Energy : Innovation + Job News

Last week, Digi International reported its 33rd straight quarter of growth, dating back more than eight years to early in the last decade.

And while that success is built on more than 25 years of experience, the Minnetonka-based wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) device networking company is seeing major growth in the emerging energy sector, especially with its smart-grid technology and cloud-computing platform.

Digi has begun partnering with companies to build end-to-end energy monitoring and management solutions around the company's X-Grid, says David Mayne, Digi's director of business development.

Under that "extended" grid umbrella is the iDigi Device Cloud--"the embedded industry's first ready-to-use cloud computing platform for device networking and management," according to an online description. The cloud service allows remote metering and management of energy use through communication with devices "beyond the meter," Mayne says.

"The thing that is really driving the growth is the ability to utilize iDigi to provide connectivity from an application down to a device," he says. The smart-grid platform also drives sales of other Digi products like gateways and radio modules, "so we kind of get all the different pieces that become part of this end-to-end solution," he says.

It also puts Digi at the forefront of energy-management innovation that is in its early stages globally, according to Mayne. In January, Digi announced a major partnership with Green Energy Options to develop a real-time, web-based energy management system, based on iDigi and the Digi X-Grid, for the European utility market.

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., Digi and its partner Itron have introduced "Smart Grid Now" bundles that enable utilities to conduct energy-management pilot programs. The cloud-based bundles can be deployed on a small or large scale, Mayne explains.

"For as little as a few thousand dollars, [utilities] can get customers engaged by using smart phones to look at thermostats and get metering information," he says. "Because we're offering this as a cloud service, there's little upfront investment and there's proven capability to expand to millions of devices."

Digi also announced a partnership in January with Calico Energy Services to offer an integrated smart-grid technology solution for energy and demand management.

Mayne notes that while most think of the smart grid in terms of the energy sector, Digi is also seeing business growth beyond energy management and services. Other high-growth areas include the medical device industry and fleet management--trucks and other large mobile assets.

Mayne notes that smart-grid applications can be applied to water conservation and gas utilities as well.

"As new services evolve, things we haven't even thought of yet, we can plug them into iDigi," says Mayne of the "flexible technology," an open platform that he says is ready to handle future innovation--an important point for Digi and its 600 employees, more than half of whom work in Minnesota.

"That's really helping to build or reinvent people's careers as we continue to evolve the organization," Mayne says. "Future-proofing is key. This is something that is new, and this will create innovation."

Source: David Mane, Digi Intrernational    
Writer: Jeremy Stratton

The phrase "Fill 'er up!" is taking on new meaning--albeit it slowly--with the introduction of electric vehicles. Since the beginning of the year, the Twin Cities has stations for the filling--in Downtown St. Paul and on the 3M campus in Maplewood.

The first of Coulomb Technologies' ChargePoint Network stations was installed in early January in the public parking ramp at St. Paul's First National Bank Building, 332 North Minnesota Street. Located near the Central Corridor light rail line, the station will use 100 percent wind energy as part of Xcel Energy's WindSource program.

Meanwhile, 3M installed a ChargePoint station in the visitors' parking lot at 3M Center, its company headquarters in Maplewood, on Feb. 10. 3M will install a second station in the spring.

Jean Sweeney, vice president of environmental, health, and safety operations, called the addition of the stations "a great way to align our culture with a continued commitment to reduce impact on the environment and underline the connection between 3M values and sustainability."

Last year, 3M's energy savings programs prevented the use of nearly 8 million KWH of electricity and 585,940 Therms of natural gas, according to a press release.

An interactive map on the ChargePoint Network website shows dozens, if not hundreds, of stations across the country, but only three in Minnesota. Another is located in Rochester.

Electric car owners can search for Charge Point Network stations online or find them using an iPhone app.

Sources: Coloumb Technologies, 3M
Writer: Jeremy Stratton

In the course of its 25-year history, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) at the University of Minnesota has helped companies reduce more than 383 million pounds of waste and emissions, with related cost savings of over $29 million.
 
In 2009, MnTAP responded to more than 1,000 requests from manufacturers in the industries in which it specializes.
 
