Today, CEEM Executive Director Gregg Mast testified before the Senate Energy Committee in support of SF 761, a bipartisan bill to expand the successful Minnesota Energy Alley initiative.
This innovative public-private partnership is already showing results. Of the $3M appropriated in 2023, just $1M has helped leverage more than $11M in additional public and private investment, accelerating the commercialization of breakthrough technologies and positioning Minnesota as a global leader in energy innovation.
This initiative demonstrates that Minnesota understands how to overcome the “valley of death” — the critical gap where early-stage energy technologies too often stall. By supporting demonstration projects and pairing startups with trusted local partners, Minnesota Energy Alley de-risks innovation and builds the confidence needed to bring new technologies to market.
I have Greg Mast and Sean Jarvey. Mr. Mast, welcome back to the energy Committee. Good to see you. Please introduce yourself and present your testimony. Good afternoon, Chair Franz and members of the committee. For the record, my name is Greg Mast. I'm the executive director of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota. They're seen as we are knowing we are an industry LED nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works alongside our 80 plus clean energy business members to grow jobs and advanced market opportunities to accelerate Minnesota's. Transition to a safe, reliable and affordable energy future. I'll keep my testimony brief so that you can hear from Sean Jari from Flow Environmental Systems who is a part of our energy innovation ecosystem and is a cohort company of the Minnesota Energy Alley Initiative. I'd like to thank Vice Chair Jiang for once again carrying this bill and bringing it forward as our chief author and also thank you to Senator Rerrick, who's a co-author on this bipartisan bill. Seen as thrilled to spearhead this public private partnership along with Good Catalyst and the Minnesota Department of Commerce seems primary roles to ensure strategic implementation and execution of the initiatives programs. This includes directly supporting demonstration projects with seed funding that is so vital for startups, their local project partners and host communities as they work to commercialize these promising energy technologies as is evidenced by the tremendous support submitted in written testimony and the numerous letters of support. This bipartisan bill that's in your packets, it's clear that in a very short amount of time, the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative is already delivered, delivering measurable real-world results as we work to efficiently and effectively deploy the $3,000,000 appropriated in the 2023 legislation. 3 quick highlights that I'd like to share in our work to date with partners that is detailed in good Catalyst written testimony. First, Minnesota Energy Alley has supported over 20 Minnesota based businesses in advancing their technologies. Towards commercialization alongside 6 companies attracted from other states. Second, all projects are mobilized with local partners. For example, you'll hear more from Rogers based Flow Environmental Systems who is demonstrating their heat pump technology at the local 455 steam fitters and pipe fitters training facility in Saint Paul. And 3rd into this initiative has already paid investment in this initiative has already paid immense returns to Minnesota with over $11 million attracted. In public and private funding and over 9 million of that total was directed to Minnesota companies. So in closing, we are confident that this bill as amended will build and expand on the programs early success in elevating Minnesota as a hotbed of energy innovation. The initiative has been instrumental in supporting and nurturing startup businesses and will further strengthen our energy system and our economy. Thank you for your consideration of Senate File 761 as amended and I ask for your support this conversations and discussions. Continue regarding renewal development account appropriations the rest of this session. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and I will plan to stick around and take any questions that you may have. Thank you, Mr. Mass, for your testimony and thanks for coining the phrase hotbed of energy innovation.
