Atlanta, Georgia, United States — The GE $200 ecomagination challenge, launched 10 weeks ago was GE’s way of bringing forth innovative ideas that will help transform the global energy landscape from one that relies on dirty energy to one powered by clean energy. The company said that the challenge attracted 70,000 technologists, students, entrepreneurs and start-ups who submitted their best ideas to build the next-generation power grid.
Proposals were sought in three categories: Renewables, Grid, and Eco Homes/Eco Buildings. A committee of representatives from GE businesses and GE partner firms evaluated the entries. Parnet firms include: RockPort Capital, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Emerald Technology Ventures.
This week, GE announced the winners of the first $55 million of funding. GE and its partners are now negotiating investments and other commercial agreements with the companies and academic partners listed below, including two co-investments with venture capital partners.
Winning technologies include energy storage, utility security, energy management software and electric vehicle charging services. GE said that it expects these markets to grow rapidly into a $20 billion opportunity by 2015.
The winners are listed below:
- ClimateWell of Stockholm, Sweden ((Efficient Appliances))
- Consert, Raleigh, NC (Energy Management Systems and Software)
- FMC-Tech, Ltd., Shannon, Ireland (Intelligent Sensor Technologies)
- The Fu Foundation School for Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University, New York, NY (EV Charging Stations)
- JouleX, Atlanta, GA (Energy Management Systems and Software)
- OPOWER, Arlington, VA (Energy Management Systems and Software)
- Scientific Conservation, San Francisco, CA (Energy Management Systems and Software)
- SecureRF Corporation, Westport, CT (Utility Security)
- Sentient Energy, Burlingame, CA (Intelligent Sensor Technologies)
- Soladigm, Milpitas, CA (Building Efficiency)
- SustainX, West Lebanon, NH (Energy Storage)
- SynapSense Corporation, Folsom, CA (Data Center Services)
