
Given the immense traction of infrastructure and energy transition investment in recent years and a new administration around the corner, I couldn’t imagine a better time to connect and envision what might be next with 1,600 energy colleagues from around the country. Earlier this month we all convened in DC to attend Deploy24, the U.S. Department of Energy’s conference of public-private partners coming together to collaborate, plan, learn, and catalyze projects, investments, and partnerships.
The Minnesota delegation showed up in force with partners representing the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the Minnesota Trade Office, the new Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority, the McKnight Foundation, GreaterMSP, the University of Minnesota Natural Resource Research Institute, and the recently launched Mark1 initiative. These partners have played essential roles in our efforts to drive innovation in Minnesota and solidify pathways for cutting-edge technologies to advance from demonstration to deployment. In times of significant change, our region is tremendously fortunate to have these leaders as navigators and activators.
Across two days, sessions covered everything from America’s energy Industrial strategy to removing commercialization barriers to enabling modular reactor liftoff to capital stacks for scale. These sessions and the conversations they spawned all collectively point to the progress and opportunity for US energy innovation and deployment. I had the opportunity to meet with national labs, experts in commercialization and international market entry, fellow incubators and accelerators, startups, and funding partners. This left me with a punch list of actions to grow Grid Catalyst’s impact in 2025 to improve access to capital, catalyze tech categories like long-duration energy storage, and leverage our cold climate region as a proving ground for technology.
I wanted to reflect on one session in particular that has stuck with me, a panel of national energy leaders on Accelerating the Commercialization Flywheel, moderated by Katherine Hamilton, Chair of 38 North Solutions, and longtime host of the Energy Gang podcast.
The panel laid out a convincing case for both the promise and urgency in accelerating new technologies from demonstration to deployment in the energy sector. We know innovation is critical to making our energy infrastructure more resilient and efficient; however, without a pathway to the market, we are squandering an opportunity for national energy independence.
The panel dug in to address where action and disruption is needed to achieve what’s possible when public and private sectors work in tandem:
- The issue isn’t only about having the best technology; it’s also about getting people to take the leap and invest. Many investors and stakeholders remain risk-averse, unwilling to back new technologies without a proven track record. The Office of Technology Transition (OTT) Director Vanessa Chan aptly describes the situation as “Squid Games” — a high-stakes environment where no one wants to be the first to take a chance, and everyone waits for someone else to make the move. This hesitation can doom innovation before it ever has a chance to succeed.
- Demonstration can be pivotal to moving from prototype to deployment faster. Pilot and demonstration programming, like Grid Catalyst’s, has grown significantly as more energy and cleantech startups reach this commercialization stage. The responsibility to avoid pilot purgatory is greater than ever. That is why we work with our startups to define pilot scope and opportunities that lead to their next growth stage, market traction, and investment. Innovation isn’t enough. There has to be a pathway to deploy and scale. I sincerely appreciate the DOE continuing to support new resources and innovative programming that tackle this high barrier to commercialization and market deployment.
- OTT has developed several tools to assist with this transition from tech development to deployment. Grid Catalyst has integrated these tools into our work with startups and industry. And the value clearly landed with Deploy attendees.
- Adoption Readiness Levels framework as a more targeted guideline than the historically referenced Technology Readiness Levels (TRL).
- The addition of Market Readiness perspective to the overall development spectrum, which picks up where TRL peaks.
- The Pathways to Commercial Lift-Off reports that map out the path to commercialization for a single technology (e.g., advanced nuclear) or suite of technologies targeted at a single sector (e.g., decarbonizing chemicals and refining).
- ARPA-E’s Scale-Up Program, launched in 2019 with $700 million in follow-on funding, is a step in the right direction. This program is designed to accelerate the transition from early-stage research to commercialization by addressing the “missing middle” of clean energy innovation. This is the critical gap that sits between the development of a prototype and scaling that technology into something that can be deployed across the world. Their ScaleUp Ready program is now taking applications on a revolving basis, which will make it more accessible and timely for startups.
- James Lindsay, Builders Vision Director of Investments, spoke to the necessary shift in mindset to reconsider risk and opportunity for clean energy technologies in cases where investments may not pay off for decades. As he put it, “We can’t afford to wait for software-level returns.” We need a new type of early-stage growth capital and new models that embrace calculated risk and support innovation at every stage of development. In Grid Catalyst’s work with startups, we’ve seen first-hand the impact philanthropy and other “patient” capital can have in partnership with traditional investment. These nontraditional funding sources can derisk the investment by writing the first check and be more creative in helping startups bring these technologies to market.
- The speakers emphasized the importance of building for 2050, keeping our eye on the long arc of the work even as we navigate short-term dynamics. Although we frequently consider disruption a critical aspect of innovation, disruption in building infrastructure and in our energy system is clearly problematic. A long-term outlook is so important for infrastructure and energy solutions that can be in place for generations and in creating a common vision for more reliable, efficient, cost-effective systems to produce and deliver energy.
- At the heart of this energy transition is talent. The demand for skilled labor in clean energy is exploding, and that demand extends beyond traditional engineering and tech jobs. From trades and construction to law and medicine, a broad range of skills are needed to build a clean energy economy. Importantly, we must create pathways for early-stage entrepreneurs to take risks and pivot into clean energy. Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Scott Institute for Energy Innovation – Costa Samaras – points out that the best technology in the world is useless if it’s not deployed. And that deployment is not possible without a trained and ready workforce.
- Another central barrier to deployment and scaling is a pervasive aversion to risk among would-be early adopters. There are challenges with perceived versus actual risk and the processes by which early adopters or investors measure risk versus returns. Chan explained that many companies and institutions hesitate to take action because they fear failure. However, managed failure is an essential part of innovation. “Stagnation is even more costly.” Grid Catalyst has been fortunate to bring to the table an Innovators Network of pilot partners that work with us to responsibly minimize and control risks in order to benefit from adopting new technologies. However, green-lighting a pilot often requires other de-risking measures, such as funding for projects, technical assistance, and opportunities to benefit from the success of a partnership.
- Building a future-focused, innovation-driven ecosystem requires collaboration between private companies, government agencies, and international players. As Lindsay highlighted, we don’t want to lose new industries to countries willing to invest in clean energy today. This is not just a U.S. technology or resilience issue; it’s an issue of global competitiveness.
These were the takeaways from just one session of a two-day event brimming with experts in technology, policy, investment, and deployment. The U.S. is already creating a stronger, more resilient energy future, supported by public-private partners across the country. I am proud that Minnesota plays a proactive role in building that future as innovators, investors, and most importantly, doers.
This is not some distant vision; it is work happening on the ground today.
Collectively, we have the technologies, the policies, and the momentum to make it work. But we need to act with urgency. We need new financing models, innovative business approaches, and a willingness to take calculated risks. Minnesota needs to strengthen our commitment to being a hub for cleantech and energy innovation because it strengthens our regional economy with advanced manufacturing, business growth, job creation, and attracting talent and investment.
Thanks to our Minnesota Energy Alley initiative, in partnership with Clean Energy Economy Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, we are well on our way. So let’s commit to building the infrastructure, developing the workforce and investing in the technologies that will power our world in 2050.