MONTVILLE, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday announced a $500,000 grant program aimed at spurring innovation, supporting clean energy start-ups, and creating jobs in Maine’s clean energy sector.
The “Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge” is a joint initiative of the governor’s Energy Office and the Maine Technology Institute to spark innovation, develop new companies, and create jobs in the state’s burgeoning clean energy economy, according to Mills. Details about the grant program are available on MTI’s website.
Mills made the Earth Day announcement at ReVision Energy, which is one of the leading solar energy companies in New England.
“Companies like ReVision Energy, which started as a two-person shop in Liberty, Maine, are showing how the clean energy economy creates good-paying, sustaining careers across all of Maine,” Mills said. “I have pledged that Maine will see 30,000 clean energy jobs in Maine by 2030, and with the Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge, we are stepping up our support for clean energy entrepreneurs to help them create these jobs and fight climate change at the same time.”
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“ReVision Energy is proud to play a leading role in helping grow Maine’s clean energy economy, and we applaud the Innovation Challenge as a way to help a new generation of Maine companies thrive,” Vaughan Woodruff, Director of the ReVision Energy Training Center, said. “The bold climate and clean energy actions by the Mills Administration are driving demand for a new generation of professionals who can live and work here in Maine in long-lasting careers that pay well and will help further strengthen communities across our state.”
Maine’s investment in research and development, a key driver of economic growth, has ranked among the lowest in the nation, according to Mills. Mills said Maine also has among the fewest clean energy jobs per capita in New England, behind Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, where clean energy jobs are among the highest per capita in the country.
Mills said the Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge is a first step of increasing that support, by making funds available to existing clean energy startups to advance clean energy or climate technology, and aid Maine’s progress toward achieving its targets.
“The Maine Technology Institute is pleased to offer the Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge and help Maine companies advance their great ideas,” Brian Whitney, president of the Maine Technology Institute, said. “If you are a clean energy company or entrepreneur ready to take the next step with your product or technology, we encourage you to visit our website for more about the Challenge.”
“A thriving clean energy economy is rooted in innovation, and the Governor’s Energy Office is thrilled to work with MTI on the Challenge to help companies develop their ideas reduce dependence on fossil fuels and fight the effects of climate change,” Dan Burgess, director of the governor’s Energy Office, said. “Creating jobs, strengthening our economy, fighting climate change, and protecting the health of the state we love and call home go hand-in-hand.”
In addition to the challenge, Mills said her administration is continuing to develop programs to grow the state’s clean energy economy through public-private partnerships, apprenticeship, internship and career programs, and workforce development initiatives to support the state’s goal of having 30,000 clean energy jobs in Maine by 2030.