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About the Awards
The Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster created the annual Cleantech Innovation Awards to recognize cleantech initiatives, projects, and innovations from companies, organizations, and government agencies that have contributed to the growing cleantech ecosystem in North Carolina.
The awards celebrate a range of creative solutions from water technologies to renewables and new transportation models, among others. The awards will be judged by leaders from the cleantech industry and public sectors. All award nominees will be featured on the event webpage and are invited to attend the Cleantech Innovation Award Ceremony.
The 2023 Cleantech Innovation Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at SAS Institute in Cary, N.C.
Award Categories
Individuals and Small Teams
Cleantech Champion
Recognizes an individual who exemplifies a deep commitment to advancing the cleantech industry in their local community, the Research Triangle region, or statewide.
Achievements may include demonstrated dedication to cleantech innovation or adoption, business expansion or relocation, development of high-impact technology, or spearheading regional/cross-sectoral collaboration to drive innovation.
Cleantech Entrepreneur Award
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated innovation through the development of new technology or advancing existing technology that has the potential to disrupt traditional industries, create a cleaner planet, and improve the quality of life for people here in North Carolina or around the world.
Cleantech Research Innovation
Recognizes an individual or team from industry or within an institution of higher education that is pursuing a research-based solution to a pressing cleantech challenge.
Examples include the creation of a new technology, working toward commercialization of a research-based cleantech innovation, or spearheading a new collaboration between research and industry.
Organizations
Cleantech Talent Development
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has made a significant contribution to developing talent, providing professional development, or fostering employment opportunities that support the cleantech industry in the region or state.
Examples may include a corporate apprenticeship or internship program, a community college or university certificate in clean technologies, or a K-12 curriculum or outreach program.
Equity in Cleantech
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has demonstrated a strong commitment to equity in the implementation of a cleantech project.
Examples may include deployments that focus specifically on the equitable availability of cleantech solutions, initiatives that address existing inequalities through new cleantech investments, and stakeholder engagement processes specifically designed to promote inclusion in planning or implementation processes.
Diversity in Cleantech
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has made significant contributions to ensuring the cleantech workforce reflects the people it serves, pursues organizational approaches that are inclusive of a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, or actively supports employees’ sense of belonging within the organization.
Examples may include targeted efforts to help underrepresented groups explore cleantech career opportunities, corporate programs designed to recruit and support underrepresented employees, or inclusion-focused mentoring or networking initiatives.
Cleantech Impact Awards (multiple categories)
Recognize organizations that have made significant impacts through the application of cleantech to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
Cleantech Impact: Energy
Recognizes an energy project that applies cleantech to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
Examples may include innovations to existing grid infrastructure to enhance resiliency, renewable energy installations, microgrid deployments, or innovative energy efficiency programs.
Cleantech Impact: Transportation
Recognizes a transportation or mobility project that uses innovative cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
Examples may include successful fleet electrification projects, EV charging deployments, microtransit initiatives, or efforts to enhance the energy efficiency of mass transit systems.
Cleantech Impact: Water
Recognizes a water, wastewater, or stormwater project that applies cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
Examples may include deployment of smart metering solutions at scale, application of data to identify opportunities for water conservation, or innovative technology deployments that improve water quality and the environment.
Cleantech Impact: Local Government
Recognizes a local government that has effectively leveraged resources and partnerships to complete an innovative project or initiative deploying cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
Examples may include smart city technology deployments, collaborative stormwater management agreements, or cross-departmental teams addressing climate change or cleantech adoption or deployment.
Cleantech Impact: Economic Development
* Awarded at RTCC discretion, not part of official nomination and judging process
Recognizes a cleantech organization that has accelerated economic growth in the region or state.
Examples may include a cleantech business that has relocated to the region or state, an organization that has made a significant impact through the application of clean technologies, or an organization that has enabled cleantech economic growth.
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Cleantech Champion
Recognizes an individual who exemplifies a deep commitment to advancing the cleantech industry in their local community, the Research Triangle region, or statewide.
