Talk Clean To Me

Joe and Chloe first met Katie while she was Director of the Cleantech Open, a role that put her near the center of Boston’s cleantech ecosystem. Despite her demanding position, she made time to welcome each of us, wide-eyed new cleantech entrepreneurs, to the world of cleantech, as she’s done for dozens of self-starters before and since. Katie continues to work hard, now in her position as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Greentown Labs, to make the Northeast a welcoming, efficient, and effective place for talented people to realize their visions for a cleaner future. Tweet Katie at @MoreWaterPls! Mentioned in the podcast: Greentown Labs (@GreentownLabs) Autonomous Marine Systems (@automarinesys) Grove (@GroveLabs) Viroment (@ViromentGlobal) Drinkwell Tagup (@hello_tagup) Toilets for People (@toilets4people)

More than 90% of existing dams in the U.S. don’t produce electricity. What if someone could transform these facilities into reliable clean energy sources that wouldn’t harm the environment? Surge Hydro cofounders Nicholas Cabral and David Markley decided to tackle this problem head on by buying, restoring, and upgrading several hydroelectric dams in Maine. Join Joe and Chloe in their conversation with David Markley to hear the Surge Hydro story. Visit their website at https://www.surgehydro.com/ to learn more.

About 50% of the water destined to for Boston is lost between the reservoir and the city, and most of that loss occurs at pipe joints. Concerned about this hemorrhaging of a precious resource? Enter Proper Pipe. In order to solve many problems related to transporting liquids, we need not only better joints, but also a better way of testing the integrity of those joints. Ruben and Abel, the respective Founder/CEO and Business Development Manager of Proper Pipe, join us to tell their story. Visit their website at http://www.properpipe-usa.com/ to learn more. Twitter: @properpipe

So you want to install solar panels on your house or business. How do you choose which ones to buy? Do you lease them or purchase them outright? Do you want the “Cadillac” model or the “Camry” model? Wouldn’t it be helpful if somebody else did all your research for you and tell you which companies best matched your needs? Meet Vikram Aggarwal (Founder/CEO) and Kimberly Le (Network Partnerships Manager) of EnergySage. They’re here to help consumers navigate the solar market and gain a thorough understanding of the parameters that effect their solar panel purchases. Visit their website at https://www.energysage.com/ to learn about the solar market or check out their solar calculator! Twitter: @EnergySage

Eric Graham, founder and CEO of CrowdComfort, believes that walking into most buildings is like walking half a century back in time, technologically speaking. And this is by design - buildings need to last dozens of years, and are therefore built conservatively. But Eric has a vision to bring them into the 21st century, and it involves you, me, and those tiny computers in our pockets called smartphones. Eric wants to crowdsource collecting building data by turning humans into sensors. Visit http://crowdcomfort.com/ to learn more!

Our cars are more efficient, our buildings are more efficient, but can our plants be more efficient too? Michael, founder and CEO of Genoverde thinks so. His company, spun out from UMass Amherst, bioengineers plants do more with less (and pull more carbon out of the air, too!). Join the Talk Clean Team as we explore Michael’s journey of growing a startup that grows better. Visit www.genoverde.com/ to learn more!

Winter is coming... and that means foggy glasses and windshields for everybody. Luckily, Marc and Yinyong, the CEO and CTO of Treaty, are here with their product FogKicker, a biodegradable solution applied once a month to prevent foggy surfaces. Their current product is designed for underwater applications such as snorkeling, diving, and swimming –perfect for a midwinter escape to the Bahamas– but their landlubber model isn’t far behind. They sat down with us to talk about their plan for becoming a household name and the growing startup scene in central Massachusetts. Visit treatyllc.com to try FogKicker for yourself and learn more about Treaty.

Senthil is on a mission to see every roof in the US installed with solar panels. His weapon of choice? Design. Sistine Solar's custom solar panels come in any color and design, and therefore have near limitless potential to "make solar beautiful." Senthil and his co-founder Ido Salama started Sistine Solar because they believe that superior design will be crucial in unlocking the full potential of the solar industry. Senthil sat down to tell us all about it. Thank you for joining us, Senthil! Visit www.sistinesolar.com to learn more and request a quote for their first product, SolarSkin, solar panels that match your roof! Twitter: @sistinesolar

This isn't your grandpa's solar array! The modern solar array design is over 30 years old, but Les and Katy, the CEO and CTO of Tessolar, are out to change the game. Their panel is the product of a holistic, systems level approach to optimizing the modern panel, from materials to setup. They sat down to tell us all about how to start a company with a vision to cut the cost of solar in half. Visit www.tessolarinc.com to learn more.

We frequently hear about the internet of things (IoT), but a lot that has to happen before devices and appliances can seamlessly and meaningfully integrate with the web. Jon Garrity left GE to start his own business tackling an important part of the IoT puzzle, and one that has important ramifications for cleantech. Described as a "Facebook for sensors and devices," Tagup enables a simple an intuitive way for power and electric utility devices old and new to communicate with the web. Thank you for joining us, Jon! Learn more at http://tagup.io/