But it was the calls from companies outside of its wheelhouse that led MnTAP to launch the new "Greening Your Business" section of its website.
 
While MnTAP's expertise lies mainly in manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, the web resource offers a more general starting place for the many other industries who came calling, says Assistant Director Krysta Larson.

The section consists of three main pages: Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, and 12 "Tips for Going Green." Each page includes specific strategies and acts as a portal to case studies, related news, and other organizations and resources.
 
The 12 "tip" topics span the spectrum of environmental sustainability, including source and waste reduction, reuse/recycling, lean, green, LEED, and engaging in community environmental education.
 
Larson says the website is intended as a first step for inquiring companies. She ran through examples of some simple solutions, starting with the front-end practice of source reduction.
 
"While many environmental strategies focus on waste management once it has been generated," she says, source reduction addresses pollution prevention "by stopping the waste from actually being generated in the first place, so it doesn't have to be managed."

Source: Krysta Larson, MnTAP
Writer: Jeremy Stratton

The growth of a Minneapolis nonprofit in 2010 suggests that despite the rough economy there was still a market for helping people save money.

The Center for Energy and Environment added 19 new jobs last year. The organization specializes in managing energy-efficiency programs, a service they've seen increasing demand for, says program and policy manager Carl Nelson.

"In the last three to four years it's really been ramping up, and we've been doing it for 30 years," says Nelson. "We have a lot of the institutional knowledge, capacity, and ability to do these programs. We've been ready and able to meet this demand."

As a result, the Center has been a frequent partner for state, federal, and community energy-efficiency programs.

The 19 positions added in-house tell only part of the story. The full impact of its programs extends to several contractors that help implement efficiency upgrades. Using federal government guidelines for job creation estimates, the Center supported roughly 130 jobs through its largest program, a small-business lighting program it runs with Xcel Energy.

Nelson says the Center plans to calculate a more detailed job estimate later in 2011.

Source: Carl Nelson, Center for Energy and Environment
Writer: Dan Haugen

Deluxe Corp. is writing a check for renewable energy.

The Shoreview check printer and business services company recently turned up at No. 3 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of top green power purchasers in the printing industry.

In the 12 months ending Oct. 5, Deluxe Corp. bought wind energy certificates to cover 25.5 million kilowatt hours, or about 41 percent of its total electricity usage. Put another way, the green power purchase covers the electricity used to produce nearly all of its checks for financial institution customers, says Pete Godich, vice president of fulfillment for Deluxe Corp.

The credits were purchased through ConEdison Solutions and Renewable Choice Energy, which are similar to  Xcel Energy's WindSource program in Minnesota. Godich says purchasing renewable energy credits is the second piece of its two-pronged green energy strategy. The first was simply reducing energy consumption at its various facilities around the country.

 It's paying a little extra to buy electricity generated by wind farms, but its electricity bill is still shrinking because of energy conservation efforts. "Our investments in reducing our overall consumption across the enterprise far outweighs whatever nominal premium we pay for renewable energy," says Godich.

On one hand, it's just the right thing to do, says Godich. But there are also financial benefits to reducing energy use, and supporting renewable energy is something many employees and customers want.

"It's good for the community. It's good for Deluxe, in terms of our profit, and it's good for consumers and our employees as well," says Godich. "It's not often that we can find win on top of win on top of win, but that's what happened."

Source: Pete Godich, Deluxe Corp.
Writer: Dan Haugen

When you hear Toro Company and cutting edge, the first thing that comes to mind is probably hedge trimming, not innovation.

But the company has been tinkering now for nearly a decade on next-generation fuel cell vehicles at its Bloomington R&D facility.

Jack Gust, Toro's chief research and development engineer, says there's a growing demand from customers for electric vehicles. The types of turf vehicles it manufactures have to be light, and so several years ago they set out to find electric sources with the most energy-per-pound. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are among the best potential sources by that measure, along with hybrid and lithium batteries.

The company started visiting fuel cell suppliers and attending conferences to learn about the technology early last decade, and then built its first hydrogen-powered prototype vehicle in 2004. After showing off the vehicle at trade shows, the company got a request from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to build four more, which are used at Niagara Falls State Park.

