{"id":188,"date":"2011-05-24T17:24:18","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T00:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/?p=188"},"modified":"2011-05-24T18:14:04","modified_gmt":"2011-05-25T01:14:04","slug":"san-diego%e2%80%99s-cleantech-manufacturers-create-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/cleantech\/san-diego%e2%80%99s-cleantech-manufacturers-create-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego\u2019s Cleantech Manufacturers Create Jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego is a natural setting for clean tech collaboration.\u00a0 Meaningful partnerships with private and public sector champions has resulted in the formation of CleanTECH San Diego<\/a> to promote sustainable best practices and promote the San Diego region\u2019s high concentration of clean tech activities.\u00a0 By collaborating with the multitude of stakeholders, CleanTECH leverages these assets and positions itself as a world leader.\u00a0 With over 750 cleantech companies who call San Diego home, San Diego ranks 7th<\/sup> in the Sustainable World Capital\u2019s list of \u201cTop 10 Cleantech Cluster\u201d of global cleantech leaders.<\/p>\n

The growing web of collaborative partnerships and networks includes:\u00a0 Austrade, Biocom, California Center for Sustainable Energy, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, Centre City Development Corporation, City of Chula Vista, City of San Diego, CONNECT, California Clean Tech Open, Global CONNECT, North County Economic Development Corporation, San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership,\u00a0\u00a0 San Diego Software Industry Council, San Diego State University, TechAmerica, The San Diego Foundation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Tijuana EDC, UCSD Environment and Sustainability Initiative, and the UCSD Energy Policy Initiatives Center<\/p>\n

CleanTECH categorizes its members into two groups, Innovators and Facilitators.\u00a0 Innovators<\/strong> are companies that create or invent new technologies in areas such as advanced materials, air & environment, biomass energy & biofuels, energy efficiency, energy generation, Solar, water, wind, energy infrastructure, energy storage, fuel cells & hydrogen technologies, green construction technology, recycling & waste, Smart Grid, transport technology, and wastewater.<\/p>\n

Facilitators<\/strong> are companies that install or implement existing technologies in architecture, construction, design and engineering, industrial products, lighting systems, energy audit, energy transportation, energy storage systems, recycling services, solar energy systems, sustainable building supplies, water, wave, wind, and ocean energy systems, and consulting in energy, environment, and green building.<\/p>\n

In 2010, CleanTECH led a region wide partnership to bring over $150,000,000 in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) to the greater San Diego region, launched a robust website and database showcasing the over 750 companies that now call San Diego home, sponsored or co-sponsored over 80 networking events, received multiple awards honoring their collaborative initiatives on behalf of the region.<\/p>\n

At a meeting of the San Diego Venture Group in April 2010, venture capitalist Ira Ehrenpreis<\/a> commented that cleantech was now garnering 25 percent of venture funding, particularly in the area of renewable energy generation and energy storage.\u00a0 Enhanced water quality technologies and biofuels are also of great interest to venture capitalists.<\/p>\n

It is the innovators that are creating the manufacturing jobs.\u00a0 I had the pleasure of meeting some cleantech manufacturers at a \u201cconnect with CONNECT\u201d meeting a couple of months ago.\u00a0 I subsequently visited the facilities and interviewed the principals of two of the cleantech companies I had met at the meeting.<\/p>\n

The first was EcoDog<\/a>, formerly called Environmental Power Products.\u00a0\u00a0 Founded by Ronald Pitt in his garage, the company was incorporated in 2005, and occupied its first commercial space in Vista.\u00a0 The company moved to the Sorrento Mesa area of San Diego in 2010.\u00a0 Feeling the need to have a catchier name, the name was changed to EcoDog because all of the members of the management team have dogs that they like to have with them in their offices at work.\u00a0 The principal members of the management team worked in the power and energy industries for more than two decades.\u00a0\u00a0 EcoDog was founded on the principle that through the use of state-of-the-art technology and innovative products, we can regain control of energy consumption.\u00a0 We can stop worrying and be confident that we are doing our part to conserve easily and affordably.<\/p>\n

EcoDog participated in CONNECT\u2019s successful Springboard program during its infancy as a company and received angel investment.\u00a0 Extensive R&D efforts led to successful beta testing in 2008, a limited release, pilot program in 2009, and full production that started in the second quarter of 2010.\u00a0\u00a0 EcoDog\u2019s FIDO Home Energy Monitor provides a new level of visibility to electricity consumption that gives homeowners unprecedented power over their energy use with unique room-by-room views of where their energy dollars are spent and personalized GridSmart(TM) savings.<\/p>\n

A homeowner is able to measure circuit-by-circuit, room-by-room of their electricity usage to save 15 to 25% or more every month.\u00a0 The system sends out a message weekly via text message or email of the usage, and if there is unusually high usage that occurs on a circuit, the homeowner will be notified immediately via text or email.<\/p>\n

As the utilities roll out their new generation of Smart Meters with complex time-of-use billing schemes, the savings that result from EcoDog’s comprehensive FIDO real-time home energy monitor will be even more dramatic.<\/p>\n

