As any proper economic development team would, we have spent
significant time the last few years marketing Fremont’s strong “clean
technology” cluster … until recently. That is, we started getting
corrected by experts in this industry for generalizing what is actually a
vast array of technologies into the single term, “clean tech.”

Apparently,
the term is passé. And it may be for good reason. After all, this
umbrella term may lead one person to think of energy technologies while
another person may envision sustainable kitchen soap. All this gave us
pause and prompted us to more thoroughly investigate the technologies in
Fremont that play a role in the energy efficiency and smart grid
spaces. What are they, and how did they come to Fremont in such numbers?

Enter Christine Hertzog, author of the Smart Grid Dictionary, who has just completed research
that explains why it’s no accident that Fremont has so many solar and
LED companies, for example. Perhaps more importantly, it articulates how
these technologies and other supporting industries play into a broader
smart grid value chain. Her findings revealed that Fremont has
significant company representation across every segment of this value
chain: generation, transmission, distribution and consumption. Notable
technologies include communications, semiconductor, solar, LED, energy
storage andelectric vehicles. She also makes the interesting point that
Fremont’s leading role in the smart grid only stands to support another
vital part of our economy – advanced manufacturing, with its strong
need for reliable power.

So, armed with this valuable
information, what do we do with it? Well, as any proper economic
development team would, we support and incentivize it! Our strategy
ranges from growing our Innovation District in Warm Springs,
to a clean tech business tax exemption and streamlining the permit
process. We want to show companies in these targeted growth sectors that
we understand their business model and are making an investment in
their future success.

Since you have found your way to our new blog, you might also like to check out the Clean Tech page on our new website, to learn more about how we are helping to grow the companies that will change the world.

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