Solar Energy is fast becoming a premier clean, reliable and abundant source of energy for the USA. From silicon-based solar photovoltaic technology to thin-film nanotechnology solutions, the solar energy industry has expanded by at least 30% annually since the mid-1990s. Although solar technology has traditionally been cost-preventative, the efficient processing and storage of solar energy is a focus of the National Clean Energy Project in Washington, D.C. and the Obama Administration. The hub of solar energy exploration finds a perfect home in the Greater Palm Springs area, with its year-round sunshine and an abundance of existing solar technology. Improving the efficiency of solar systems, concentrating solar energy for higher output, developing new technologies to harvest solar energy, bringing down the costs of system production, improving systems integration technologies, integrated photovoltaics and producing silicon feedstock are all tremendous opportunities and possibilities for The Hatch Partnership to explore.

 

Wind Power is one of the fastest growing Clean Tech markets segments, growing a staggering 68% from $17.9 billion in 2006 to $30.1 billion in 2007. Most industry experts believe the market will nearly triple to $83.4 billion by 2017. Community wind projects are already a fixture in the Greater Palm Springs area, but the production winds are changing as new technologies are emerging in the areas of nanotechnology, with molecule sized breakthroughs offering improved strength and durability in of turbine blades, gears and other components. Indeed, new materials are emerging for tower and blade construction to address the every growing steel shortage. Variable length blades and bigger and better windmills are just a few of the exciting advances in wind power, and present wonderful opportunities for The Hatch Partnership.

 

Smart Grid technology involves creating an intelligent, distributed, 21st Century utility grid system that essentially augments and ultimately replaces outdated systems. The industrial shift that’s taking place in the delivery of electricity is driving a growing range of opportunities for entrepreneurs and utility companies to discover innovative ways to rework the existing power grids that serve local and regional communities. These changes are not limited to large, industrial size facilities. Smart appliances, automated meter-reading, grid monitoring and neighborhood redistribution systems can be applied at the community street level and to the individual homeowner. Larger systems innovations like superconductors are also relevant. Given The Hatch Partnership’s propensity toward developing technologies within the solar energy and wind power industries, it seems natural to also nurture companies with innovative smart grid ideas and concepts.

 

Green Building has become attainable for developers in recent years thanks to increasing production efficiency and lower cost green building materials and technologies. Additionally, in California, green building standards have now been institutionalized into the state’s public policy, with certain mandates for new construction. LEED certification is something most forward thinking builders now strive for in everything they build, from new homes to larger commercial buildings. Green design, next-generation insulation, Led lighting systems, energy management systems, integrated solar roofing products and tankless water heaters are just a few of the hot opportunities available to green building entrepreneurs.

 

Biofuels/BioMaterials is a rapidly expanding, but increasingly challenging market. It is expected that the biofuels industry will grow from $25.4 billion in 2007 to over $80 million in 2017. Still, public policy ebbs and flows with regard to support for crop-based production of gasoline blend products. Some of the more promising research advances indicates that crop waste, as opposed to food crops themselves, may serve as an equally appealing biofuel feedstock. Algae from wastewater or the Salton Sea, may hold promise for biofuel production for the Coachella Valley as well. Finally, biomaterials (specifically bio-plastics) are emerging as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based plastic products. Much of the biofuels / biomaterials advances are still laboratory based, but as they commercialize, The Hatch Partnership will be ready to take advantage of leveraging our Valley’s agricultural waste and Salton Sea algae resources to create regional solutions.

 

Water Filtration involves turning ocean, wastewater and other untapped sources into pure water or recycling the water for brown water uses such as irrigation. With the Coachella Valley’s decreasing water reserves and desert environment, fresh water is an imperative to the economic health of our area. Incubating businesses with innovative ways to process and purify water taps into a market with massive proportions, reaching far beyond the needs of our local communities. Nano-based membranes, desalination plants powered by renewable energy, portable and handheld filtration systems, water distribution systems, harvesting water from air and new sewage processing techniques represent just a few of the breakthrough opportunities The Hatch Partnership will explore.