with a partner, and entered into the restaurant business, owning two restaurants and running a third on behalf of the owners.  During the recession of 1980, the restaurant industry was hit hard and only one of Tony’s restaurants survived the tumult. Around this time Tony and his partner decided to move into the computerization of restaurant point of sales (POS) systems.  In 1985 they commercialized Squirrel Systems, the first PC-based, touch-screen user interface.  Today, Squirrel POS systems is used by heavyweights such as Apple, Holiday Inn, and Applebee’s.

After significant success with Squirrel Systems, Tony and his partner decided to sell the company and as Tony says, “I saw the opportunity to integrate flat panel display touch screens and customized mother boards with various controllers built into them to create a low profile computer system that could be used in a multitude of process control scenarios, for instance on factory floors or at hotel front desks.”  Truly an entrepreneur, Tony worked from home, had no employees, and created contracts with companies that needed products designed for them and then contracted out to a team of engineers and a manufacturer that shipped the product directly to the end user.

Sam Jaffe: Thoughts on the Cleantech Fellows Institute

Sam Jaffe is one of the Cleantech Fellows Institute’s invaluable Department Heads, leading the Storage Technologies curriculum. We asked Sam to share his thoughts about the program.

Your background is in journalism with publications such as Bloomberg and Business Week.   What brought you into the cleantech arena?

I went into journalism because it’s a great way to witness history. However, in the end, your role as a journalist is as an observer, not as a prime mover of change. I went into cleantech because I felt that making energy clean and cheap is the fundamental challenge of my generation and I wanted to be part of it–as an actor, not as an observer.

You’ve worked with some of the premier energy and cleantech research firms.  Has your research and work with these firms led you to have any industry “ah-ha” moments that you can share?

As a science journalist, I was always interviewing fascinating people who made significant discoveries. But when I asked them when their breakthrough would be turned into a product, the answer was always the same: “In five years.” I wanted to find out what was so magical about five years. The “ah-ha” moments have usually been when I’ve had a chance to peek inside the screen and find out that “five years” is usually short-hand for “this will never work, but we’re going to milk it for as much capital and prestige as we can for as long as we can”. When a concept described in a scientific paper really, really works and solves a significant business problem, it usually finds its way to market much earlier than five years. The majority of cleantech concepts out there, however, simply don’t work as promised. There might be published data and a team of people with great C.V.’s, but the data is usually wrong.

An Interview with Steve Berens, Cleantech Fellows Department Head

Steve Berens is one of the Cleantech Fellows Institute’s invaluable Department Heads, leading the Capstone Project team. We asked Steve to share his thoughts about the program. 

You know the startup and entrepreneur environment very well.  How do you feel about the cleantech startup market given today’s economic pressures?

I'm excited by the amount and variety of unique, market-worthy opportunities currently being considered as part of the cleantech fellows program. I believe the contributing institutions, up-and-down Colorado's front range, have exciting and innovative technologies that can make economic and social impact. Today's economic realities require that each of the Fellows’ technologies be evaluated on their own merits. The Fellows are approaching these opportunities by looking intently at the feasibility of projects that survive without government or grant funding and deliver strong ROI to their customers.

What drew you to the Cleantech Fellows Institute?

I was initially drawn to the Cleantech Fellows Institute by the passion and capability of the founding team. Their commitment and dedication to bringing a strong program to Colorado was evident. I am continuously impressed by their ability to bring a wide variety of clean technologies and real opportunities to Fellows who want to join or expand the cleantech industry in Colorado.  It is exciting to see the progress in the unique opportunities that are being pursued.  It has been an honor to be a part of the team. 

Focus on the Fellows: Henry Mouton

With over half of the Cleantech Fellows Institute curriculum completed, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the Fellows and the progress they have made to date.  This first installment of our Focus on the Fellows looks at Henry Mouton, a successful Fort Collins businessman with 26 years of experience in the restaurant industry and a deep passion for sustainability. 

