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Invener presented the Chilean Renewable Energy market at July's Colorado Green Tech Meet Up, at the Law Building, Colorado University.

 

July 10, 2009 

 

Green Tech Meetup began with a non-traditional presentation provided by Melody Harris of Holme Roberts and Owen, who discussed what clean tech companies could hope to benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Among those most likely to benefit are those making targeted technologies for which specific grants are available, including the $4.5B for smart grid and $2B for advanced batteries and storage. Companies should track grants.gov to look for FOAs (Funding Opportunity Announcements) for which they qualify. Applications for these grants can be extensive, with audience members who had applied spending weeks of time and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees. Beyond federal grants, companies may consider the expanded access to loan guarantee programs and SBA loans now available.

Harris noted limited opportunities to access stimulus money flowing through the state energy department. Among the best opportunities that do so is in partnering with a local governments and counties on projects for which they could receive funding. Some companies may also be able to benefit from informing end users about the new benefits available in the stimulus (e.g. educating consumers about the rebates and loans for solar panel installations). Finally, there is significant funding available for workforce training and education which companies may be able to access with some creativity.

Invener develops energy projects in Chile and spoke to the audience of opportunities available in the South American country. Renewable energy is especially important to the nation because of limited access to fossil fuels, including the recent curtailing of shipments of natural gas from a major pipeline in Argentina, which led to electricity costs around $100 per megawatt hour. The country is investment grade, providing greater security to investors than many of its neighbors and has adopted regulations promoting renewables. Invener is currently developing several run-of-the-river mini-hydro projects and also hopes to become involved in wind and solar development. The company is currently seeking partners and will be looking for investors in the future.

The Green Tech Meetup is held on the second Thursday of every month and is designed to provide a time and place for technologists interested in alternative energy, alternative transportation, energy efficiency, green building, and recovery/recycling technology.