The Toro Company announced its third hydrogen fuel-cell project last month, a collaboration with Eden Prairie aerospace and defense firm ATK on two mid-duty utility vehicles for the military.

Gust says they've concluded that fuel cell technology is technically viable--"it works," he says--but it still costs too much today to mass-produce hydrogen-powered vehicles. The goal is to learn the technology now so that if and when prices improve the company can be ready to enter the market.

"We're kind of dabbling," says Gust. "Each time we do it, we're trying to just grow our knowledge on what we learned from the prior attempt. Each time we'll assess the technology a little more."

Source: Jack Gust, The Toro Company
Writer: Dan Haugen

A biofuels company spun off from the University of Minnesota disclosed last week that it's raised more than $357,000 in investment capital.

BioCee, which was founded in 2007, is working on a method for creating liquid hydrocarbon fuel from bacteria, water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide.

The company also disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it is seeking to raise another $500,000 in the next year.

Co-founder Luca Zullo said it's the company's policy not to comment on fundraising and financial matters.

The company previously received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as a $150,000 small business research grant from the National Science Foundation.

BioCee is also a semifinalist in this year's inaugural Cleantech Open North Central competition, which covers a seven-state region.

Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Writer: Dan Haugen

A University of Minnesota student team edged out competitors for second place last week in a cross-country solar-powered vehicle race.

The student group was among 18 teams that designed, built and drove a solar-powered car more than 1,100 miles, from Tulsa, Okla., to Chicago, Ill., as part of the 2010 American Solar Challenge.

"It's a rather significant feat that in two years a bunch of college kids design, build and race a car from scratch," says Alan Jacobs, a materials science student and project manager of this year's car.

The Minnesota team prides itself on building extremely light and aerodynamic solar cars. This year's model, called Centaurus II, is the school's ninth solar car project. It's about 3 feet tall, 16 feet long, and 6 feet wide, and weighs less than 400 pounds without a driver.

The competition takes place on public highways, meaning the teams need to contend with traffic and gawkers. The vehicles begin charging each morning at 7 a.m., then leave the starting line at 9 a.m. Most of the vehicles have no problem going the speed limit, 55 to 65 mph.

The Gopher team briefly took the lead during Day 5 but then ran out of juice and had to pull over to recharge while Michigan and Stanford passed them by. The Minnesotans passed Stanford the next day but were unable to catch Michigan, which held on to win first place.

"It was a really close race," says Jacobs. "We were just trying to keep going the best we could."

About 30 students from the College of Science and Engineering actively participated in the project, which is funded through cash and in-kind donations of parts and materials.

Source: Alan Jacobs, University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Writer: Dan Haugen

A fast-growing technology services firm in the western suburbs is branching out into energy management.

Comm-Works, headquartered in Plymouth, manages technology and infrastructure for companies such as retail or restaurant chains that have dozens or hundreds of different locations. Its services include everything from setting up cable and phones to integrating software for cash registers.

And now, add to that list help turning off lights and lowering thermostats.

The company said in January that it was adding energy management to its mix of services. Last week it announced a partnership with Advanced Telemetry, a San Diego company that makes an energy management software package.

Amy Baker, director of communications for Comm-Works, said the service will help larger enterprises unify their sustainability goals across all locations. She said they had heard from clients who were making progress with energy conservation goals at corporate headquarters but were struggling to make the goals stick at satellite offices and other remote locations.

The Advanced Telemetry software lets corporate managers monitor energy consumption at individual locations, as well as remotely set high and low limits on thermostat settings.

"We feel good about this energy market," said Amy Baker, Comm-Works' director of communications. "We're very excited about where the growth potential is, or we wouldn't have made such an investment in a significant change in the types of technology we have traditionally been providing."

Comm-Works was founded in 1995 and has about 250 employees. Its 2008 revenue of $130 million helped land it on The Business Journal's 2009 "Fast 50" list of the 50 fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities.