On track for an engineering career in the oil industry, Henry took a class his senior year called “Ethics of Engineering.”  This class illuminated the challenges between the oil companies and the environment and came to be the catalyst in his shift of focus away from traditional energy development and towards environmental stewardship.  The second career-altering event came soon after he graduated, with an invitation from his older twin brothers to move to Colorado to ski for a season and help out at their newly founded Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant.  Whether it was the great snow or the Rio’s impressive success, Henry stayed longer than a year, 26 to be precise, becoming the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Sustainability while the Rio grew to 8 locations, employing 575 Coloradans at its peak.  Having recently retired from the Rio, Henry notes only one regret - that he would have devoted even more of his efforts towards corporate sustainability earlier in his career.

The experienced restaurant businessman is now returning to technology, specifically to cleantech.  In this industry, he believes that determination is the key attribute for an individual to succeed and his environmental emphasis is Henry’s main motivator.  “For me, reducing my carbon footprint is critical, so I think that’s the biggest driver for me.  I think that can be my biggest contribution.”  Since being in the Cleantech Fellows Institute program, he views energy efficiency and building technologies as the most promising area in cleantech, short-term, because many of our buildings are at the age where retrofits are needed, regardless of whether clean technologies are integrated or not.  He cites notable examples such as the Empire State Building retrofit, and locally, the Byron Rogers Federal Building retrofit, which the Fellows Institute toured in late October.  In these cases, developers were able to take advantage of new financing strategies and better ROI’s to make energy efficiency plays attractive and economical.  Energy efficiency can also be increased by behavioral modifications, which companies such as Green Button and Tendril emphasize.  

Henry believes the nation is moving in the right direction in terms of accepting cleantech, but wishes the industry wasn’t labeled as a high-risk venture for investors.  He says, “The way I see it is, if it’s a great idea and if you have the right people at the table, then you’re going to end up with a successful company.  So whether it’s cleantech or not, the basic tenets apply.”

Ampt Creates Solar Energy Leadership Alliance to Improve Solar Energy Economics

At the recent Solar Power International Trade Show last September, Ampt Solar, a Fort Collins-base company, had several significant partnership announcements. Most significant was the launch of an industry alliance to drive down cost of solar: http://www.ampt.com/pressreleases/HDPV_Alliance-20120910.pdf

Ampt has patented technology that enables an inverter to deliver up to twice the power at a higher efficiency than the same inverter operating in a normal mode. Doubling the rated power is equivalent to cutting the cost in cents per watt in half. Ampt’s technology also enables systems to be designed with more PV modules in a series string to save up to fifty percent on DC BOS costs. These savings collectively represent Billions of $s each year that can be eliminated from the cost of PV solar. 

Ampt Converter

"We recognized that our technology is disruptive, but also that it enabled innovation in many areas of the PV system from inverters to PV modules to system design and operation. The opportunity for disruptive cost reduction was bigger than just Ampt, and so we looked for partnerships with other innovators in the industry," said Ampt CEO Levent Gun. "HDPV, or High Definition PV, creates the highest ROI, derived from increased performance and lower cost of PV systems. Better project economics makes financing available to more projects, and removes the most limiting bottleneck for the rapid growth of solar market. This accelerates market growth.  That is the opportunity of HDPV, and, we hope, part of our legacy for the future."

Within the HDPV Alliance, manufacturers of inverters, junction boxes and solar modules as well as monitoring companies will have access to Ampt's technology. As Ampt becomes an integral part of the system architecture, solar developers drive down costs system wide.

The HDPV Alliance generated quite a bit of buzz at the show, with news stories from Green Tech Media and others:http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Is-Ampts-HD-PV-Alliance-an-Answer-to-Lower-Solar-Costs/

A website and more information about the program is pending. For details about current partners and the alliance, visit http://www.ampt.com/

2012 Colorado Cleantech Awards Celebrates Advancements in Colorado’s Cleantech Community

Keynote Speaker Josh Green

This Monday, we honored those endeavors of Colorado's cleantech community during our Colorado Cleantech Leadership Awards Celebration. Throughout the evening, we honored 14 recipients for their efforts in advancing Colorado’s cleantech ecosystem, increasing jobs and driving innovation in the cleantech sector.

