01/06/2025 | News release | Archived content
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced recently that PDX Clean Industry Network tied for second place in the Manufacturing Ecosystem Track in the grand prize competition as part of the IMPACT phase of the Community Energy Innovation Prize.
This team includes the City of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), Columbia Corridor Association, PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Prosper Portland, Energy 350, OSU Industrial Assessment Center, Center for Sustainable Infrastructure, and Worksystems Inc. Alando Simpson of COR Disposal and Recycling joined the team for the grand prize pitch event.
The PDX Clean Industry Network previously completed the initial PROGRESS award phasewith a prize amount of $100,000. This award also included in-kind mentorship and the ability to proceed to the IMPACT award phase, which they also completed. That phase included another $100,000 award and additional support services as well as the opportunity to move to this final phase.
The team's effortsand corresponding prizes have supported the development of a robust business network to implement industrial symbiosis projects leading to reductions in carbon emissions, pollution, and waste, as well as growth in Portland's clean manufacturing workforce. This project is part of the Clean Industry Initiative, a collaborative effort to transition Portland's industrial sector to a cleaner future.
This event concludes DOE's Community Energy Innovation Prize, which awarded a total of nearly $7.5 million. This program supports innovation, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and economic development in communities historically underrepresented in clean energy funding. Projects ranged from engaging and mentoring university students to help deploy clean energy in their communities, to workforce development initiatives, community education, and technology deployment related to clean energy and manufacturing.
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About the Clean Industry Initiative
The Clean Industry Initiative aims to help local industries and businesses achieve climate goals and remain competitive. It also supports a just transition as it creates opportunities for workers and communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis in the transition to a fossil fuel-free economy. Led by BPS staff, this project was created after conversations with community members indicated that transitioning to clean energy and decarbonizing industrial activities was a priority for the City and community. Through the Clean Industry Initiative, BPS has partnered with Prosper Portland and Portland State University to pursue funding for clean industry and with a group of industrial businesses to identify private sector-led strategies for industrial decarbonization.
About the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS)oversees a world-renowned waste and recycling systemand leads the country in its commitment to digital equity, open data, and protecting communities in the application of technologies. Staff collaborate with partners on neighborhood, economic, historic, and environmental planningand provide research, policy, and technical services to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as policies and actions to address climate change. The bureau also oversees the innovative Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund(PCEF).