Source: Amy Baker, Comm-Works
Writer: Dan Haugen

A south Minneapolis solar installer marks another milestone this week with the celebration of a new 140-panel, 32-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the rooftop of the Seward Co-op.

Solarflow Energy, which is based in the Lomgfellow neighborhood, is trying to prove a solar leasing concept. It received a $1.5 million grant from Xcel Energy two years ago to fund a 280-kilowatt pilot program.

The Seward Co-op is the latest of what will be about 30 installations for the company by the end of the year. The co-op plans to celebrate at a commissioning party from 4-6 p.m., Thursday, June 17.

The company is also kicking off a program with Minneapolis' Bryn Mawr neighborhood this week that will involve using neighborhood revitalization funds to convert 20 homes to solar electricity.

The arrangement eliminates the large up-front cost associated with solar electricity. Solarflow installs and maintains the systems for free, and customers pay a monthly bill for the electricity that's generated.

In order to qualify, customers need to go through a property assessment to make sure the site is suitable for solar, provide a $1,000 refundable deposit, and sign a long-term lease (15 years for residential and 18 years for commercial).

Solarflow Energy has half a dozen full-time employees and another eight to twelve workers who help as needed with installations.

The biggest challenge so far, says founder/CEO Gerardo Ruiz, has been finding financing. The market is interested, the equipment is increasingly affordable, and installation is straightforward. But capital is scarce.

As the Xcel Energy funding winds down, Ruiz says the company will seek out solar rebates and other state and federal incentives for solar installations.

"So far we consider everything to have been successful," Ruiz says. "We'll charge forward and keep moving."

Source: Gerardo Ruiz, Solarflow Energy
Writer: Dan Haugen

A renewable energy technology company in central Minnesota will ramp up hiring and production thanks to a $560,000 federal stimulus grant.

Silent Power, in Baxter, Minn., produces boxes that convert energy generated from solar panels into usable electricity. The patented systems include a built-in battery that stores unused power for when it's needed.

"We're working with utilities all over the country to sell this product to homeowners and small businesses to help align the generation of renewable resources with when the utilities have their peak demand," CEO Todd Headlee said.
 
One challenge with solar panels is that they typically generate the most energy during the hours when it's least needed. Silent Power's systems store electricity generated during the middle of the day and release it later when people are getting home from work and turning on televisions, microwaves, and air conditioners.

Silent Power has been manually assembling about two units per week. New equipment and employees will allow it to up production to about 50 units per week, enough to keep up with anticipated demand for the next couple of years.

The company currently has about 20 employees. Headlee said he expects the federal grant will spur the creation of about 75 new jobs in the next 18 months. About 40 of those will come at Silent Power and another 35 at its suppliers, many of which are also located in Minnesota.

Source: Todd Headlee, Silent Power
Writer: Dan Haugen

A team of students from the University of Minnesota believe they can build a sustainable business bringing biogas services to residents of rural India.

A 2007 report estimated that 82 percent of Indians rely on stoves that burn wood, dung, coal and other solid fuels--a major source of indoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organization. Solid fuels are responsible for 3.5 percent of disease in the subcontinent.

Since the 1980s, the Indian government has invested in hundreds of thousands of biogas digesters, which turn cow dung into clean-burning cooking fuel, but it's estimated that nearly half of them no longer work. The student team wants to get to work refurbishing that infrastructure with a new company called BioServ.

The students are collaborating with another group from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, on a business plan that would help families purchase digesters at-cost with a lease-to-own financing model. BioServ's revenue would come from a small monthly fee it would charge for repair and maintenance of the equipment by locally hired technicians.

Most of the cross-continent collaboration so far has taken place over Facebook and on Google Chat exchanges and Skype calls. This summer the students will work face-to-face in Minnesota, then India, to refine their business plan before seeking financing and firing up a pilot project in the fall.

The concept won the energy division last month in the 2010 Acara Challenge, an annual student social entrepreneurship contest.

"It's extremely exciting," said Judd Eder, one of four Minnesota students involved in the project. "This is the first time for me being a part of something this multiculturally dynamic. It's been really exciting and really fun."

Source: Judd Eder, BioServ
Writer: Dan Haugen