Greentown Labs, a North American climatetech startup incubator, and Vineyard Wind, developer of the first utility-scale offshore wind energy generation facility in the U.S., have selected three startups for the Offshore Wind Challenge.
The startups will focus on innovations in marine mammal monitoring through data collection, real-time transmission and analysis. The advancement of their technologies will support the responsible development of the offshore wind industry off the coast of Massachusetts and beyond.
The Challenge, run by Vineyard Wind and Greentown Labs with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), received more than 60 applications from around the globe. After a highly competitive recruitment and deliberation process, the partners are pleased to announce that the following three companies have been selected to participate in the Offshore Wind Challenge and apply their technologies to near, real-time marine mammal detection:
- SICdrone, based in Massachusetts, builds offshore-capable aerial drone systems that can fly in harsh weather conditions, eliminating weather delays for critical inspection and monitoring at sea
- Night Vision Technology Solutions, based in Rhode Island, is a high-technology provider of thermal and visible camera systems designed for offshore wind, search and rescue, threat detection and situational awareness
- Open Ocean Robotics, based in British Columbia, makes it cheaper, easier and safer to understand our oceans using solar-powered, self-driving boats that travel oceans for months at a time while collecting ocean data
Based at Greentown Labs, which is headquartered in Somerville, Mass., the Offshore Wind Challenge is a six-month accelerator program focused on providing entrepreneurs with the connections, business and technical resources they need to commercialize their technologies. In addition to receiving direct support from Vineyard Wind and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Challenge also draws on the knowledge and expertise of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the New England Aquarium.
“We take our responsibility as ‘first movers’ in the U.S. offshore wind industry very seriously and are always looking for ways to implement new technologies that reduce impacts to the environment and marine life,” says Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.
“We’re grateful to Greentown Labs for their partnership and to all of the applicants for their work and passion. We look forward to seeing the development of these technologies and how they can assist our work and mission,” he adds.
Over the next six months, the startups participating in the Offshore Wind Challenge will benefit from mentoring, networking opportunities, educational workshops and partnership-focused programming through Greentown Launch, Greentown Labs’ flagship corporate partnerships accelerator platform. Within this framework, the Offshore Wind Challenge will help startups explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind, including piloting their technologies in Vineyard Wind’s Massachusetts lease waters. Furthermore, participants will receive Greentown Labs membership for the duration of the program.
MassCEC, a pillar in Massachusetts’ cleantech ecosystem, has been leading the state’s offshore wind initiatives and technical analyses in close collaboration with policymakers, regulators, developers, industry and stakeholders since 2009. MassCEC is an enabling partner for the Offshore Wind Challenge, providing grant funding, expertise and in-kind support for startup pilot projects in Vineyard Wind’s lease areas in Massachusetts’ waters.
All participants in the program will receive:
- Acceptance into Greentown Launch, a six-month partnerships acceleration program for startups, hosted at Greentown Labs
- A structured platform to explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind
- Exclusive access to the Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind networks
- Funding and access to MassCEC’s New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for ocean validation of technologies
- Mentorship, networking opportunities and partnership-focused programming from the Greentown Labs ecosystem of cleantech and climatetech startup experts
- Access to mentorship from offshore wind engineers, scientists and permitting specialists
- Access to various offshore wind organizations and suppliers
The Offshore Wind Challenge will feature over 40 hours of intensive business training, hands-on mentorship from industry experts and a unique model of startup-and-corporate relationship building. The Offshore Wind Challenge partners will host a final showcase in 2021 to share startup progress, accomplishments, and successful results of working closely with Vineyard Wind, Greentown Labs and MassCEC throughout the program.
Photo: Vineyard Wind’s Offshore Wind Challenge web page
