Enertia Wins 2009-2010 Clean Energy Prize
15 Febbraio 2010 - 8:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
Team earns $50,000 with patented device to replace batteries in
small electronics ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ --
Enertia, a team of three University of Michigan graduate students
with a plan to harness vibrations to power small electronics, won
the top prize of $50,000 in the 2009-2010 Clean Energy Prize
business plan competition. The final rounds of competition were
held Friday at U-M's Ross School of Business. Enertia impressed the
judges with its plan for a device that can harness vibrations to
generate electricity to power small electronics, such as remote
sensors and surgically implanted medical equipment. The small
generators provide renewable electrical power while replacing toxic
electrochemical batteries. The Clean Energy Prize competition was
established by DTE Energy and the University of Michigan to
encourage entrepreneurship in Michigan and the development of
clean-energy technologies. The Masco Corporation Foundation and The
Kresge Foundation were Clean Energy Prize founding sponsors and
they continue to support the competition. Additional sponsors
include UBS Investment Bank, Google and Nth Power, a clean-tech
venture capital company. The 2009-2010 competition was open to all
Michigan colleges and universities and began with 32 teams
representing six schools. The field was pared down to four
finalists through four rounds of judging, the first of which was
held Nov. 23, 2009. The teams were competing for shares of a
$100,000 prize pool. Enertia team member Adam Carver, a dual MBA/MS
student at U-M's Erb Institute for Global Sustainability, said the
top prize money "enables us to advance our research and development
and business expansion." He added that the Clean Energy Prize had
intangible benefits as well. "The competition encouraged us to
carry out the hard work necessary to develop our ideas. Winning the
prize also enhances our brand as we seek to connect with various
partners and business advisors in the future." The other members of
Enertia are Tzeno Galchev and Ethem Erkan Aktakka, both PhD Fellows
at the NSF Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated
Microsystems (WIMS) at the U-M College of Engineering. Gerry
Anderson, DTE Energy president and COO, said the goal of the Clean
Energy Prize is to spur innovation and entrepreneurship in
Michigan. "We see the competition as a catalyst for students and
faculty at Michigan's universities to bring new energy technologies
out of the labs and into the marketplace," he said. "And in doing
that, it helps create a culture of innovators and the venture
capitalists that support them." Anderson told the competitors,
"What you did as part of this Clean Energy Prize competition is
exactly what we need more of in Michigan." Algal Scientific, which
won last year's Clean Energy Prize, exemplifies the goal of the
competition. The team has gone on to secure additional funding and
has started operations in an Ann Arbor-area lab with eight
employees. Its technology uses algae to clean wastewater and
provide a feedstock for biofuel. The company expects to deploy its
system on a commercial scale later this year in mid-Michigan. This
year's competition was organized largely by students. The U-M Ross
School of Business' Ross Energy Club along with the Michigan
Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and the Michigan Initiative for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship organized the competition. Several
other University of Michigan entities also provided support,
including the College of Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship,
the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, the U-M
Business Engagement Center and MPowered Entrepreneurship. Jeff
Caveney, one of the student leaders, said the Clean Energy Prize
has earned significant standing with students. "What brought
students to our competition was its reputation as a springboard for
moving ideas from the labs into the marketplace," he said.
"Students understand that this is not a business case competition;
it's a business competition. This reputation was established by the
likes of Algal Scientific. This year's class of clean-tech
entrepreneurs surely will solidify that reputation." The other
finalists were: -- Second place: Advanced Battery Control, which
offers a proprietary smart battery management system, which will
radically enhance battery utilization in electric vehicles. It
received $25,000 in prize money. -- Third place: Green Silane,
which provides a low-cost, environmentally benign method for
on-site production of silane gas that is used in semiconductor,
flat-screen display and photovoltaic panel production. It received
$10,000. -- Fourth place: ReGenerate, which manufactures and leases
modular anaerobic digestors to institutional food service
operators, transforming food waste into on-site renewable energy as
well as nutrient-rich fertilizer products. It received $7,000. In
addition to the prize money, the top teams also will share $60,000
in in-kind business services including legal advice, office space
and accounting services. The remaining $8,000 in prize money was
distributed to the teams as they advanced in earlier rounds.
Details of the competition are available on the Clean Energy Prize
Web site: http://www.dtecleanenergyprize.com/. DTE Energy Ventures
is a DTE Energy company that invests in emerging energy
technologies and to date has invested more than $100 million in
energy-related companies and funds, making us one of the largest
Michigan-based venture capital operations. Information about DTE
Energy Ventures is available at http://www.dteenergyventures.com/.
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company
involved in the development and management of energy-related
businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include
Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers
in Southeastern Michigan, MichCon, a natural gas utility serving
1.3 million customers in Michigan and other non-utility, energy
businesses focused on power and industrial projects, gas midstream,
unconventional gas production and energy trading. Information about
DTE Energy is available at http://www.dteenergy.com/. The Ross
Energy Club is a group of talented business students who share an
interest in energy. REC promotes career development by providing a
forum for education about all aspects of business in the energy
sector. The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute develops,
coordinates and promotes multidisciplinary energy research and
education at U-M. Some 75 faculty in disciplines ranging from
engineering to policy to environmental science to urban planning
are a part of the institute. The Kresge Foundation is a $2.8
billion private, national foundation that seeks to influence the
quality of life for future generations through its support of
nonprofit organizations in six fields: health, the environment,
arts and culture, education, human services and community
development. In 2009, it awarded 405 grants totaling $167 million.
For more information, visit http://www.kresge.org/. Masco
Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of
brand-name consumer products for the home and family. A Fortune 500
company, Masco's products include faucets, kitchen and bath
cabinets, bath and shower units, spas and hot tubs, shower and
plumbing specialties, electronic lock sets and other builders'
hardware, air treatment products, ventilating equipment and pumps.
Through its foundation, the Masco Corporation Foundation, Masco
actively supports a number of very specific arts, cultural,
educational (through our matching gifts program), human service and
civic initiatives in the cities where it does business or where a
long-term relationship exists. DATASOURCE: DTE Energy CONTACT: Sue
Nichols of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute, University
of Michigan, +1-734-615-5678, or , or John J. Austerberry of DTE
Energy, +1-313-235-8859, Web Site: http://www.dteenergy.com/
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