Innovation was a theme for the night, as Josh Green, General Partner of Mohr Davidow Ventures, presented his compelling keynote on the importance of clean technology today and forward. 

“Innovation will always prevail,” said Green during his keynote. Green “Although cleantech has struggled in the past and will surely see bumps along the road as we move forward, the take away point from this year’s event is that Cleantech has a strong and viable future. If we place value in those whose leadership and technology is continuing to impact cleantech in new and exciting ways, then surely we cannot fail.” 

Please join us in congratulating all of CCIA’s Leadership in Advancing Cleantech Award winner:

National Cleantech Leadership: 

Center for the New Energy Economy

Founded in February of 2011, the Center for the New Energy Economy is a privately-funded initiative to support the growth of a cleantech economy across the United States. The Center, a part of Colorado State University, is led by former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and is assisted by some of the nation’s most important thought leaders in clean energy research, development and commercialization. 

Governor’s Award For Excellence in Cleantech Leadership: 

Robert Fenwick-Smith

Robert Fenwick-Smith founded Aravaipa, an efficiency-tech investment fund in Colorado, in early 2008. With 20 years of global experience acquiring, founding, building, merging and selling companies, Robert is frequently invited to serve on cleantech investing panels and juries. 

Cleantech Corporate Champion: 

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo offers customized commercial banking products and services to businesses that manufacture, market or develop clean technology products and services. It is with their generous support that programs such as the Cleantech Open, CU Cleantech, NREL Industry Growth Forum, and Cleantech Fellows Institute that cleantech ventures in Colorado can sustain funding.

Investor of the Year: 

9th Street Investments

9th Street is a non-traditional venture capital group born out of CoorsTek, Inc, headquartered in Golden. 9th Street primarily focuses on businesses in the advanced materials sector and has invested in Boulder Ionics, ALeco Container and more.

High Impact Cleantech Company of the Year: 

Albeo Technologies 

Based in Boulder, Colo., Albeo designs and manufactures highly efficient LED lighting solutions focusing on the commercial and industrial sectors. Albeo’s primary goal is to enable businesses to simultaneously lower their total operating costs and help the environment. 

Breakout Cleantech Company of the Year: 

Boulder Wind Power

Boulder Wind Power creates utility-scale permanent magnet generator technology that will dramatically reduce the production cost of wind energy. The company works with wind turbine manufacturers to deliver simpler, more efficient and cost-effective ways to maintain systems than existing wind turbine technologies.

Emerging Cleantech Company of the Year: 

SkyFuel Inc.

SkyFuel, Inc. is a solar thermal power technology and service provider founded in 2007. SkyFuel solar collectors harness solar radiation to produce steam for electricity generation and industrial applications. The company is a leading supplier of utility-scale concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. 

Colorado Cleantech Entrepreneur of the Year: 

Hans Mueller, EcoVapor Recovery Systems

Mueller is the founder of EcoVapor Recovery Systems, a state-of-the-art recovery technology for oil and gas wells. He has established an industry-leading economic return technology that also addresses increased environmental regulations.

Colorado Cleantech Executive of the Year: 

Mark Verheyen, TerraLUX

Mark Verheyen joined the TerraLUX team in 2011 with extensive experience in the illumination market and a proven track record penetrating and expanding new growth markets across Asia/China, South America, North America, and Europe. Mark has more than 20 years of sales and senior management experience. 

Political Advocate of the Year: 

State Representative Brian DelGrosso 

Brian DelGrosso is a member of the Colorado General Assembly representing the Loveland area. Brian is a successful small business owner and a pragmatic legislator with a reputation for common sense solutions to grow Colorado’s economy.  Additionally, this year he was the sponsor of a bill signed into law to cut red tape to make it easier to expand alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure. 

Excellence in Commercialization:

Colorado State University - Dr. Eugene Chen

University of Colorado - Dr. Ryan Gill

National Renewable Energy Laboratory - Dr. Charles Teplin

Colorado School of Mines - Dr. P. Craig Taylor

Did you attend the dinner? What did you learn from the speakers and award winners?