The Austin Technology Incubator’s UT branch and the State Energy Conservation Office are accepting applicants for two new clean energy incubators at Texas universities.

Clean energy incubators provide a forum for innovators to discuss ways to apply new forms of clean energy to the real world. Clean energy produces more energy using less intensive technologies by avoiding hydrocarbons or types of fuels in gas emissions.

The State Energy Conservation Office noticed the success ATI had in applying clean energy technology to everyday use in Central Texas, director of the Austin Technology Incubator, Isaac Barchas said.

“They approached us to work with them to try to establish two new energy incubators, with the idea being we can take learning with the experience here at the Austin Technology Incubator and try to use that to seed a couple of new incubators around the state,” Barchas said.

One of the most important components of a successful incubator is having people who are experts in their field, Barchus said. The $200,000 each new incubator will receive will go to hiring expert staff. It will also pay for the staff to travel to state and national events to keep plugged into what is happening with the clean energy economy.

“One of the things incubators can do is to help entrepreneurs or executives navigate the relatively new economy successfully,” Barchus said. “Also we’re successfully commercializing innovation, whether that be intellectual property generated at universities or innovation people are coming up in garages which can be benefitted by building a community that support that commercialization.”