By NCBR Staff
Northern Colorado Business Report
9/30/11

FORT COLLINS - The Colorado Clean Energy Cluster has received a grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to help fund a statewide Clean Energy Supply Chain Development initiative.

A call to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade for the grant amount was not returned in time for this report.

The initiative aims to grow the clean energy supply chain in Colorado by identifying component suppliers and making connections between suppliers, customers and industry resources.

The initiative was developed in response to needs identified in the clean energy industry.

Tom Despres, CCEC supply chain development director, said the initiative discovered the state's clean energy supply chain "had a lot of gaps." Despres said some of the OEDIT funding will be used to develop a "Supplier Asset Map" in partnership with the Colorado Association for Marketing and Technology (CAMT).

"It will have all of our local sources of green energy supplies," he said. "It's a way to entice companies to invest locally in their supplies rather than buy from out-of-state."

Other goals of the initiative include identifying specific supply chain needs, connecting players supporting the state's clean energy sector, and providing expertise to clean energy companies or their supply chain partners.
Despres said the bottom line goal of the initiative is to support the growth of Colorado's clean energy industry and create jobs.

He said the initiative is not just aimed at companies that are members of the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster.

"When companies reach out to me, I'll help them," he said. "I'll take it to any company, whether they're in the cluster or not, and offer it free of charge."