Title: Clean energy companies bank on state aid for growth - MassHighTech

Industry sector: Government

Clean energy companies bank on state aid for growth

By Kyle Alspach
MassHighTech

Massachusetts can’t compete with some states when it comes to providing government-backed financial help to cleantech companies. But the state doesn’t have to, says Patrick Cloney, executive director of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

“We say right from the get-go, if you’re here for the biggest check, we’re not going to win,” Cloney said. “We think we bring a lot more to bear than just ‘dumb money.’ ”

Cloney, whose center administers the state’s effort to attract and retain cleantech companies, says “dumb money” is what companies are offered when they promise to create a certain number of jobs and a state gives a set amount of money in return.

In Massachusetts, though, Cloney says the “modest amount of money” the state can offer is far down the list of reasons why a growing cleantech company would choose to expand here.

The talent pool coming out of local universities, the region’s innovation culture and the Clean Energy Center’s other services — such as helping companies to find early adopters — are often more important factors contributing to why firms choose to stay, according to Cloney. Mass High Tech looked at some local companies that have recently announced deals with the Clean Energy Center to expand and add jobs in the state.

Read the full article in MassHighTech.