PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), announced that they have been named a Phase II: Create winner by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the DOE's Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Strategies Track.  

 

The Strategies Track program is designed to build interest, engagement, and community involvement around clean energy manufacturing by encouraging the applicant and stakeholders to develop a customized roadmap to bring manufacturing activity to their region.  

 

The BIC is one of only seven applicants across the country, and the only one in Massachusetts, to receive a Phase II award.  The Phase II award of $100,000 will support the BIC's project, the Berkshire Clean Tech Initiative (BCTI), to create a roadmap for growing clean tech manufacturing in the Berkshires and supporting start-ups in the clean tech industry.

 

"Receiving this award is humbling and exciting, but it is just the beginning — the real work starts now," said Ben Sosne, executive director of the BIC.  "The Berkshires has such tremendous potential to be a leader in the clean energy transition, and we are fortunate to have such strong partners locally and across the Commonwealth.  Developing and deploying technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change is critical for the health and wellbeing of future generations, and it is also a tremendous economic development opportunity, particularly for regions like ours."

 

As a Phase II winner, the BIC is now eligible to advance to the program's Phase III: Activate.  In that third phase, the BIC will seek to finalize their roadmap to attract and support manufacturers and obtain a commitment from at least one entity interested in establishing a clean energy manufacturing facility in the region.  In Phase III, the BIC and other Phase II winners are competing for a $250,000 prize.

 

"The Berkshires region has incredible potential to be a clean energy and climatetech manufacturing hub where we can create good jobs and stimulate the growth of the technological solutions that will help us combat the climate challenge," said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Dr. Emily Reichert. "This award from the U.S. Department of Energy is a win for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It's an impressive milestone in our collective effort to build a thriving climate corridor from the Berkshires to Boston, and it would not have been possible without the leadership of the Berkshire Innovation Center." 

 

Eric Planey, CEO of Pittsfield-based SolaBlock, one of the BIC's climatetech start-up firms, praised the BIC's efforts and the region's assets. 

 

"We are so excited for the BIC in winning this essential award.  President Biden's climate initiatives are arguably some of the largest economic policy initiatives in the last 50 years (not involving a pandemic or crashing of financial markets), and the BIC/Berkshires was selected as one of only 7 awardees in the entire US to be tasked to build out a supply chain road map for climatetech.  That is incredible and also very inspiring for a young firm like ours."