![](https://www.researchtrianglecleantech.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Jen-Weiss-HS--150x150.jpg)
Jen Weiss
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Jen Weiss has long envisioned the role a green bank could play for the state’s cleantech economy, which she realized by founding the North Carolina Clean Energy Fund to bring investments in clean, efficient energy and transportation projects, with a focus on underserved communities. Her skills include bringing together stakeholders, partners, and diverse voices to nurture collaboration across the NC cleantech ecosystem, such as her support for the Women in Cleantech Energy (WiCE).
Cleantech Entrepreneur
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated innovation through the development of new technology or advancing existing technology that has the potential to disrupt traditional industries, create a cleaner planet, and improve the quality of life for people here in North Carolina or around the world.
![](https://www.researchtrianglecleantech.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/John-Crawford-150x150.jpeg)
John Crawford
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Since co-founding Ndustrial in 2014, John Crawford has worked to reshape the way industrial companies think about energy management, developing an innovative energy platform that integrates more than 60 different systems into a single normalized view that processes more than 100 million data points to enable smarter energy decisions in real time. Thanks to John’s work, Ndustrial was recently named as one of the Top 100 energy transition startups in the world.
Cleantech Research Innovation
Recognizes an individual or team from industry or within an institution of higher education that is pursuing a research-based solution to a pressing cleantech challenge.
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Dr. Mike Muglia
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Dr. Muglia is a renowned expert in marine energy resources and has been instrumental in advancing marine energy research and energy development for North Carolina’s blue economy. His unique understanding of complex ocean systems has proven critical for advancing underwater energy-harvesting kites to harness ocean current resources. Dr. Muglia has been a leading voice in championing commercialization of marine energy solutions with NCROEP and the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI).
Cleantech Talent Development
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has made a significant contribution to developing talent, providing professional development, or fostering employment opportunities that support the cleantech industry in the region or state.
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EPA-RTP’s Summer Science Institute
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EPA-RTP’s Summer Science Institute is a free, 5-day program that uses interactive activities, lab tours, job shadowing, and speed mentoring to expose local high school students to current and emerging environmental challenges as well as career opportunities in a range of fields including air, water, energy, transportation, climate, and sustainability. Students from underserved communities receive applications first and three slots are held for students from N.C. State University’s Catalyst Program, which creates STEM opportunities for students with disabilities. The 2023 Institute hosted 28 students from 19 N.C. schools, and a 2013 Institute graduate spoke to participants about how the program inspired her to pursue a position as the Climate Policy Advisor for the N.C. Governor.
Equity in Cleantech
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has demonstrated a strong commitment to equity in the implementation of a cleantech project.
![](https://www.researchtrianglecleantech.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Orientation-Group-Photo-1-300x193.jpeg)
Bull E-Bike Pilot
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The Bull E-Bike Pilot was an equity-based e-bike share program designed for and by transportation disadvantaged and low-income workers of downtown Durham. The Pilot was the first e-bike share program that gave voice to address the transportation needs of shift workers. The program’s goal was to increase mobility and foster the independence of workers significantly impacted by transportation disadvantages and other societal impacts related to inequities by using e-bikes as a reliable and sustainable way to travel across Durham.
Diversity in Cleantech
Recognizes an organization or initiative that has made significant contributions to ensuring the cleantech workforce reflects the people it serves, pursues organizational approaches that are inclusive of a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, or actively supports employees’ sense of belonging within the organization.
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NIST-RACER: Building Pandemic Resilience in Native American Communities
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The NC Clean Energy Technology Center has spearheaded the effort to recruit and train participants in solar energy training courses in an effort to better prepare Native American communities for future economic disasters and medical emergencies, such as what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a sub-recipient of PowerAmerica’s “Building Pandemic Resilience in Native American Communities” NIST grant. Over the past year, the Clean Tech Center has engaged with tribal colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and other partners to enroll participants in Fundamentals of Solar and Solar Storage courses to provide technical training across the United States.The Clean Tech Center has trained over 70 participants to date and will be hosting additional courses in February and March of next year.
