To be part of a competitively selected cohort of start-up and seed stage ventures offering innovative products and services aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience in an effort to help Vermont meet its climate goals. We are seeking start-ups ready to deploy with customers and addressing the decarbonization of buildings, transportation, heating and industrial processes through electrification, thermal energy networks or other renewables, with a particular focus on load management. Ventures that address the energy burden for under-represented and low to moderate income populations are of particular interest.

This ninth DeltaClime^VT energy and climate business accelerator program is designed to accelerate the drive towards a zero-carbon future for Vermont, by helping Vermont’s utilities increase adoption of clean energy, smart building and electric vehicle technologies. Founders will work directly with Vermont utilities throughout the program to contribute to Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan (90% renewables/efficiency by 2050), Vermont’s Climate Action Plan, and Burlington’s Net Zero by 2030 goals.

We were particularly interested in services and technologies that have wide potential applicability in rural locations and that allow commercial and industrial businesses, low and moderate-income Vermonters, underrepresented populations and multi-family building residents to participate in the emerging low-carbon economy.

Examples of technologies or services could include but are not limited to:

• Smart building technologies such as building controls, dynamic EV charging equipment, heat pump load management, storage;
  • Especially technologies that make electric panel upgrades more cost-effective, or smart panel devices that avoid the need for upgrades and/or help with managing loads;
• Service models designed to manage and maintain heat pump, storage and other DER utility programs with assets in the field, to include customer enrollment;
• EV charging companies at all scales, for various site applications including residential, multi-family, and utility managed Level 2 and 3 chargers;
• Technologies that encourage the most cost-effective approaches to decarbonization when considering the whole system to avoid costly grid upgrades (e.g. ground source heat pumps, thermal energy network technologies and services);
• Innovative carbon capture or carbon reduction or reuse technologies that might apply at smaller power generation facilities.