Because EcoDog’s FIDO system is also compatible with alternative energy generation including solar and wind, users with these configurations will, for the first time, have access to real-time monitoring of power input as well as power consumption with detailed net metering showing both dollars and KW hours.<\/p>\n

President Ron Pitt said, “At EcoDog we are taking full advantage of the San Diego manufacturing sector.\u00a0 By building our sub-assemblies at local contract manufacturers and performing final testing and assembly at our San Diego facility we are able to be more responsive to our customers and maintain higher quality standards while carrying lower inventory levels than we would be possible manufacturing overseas.”<\/p>\n

EcoDog was a \u201cgreatest gadget\u201d winner in the CommNexus Gadget Fest of 2009.\u00a0 And, BUILDING PRODUCTS magazine selected EcoDog’s FIDO Home Energy Watchdog as one of only 16 award recipients in its third annual Green Product Awards contest in 2010, with the winners representing some of the best new eco-friendly products for the home.<\/p>\n

The second company, Hadronex<\/a>, was formed in 2005 to solve problems in the water and wastewater industry through contemporary innovative accessible technology.\u00a0 Hadronex is dedicated to providing solutions that the industry desires and needs, using state-of-the-art and proven technologies for effective, low cost, robust products and services.<\/p>\n

Hadronex, Inc. was founded by two technologists, David Drake and Greg Quist, who are also well-known industry policy makers that have been actively involved in the water and wastewater industry for more than two decades.\u00a0 David and Greg met while they were on different water boards and started their company to address the major problem of the wastewater industry \u2013 preventing sewer spills.\u00a0 As a result, the company\u2019s mission is:\u00a0 Defending the environment\u2026Saving energy and money\u2026Protecting Public Health.<\/p>\n

Hadronex\u2019 award-winning SmartCover\u00ae monitoring system is a completely self-contained, turnkey solution developed specifically for the water and wastewater industry.\u00a0 Developed in close collaboration with industry leaders, the SmartCover\u00ae system was built to solve industry problems at high value and low burden.\u00a0\u00a0 It is basically a high-tech manhole cover to prevent sewage spills by monitoring the level of sewer water in the system and providing an alarm when the sewer water is in danger of overflowing or spilling. To date, the SmartCover\u00ae has prevented over 2500 sewage spills.<\/p>\n

Providing complete reliable two way wireless communications, the patented SmartCover\u00ae system provides real-time continuous remote sensing, providing alarms to devices of the customer\u2019s choice, an easy-to-use web based interface, and long and short term data collection and analysis.\u00a0 Built to operate at sites that are environmentally difficult, have no power or communications, the SmartCover\u00ae provides \u201cinstant infrastructure\u201d –\u00a0it can operate virtually anywhere in the world, installs in minutes and is on-line and ready to use immediately.<\/p>\n

Backed by a team dedicated to uncompromising customer service, the SmartCover\u00ae system is the solution to monitoring water and wastewater sites, providing remote security, or monitoring environmental or critical locations.<\/p>\n

The SmartCover\u00ae system has emerged as the industry leader in widely deployable sanitary sewer collection system management.\u00a0\u00a0 Working closely with its customers, Hadronex and the SmartCover\u00ae solution continue to evolve to serve more diverse applications and industries.<\/p>\n

The SmartCover\u00ae-G is a wireless gas monitoring system utilizing the SmartCover\u00ae wireless monitoring system with gas sensors instead of an ultrasonic sensor. The SmartCover\u00ae-G continuously logs gas concentrations, and is designed to provide an alarm based on a \u201cHigh Level\u201d condition. The configuration and applications vary depending upon customer requirements. The SmartCover\u00ae-G is the ideal solution for ambient air quality monitoring.<\/p>\n

Greg Quist said, \u201cOne of the important factors in our success here in San Diego is the confluence of environment and opportunity.\u00a0 Hadronex reflects the concern for the environment and the technological experience to do something about it.\u00a0 Our ideas and designs were catalyzed and supported by the water industry, and our products and business have been supported by the cluster of local manufacturers and technology companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Drake said, \u201cThe key for our fabrications process to locate that very small sweet spot in contract manufacturing between capability, flexibility, and cost.\u00a0 We found the right partners who took responsible steps to improve the pro and who would allow direct engineering relationships to speed up closure.\u00a0 We also chose companies that were not too large or small in comparison with our own size.\u00a0 This has proven successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

These companies are just two examples of companies that are providing solutions to real problems while creating the higher paying manufacturing jobs our region needs.\u00a0 With long-term limitations on natural resource consumption, our nation needs sustainable economic development that provides the higher paying manufacturing and professional service jobs.\u00a0 Cleantech manufacturing companies using innovative technologies such as EcoDog and Hadronex provide a way to achieve both goals simultaneously.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Diego is a natural setting for clean tech collaboration.\u00a0 Meaningful partnerships with private and public sector champions has resulted in the formation of CleanTECH San Diego to promote sustainable best practices and promote the San Diego region\u2019s high concentration of clean tech activities.\u00a0 By collaborating with the multitude of stakeholders, CleanTECH leverages these assets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cleantech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":190,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions\/190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}