For Release:        Immediate — February 25, 2015

Contact:               Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations

(518) 956-7359 |  jgretzinger@sunycnse.com

Grants Support Development of Smart Energy Test Facility at New ZEN Building and Accelerate Commercialization of Renewable Energy Technologies Albany, NY – In support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s commitment to clean energy development and innovation, SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) and National Grid today announced that SUNY Poly CNSE has been awarded $250,000 through National Grid’s Clean Tech Incubation Grant and another $750,000 through its Renewable Energy and Economic Development Grant.  The grants support public-private partnerships and innovative economic development projects that further the commercialization of next generation technologies.

[caption id="attachment_15731" align="alignright" width="428"] National Grid President Ken Daly presents a check for two clean energy awards to SUNY Poly CNSE[/caption]

“National Grid is pleased to continue its long-standing support of the transformational, clean energy solutions coming from SUNY Poly CNSE’s research and development efforts,” said Ken Daly, National Grid's New York President. “Strategic partnerships like the one between National Grid and SUNY Poly CNSE are critical to creating new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century.”

“Thanks to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State has become a global leader in the development of clean energy technologies.  SUNY Poly CNSE is a critical component of the Governor’s energy plan for the state and is thrilled to receive such tremendous support from National Grid for its commitment to innovation and the commercialization of new technologies,” said Dr. Pradeep Haldar, SUNY Poly CNSE Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs. “Partners such as National Grid, who share our commitment to clean energy research and development, are key to our success.”

The grants were announced Wednesday at the annual meeting of Incubators for Collaborating & Leveraging Energy And Nanotechnology (iCLEAN) at SUNY Poly CNSE. iCLEAN works with clean energy companies throughout New York, the Northeast, and the rest of the country to offer budding and seasoned entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators the highest levels of incubation and commercialization assistance.

The $250,000 Clean Tech Incubation Grant supports the development of Integrated Solutions for PV Installations for Rooftop Energy (INSPIRE), which will provide iCLEAN incubator clients access to the expertise, tools and testing facilities at SUNY Poly CNSE’s $20 billion nanotech complex and accelerate the commercialization of new technologies. Additionally, INSPIRE will perform market research for companies with lightweight, high performance PV applications, assist with commercialization efforts via demonstration, and perform field testing.

The $750,000 Renewable Energy and Economic Development Grant will support the design, development and construction of the Smart Energy Test Facility that will provide electricity to SUNY Poly CNSE’s new $191 million Zero Energy Nanotechnology (ZEN building), a living laboratory for clean and renewable energy technologies that is slated for completion later this year.  The facility will also provide continuous research, analysis, testing and demonstration opportunities for pre-commercial, state-of-the-art prototype alternate energy products that incorporate nanotechnology-related components developed at SUNY Poly CNSE, start-up companies and other universities. As part of the project, SUNY Poly CNSE will install a highly visible 2-megawatt photovoltaic plant to deliver electricity to ZEN.  After successful demonstration, energy system prototypes will be deployed at other sites throughout the Capital Region.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and degrees in technology, professional studies, and the arts and sciences at its Utica/Rome campus. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $20 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 3,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. The Utica/Rome campus offers a unique high-tech learning environment, providing academic programs in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, with degrees and course offerings in natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, CNSE’s Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester, and the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) on its Utica campus and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

National Grid. National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up’.

In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country.

National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

For more information please visit our website:  www.nationalgridus.com.

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