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Originally posted to Fox 61.
By Bridgette Bjorlo
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — On Monday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro announced a $1 million award for ClimateHaven, which is a cutting-edge climate technology incubator in New Haven.
The federal funding will come from the U.S. Department of Energy's program for innovation clusters, also known as EPIC.
“It’s a force multiplier,” Blumenthal said. “It enables ClimateHaven to build more, attract more capital and support the entrepreneurs who are really taking the risk, putting their lives, their money, their reputations on the line to create new businesses and sustain them in ways that are profoundly impactful to New Haven, Connecticut and our nation.”
ClimateHaven is a hub on Chapel Street that gives innovators a place to develop new technologies and drive advancements to address climate change.
“You’re not just building companies, you’re building solutions to help shape a sustainable future for all of us,“ ClimateHaven CEO Justine Lee said.
The team plans to spend the money on renewable energy projects and even artificial intelligence. DeLauro called the grant win for both the company and innovators.
“It's essential though for improving our climate while also driving economic growth, creating those new jobs, improving our quality of life."
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker plans to capitalize on the financial support as the region strives to become a national leader in clean energy.
“I may be a little bit biased here. But New Haven is the right place to do this,” Elicker said. “We deeply believe in this work as well and are working so hard in the capacities that we have to address the challenges around climate change. And whether that is putting bike lanes and traffic calming uh all throughout the city, whether it is a partnership with the state for bus rapid transit that you will see in the future where we will have bus routes that are much faster and more efficient uh to get people from point A to point B.”
