SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc. (NEXT), makers of a proprietary transparent photovoltaic (PV) coating that transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels, received an award under the Realizing Accelerated Manufacturing and Production for Clean Energy Technologies (RAMP) grant. NEXT received $3 million in funding on April 12 as part of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) ongoing strategy to foster and support clean energy entrepreneurship across the state.
The purpose of RAMP is to provide financial assistance to help clean energy entrepreneurs successfully advance their innovative technologies by reaching initial manufacturing readiness levels. The specific purpose of NEXT’s agreement is to fund the scale-up of a Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) line for the assembly of solution-processed Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) on architectural window glass into window-PV modules that are ready for integration into commercial Insulated Glass Units (IGUs).
"We're honored to receive the RAMP grant award," said Daniel Emmett, chief executive officer and co-founder of NEXT Energy Technologies. "The funding provided is vital to startups like ours that are focusing on manufacturing at the next level. Our goal is to help commercial buildings achieve net-zero energy and reduce their carbon footprint, and we are working with innovative partners to demonstrate how this technology can grow in the future. As California takes charge in sustainable energy, we look forward to working with the CEC to tackle the sustainability challenges of tomorrow.”
“RAMP is really a visionary program. It is providing value, not just for our clean energy goals, but also ultimately for ratepayers because it is helping to drive down the cost of these technologies,” said CEC Chair David Hochschild, who also praised innovators for keeping jobs in California.
NEXT developed a proprietary transparent photovoltaic (PV) coating that transforms commercial windows into energy-generating windows. The grant will enable NEXT to accelerate its development and commercialization so that it can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support California's transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy system.
About NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc.
NEXT Energy Technologies is a Santa Barbara, California company developing transparent photovoltaic window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. For more information, visit www.nextenergytech.com.