Cleantech Impact: Energy
Recognizes an energy project that applies cleantech to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
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Hotsprings Microgrid
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Duke Energy’s Hot Springs Microgrid is a 2MW of solar and a 4.4MW lithium battery storage system capable of disconnecting from the main electric system to power the entire 500-person town of Hot Springs as an “island.” This is the first microgrid approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, designed to deliver cost-effective and reliable electric power to the remote mountain town previously prone to outages. Duke Energy employed technology company Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy Platform for integrated control of the solar and energy storage facilities.
Cleantech Impact: Transportation
Recognizes a transportation or mobility project that uses innovative cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
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Electric Transport Refrigeration Unit Pilot
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A family-run business based in Boone, NC, Hollar & Greene is one of the largest fresh cabbage producers and distributers in the U.S. They partnered with Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation & North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives to implement an electric transport refrigeration unit (eTRU) pilot program that deploys eTRUs and power supply pedestals for refrigeration of Class 8 trucks at their transportation facility in Mt. Airy, NC, which is served by Surry-Yadkin EMC. The eTRUs shift the refrigeration units of heavy-duty trucks from diesel to electric power when staging between hauls, lowering fuel and maintenance costs while reducing emissions. Because transportation sources account for 36% of NC’s greenhouse emissions this type of program has the potential to help meet the state’s carbon targets.
Cleantech Impact: Water
Recognizes a water, wastewater, or stormwater project that applies cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
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Raleigh Water Sewer Main Failure Prediction Analysis
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Raleigh Water recently partnered with North Carolina State University Advanced Analytics graduate students to create a predictive model using machine learning. The project focused on enabling Raleigh Water to pinpoint failing sewer gravity mains for Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) inspections. The project produced results with 87-percent accuracy, allowing Raleigh Water to significantly reduce environmental impacts and become more efficient and proactive in repair work of more than 2,600 miles of pipe.
Cleantech Impact: Local Government
Recognizes a local government that has effectively leveraged resources and partnerships to complete an innovative project or initiative deploying cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for the environment, economy, and residents.
![](https://www.researchtrianglecleantech.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1_Team-Photo-300x225.jpg)
Solarize the Triangle
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Solarize the Triangle is a regional, community-based group-purchasing program for solar energy, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies that helps homeowners, businesses and nonprofits become more resilient, reduce energy expenses, and save on the cost of renewable energy systems by obtaining volume discounts on materials and installation services.
This project is a partnership between a group of 12 local governments including, the City of Raleigh, the Town of Morrisville, Durham County, the Town of Hillsborough, the Town of Apex, the City of Durham, Orange County, the Town of Cary, Chatham County, the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro, and the Town of Holly Springs, a regional government, Central Pines Regional Council, and two private sector partners Solar Crowdsource, and Yes Solar Solutions. This partnership gives customers the assurance of local government and private sector know-how in addition to group pricing. This program also offers clean-energy education and outreach events with a goal of increasing participation through a better understanding of rooftop solar components, suitability assessment considerations, and contract provisions.
Over the course of 2 campaigns, so far they have signed 291 contracts for solar installation, which represents almost $488,000 in yearly avoided energy costs, $9.75M in new clean energy development, and over 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide avoided yearly. They have also used their collaboration to kick-start a grant program to put solar PV systems on the roofs of low-to-moderate income homeowners.
Cleantech Impact: Economic Development
Recognizes a cleantech organization that has accelerated economic growth in the region or state.
![](https://www.researchtrianglecleantech.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/image-11-300x200.png)
Kempower
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Kempower is a global designer and manufacturer of NEVI-compliant DC fast-charging units. Earlier this year, Kempower announced and began work to establish an EV charging station production facility in Durham. They expect to hire over 600 employees and bring $41 million of investment to the state. Kempower was recently granted ETL certification, allowing them to officially begin producing and shipping complete charging stations from the new Durham facility.