Share
There was an early morning Zoom celebration heard around at least a few homes in the Valley Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced selections for the prize portion of the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters , and a team from Fresno was one of the winners.
The Water, Energy and Technology Center (WET Center) at Fresno State won $50,000.
The EPIC prize seeks to recognize the most innovative and impactful incubators focused on developing strong regional innovation clusters for energy-related technology and entrepreneurship.
“We’ve been working for the past 4 or 5 years to create an innovation cluster around energy technology in the Central Valley.”–WET Center program manager Helle Petersen
WET Center
“We’ve been working for the past 4 or 5 years to create an innovation cluster around energy technology in the central valley,” WET Center program manager Helle Petersen tells GV Wireâ„ by Zoom. The center is not funded by Fresno State so they rely on grant money to deliver their programs to the Valley.
“We’ve been able to identify some gaps that are limiting the impact we’d like to see energy entrepreneurs even further,” says Petersen.
She says they want to fill those gaps to make the Valley even more competitive around the commercialization of innovative energy technologies.
One of the big gaps she sees? Investment readiness that prevents local companies from being what Petersen calls, ‘investment worthy.’ Part of they ways the WET Center will help do this is to assist local companies assemble the right kind of team, the right type of documentations they’ll need, and prepare them for meetings with investors.
https://www.facebook.com/WETcenter/posts/202904317863769
$50,000 Prize
The Department of Energy gave out a total of $1 million dollars among 20 organizations throughout the country.
“We’re going to use this program (prize money) to bolster our capacity as a team,” said Petersen. “For the most part, we don’t charge money for the programs we offer (to companies) because we have access to grant funding that allows us to help many entrepreneurs and innovators at no cost.”
RELATED TOPICS:
Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins
12 hours ago
Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home
13 hours ago
Top Brazilian Judge Orders Suspension of X Platform in Brazil Amid Feud With Musk
1 day ago
How a Real Estate Boom Drove Political Corruption in Los Angeles
1 day ago
Palestinian TikTok Star Who Shared Details of Gaza Life Under Siege Is Killed by Israeli Airstrike
1 day ago
49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery
6 mins ago
Categories
![Police officers secure the area and investigate the scene of a shooting at Union Square in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/31184052/piersall-shooting-1024x683.jpg)
49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery
![Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in anticipation of signing a bill on his proposed oil profit penalty plan in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. (CalMatters/ Miguel Gutierrez Jr.)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/31175839/newsom-big-oil.webp)
Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16183042/Eagles-vs-49ers.jpg)
Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins
![A black poodle's face with his tongue sticking out](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/29135336/Rescued-from-an-abandoned-home-after-weeks-of-fending-for-himself-Adam-a-shy-but-sweet-poodle-mix-is-now-seeking-a-loving-forever-home.-Mells-Mutts-1024x538.jpg)
Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/28091346/082824-Lede-1024x576.jpg)