McCombs Alumni Network News

From The CleanTech Group at the McCombs School of Business

This short film explores the economic opportunity for Central Texas to leverage and build off its foundation in clean energy and technologies (CleanTech). Austin, Texas - a world-leader in semiconductor manufacturing, battery technology, and home to some of the largest Texas wind energy companies – is experiencing a wave of investment activity to establish itself as a national leader in CleanTech. A selection of the city’s many assets is listed below.

Austin Energy, one of the most progressive electric utilities in the nation, is opening the city’s electric grid to entrepreneurs through the “Pecan Street Project” – a initiative to make Austin a leader in “smart grid” and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology.

One of the largest solar PV power plants at 30MW was approved in 2009, and building-integrated solar PV manufacturer HelioVolt has made Austin its headquarters.

The Clean Energy Incubator, the first in the nation, provides seed-stage clean energy ventures with support for field-testing and commercializing their technology, and the University of Texas at Austin is training the future leaders of this emerging industry. The opportunity is here to capture this market – it only requires “the willingness and determination to lead.”