From Smart Grid to Smart Invesment- A Snapshot of Clean Tech

by Jessica Duboff

Last Friday, the Chamber's Environmental Sustainability Policy Council, in conjunction with Opportunity Green, hosted a panel to discuss the state of the clean tech industry in Los Angeles. A standing room-only crowd heard from experts in the industry on what venture capitalists are looking to invest in, what Los Anglees needs to do to cultivate a more clean tech friendly environment and what game-changing technologies are on the horizon.

Moderated by Sean Arian, founder and president of EOS Consulting, the panel included:

• Rob Davis, Vice-President of GreenHouse Holdings, a provider of energy efficiency solutions and sustainable infrastructure products
• Woolas Hsieh, President and Founder of Solarmer, which produces flexible, plastic solar panel technology
• Sandra Itkoff, Senior Vice President of Angeleno Group, an LA-based private equity firm investing in alternative energy companies
• Dr. Anthony Michaels, Managing Director of Proteus Environmental Technologies, which works to create economic value through connections between business opportunities and universities

Tackling the question of what Los Angeles needs to do to flourish in the clean technology sector, all were in agreement that the university infrastructure is unmatched anywhere else. However, in order to attract clean tech companies, an entire "eco-system" must be present. The educational and workforce elements need to be coupled with a business atmosphere conducive to vendors, suppliers, etc... With everything Southern California has to offer, the region should have a monopoly on the industry, but government leaders have failed to aggressively court entrepreneurs in the way that European cities, Massachusetts, or even Northern California have done.

The panel concluded with a lightening round of each panelist answering the question of what is going to be the game-changing technology in the next two years. Sandra stated batteries and electric vehicles in the short term, carbon sequestration in the longer term. Anthony described how the process of using organic matter in water to create electricity will forever change how we treat sewage. Woolas referenced products his own company is working on that will allow windows of the future to not just shield the sun, but to generate power themselves. Rob discussed how advancements in automation and controls will alter the sustainability and efficiencies of plant and building operations.

Questions from the diverse audience addressed how universities can better train the workforce; how to balance government regulations and ambitious mandates with entrepreneurial small businesses; and how the "culture of sustainability" functions in the corporate workplace.

Following the panel, the Council heard a presentation from Alex Fay with the Mayor's Office of Economic and Business Policy on CleanTech Los Angeles, of which the Chamber is a founding member. CTLA is directly involved in the development of the CleanTech Incubator and CleanTech Manufacturing Corridor, both of which will play a large role in developing the "eco-system" described as vital by our panelists.