Husson University is entering the national scene in clean energy technology

Brien Walton, associate professor of entrepreneurship and director of the John Paul II Family Business Center. Richard E. Dyke at Husson University in Bangor, recently participated in a White House roundtable on combating the climate crisis through the development of clean energy and climate technologies.

The invitation came after winning the national EnergyTech University Prize competition, organized by the Office of Technology Transitions of the United States Department of Energy, for an idea for an innovative, hybrid incubator and accelerator for climate and clean energy

The victory triggered the second phase of the competition, which awarded second place and an invitation to share their plan with senior staff from the White House, the DOE, the National Science Foundation, universities, venture capital firms and law firms.

The award enables Walton to connect existing clean energy plans and patents from DOE-affiliated research centers with emerging companies or technology clusters to commercialize research, while also implementing educational activities aimed at engaging more students in energy technology commercialization and entrepreneurship on the Husson Campus under the guidance of a DOE mentor.

Walton, an investment strategist, also serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Maine Venture Fund.

“My expertise is in business development, so I take a fresh look at the issue of climate change technology and emphasize sustainable business planning,” Walton said.

Q&A with Brien Walton

We asked Walton about the state of climate change technology. Here is the corrected transcript.

Mainebiz: What is climate change technology?

Brien Walton: Climate change technology or climate technology covers a wide range of technologies and innovations aimed at meeting the challenges arising from climate change. Essentially, it involves developing and implementing solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Examples include renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal; electric vehicles and battery storage; energy efficiency efforts such as LEDs, smart cities, and automated sensors to track the efficiency of solutions; and carbon capture and storage.

Other items worth mentioning include climate adaptation technologies, which include flood-resistant infrastructure, drought-resistant crops and early warning systems for extreme weather events; and climate data and monitoring technologies that ensure the accurate monitoring and collection of data needed to understand the impacts of climate change and assess the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation measures.

MB: How do you help commercialize research?

BW: Think of me as a “tech matchmaker.” I am reviewing proprietary intellectual property created by the Department of Energy that the public does not have access to. For example, the Department of Energy has thousands of patents in its repositories and from 17 national laboratories. Still, they need someone from outside the organization who understands intellectual property law, understands industry market dynamics, is willing to help DOE create public-private partnerships with compatible entrepreneurs and, frankly, someone they can trust to take leadership in New England and review this.

What I mean by “though I can see it” is that once the technology and entrepreneur are identified, they will need help adopting the technology to grow their business and that’s where my business planning expertise comes in because I will be incubating and accelerating companies regardless of their stage, facilitating the professional delivery of advisory services, providing investment and financial support, establishing performance metrics and developing tailored experience at the management consultant level. As a result, I create an individual incubator around each innovation or entrepreneur and help take it from idea to market or from market to exit, depending on the stage of its development.

This is part of what makes my approach unique because most incubators do not customize programming or allow entrepreneurs to receive support for up to three years. Combined with an engaging multimedia program and unprecedented access to industry resources, this is a truly innovative approach.

MB: Could you give an example of this work?

BW: I have worked with large greenhouses such as Vertical Harvest, which moved to Maine and built an $80 million plant in Westbrook that absorbs carbon dioxide using an energy-efficient thermal power plant. I help companies like Vertical Harvest overcome the challenges of relocating locations and securing financing so they can deliver food to eliminate fresh produce challenges on the East Coast.

One project I’m particularly excited about is a group out of Ohio called Agricultural Conversion Systems. They are very interested in moving to Maine due to the abundant industrial space, the relative ease of doing business in Maine, and the fact that I advised the CEO on another career matter several years ago. ACS has a process that allows it to process plastic and tire waste without releasing toxic fumes into the air. This is important because there are over 300 million tires in landfills across the country, or essentially one tire for every person in the United States. Eliminating this waste in an environmentally friendly way is a huge benefit for the environment and climate, as traditional methods of destroying plastics and rubber are notoriously harmful to the environment.

MB: What can you see on the horizon?

BW: I could spend all day analyzing the future of this field. The three primary technologies I have heard Mainers discuss are:

• Photovoltaic technology: The future includes advances in efficiency, durability and integration with energy storage solutions. Innovations such as perovskite (a family of high-performance and low-cost materials), solar cells, building-integrated photovoltaics and solar tracking systems are expected to further reduce costs and increase adoption.
• Carbon capture and storage technologies: The future includes innovations in capture efficiency, cost reduction and the use of captured CO2 for industrial applications. Advances in direct air capture and carbon dioxide technologies offer promising pathways to scale up carbon capture and storage and achieve carbon neutrality.
• Smart grids: The future includes grid resilience, modernization and advancements in flexibility. Innovations such as advanced grid analytics, distributed energy resources and blockchain-based energy trading platforms are expected to transform the power grid and enable greater integration of renewable energy sources.

MB: Any other changes?

BW: This hybrid incubator and accelerator will be based at Husson University, but we want to work with all Maine schools, entrepreneurs and anyone who is serious about solutions to climate and clean energy challenges. We are also willing to cooperate with financial organizations related to the industry, especially corporate social responsibility programs and nature conservation foundations.