'Powerhouse of Innovation' to feature panels, tours and working labs in new CSU facility

By: InnovatioNews Wednesday May 21, 2014 Tags: CSU Energy Institute, CSU Ventures, Czero, EcoCAR 2, EnviroFit, Fort Collins, Spirae, Sundolier, The Neenan Company, Van Heyst Group, VanDyne SuperTurbo

FORT COLLINS - "A Powerhouse of Innovation" is set for Friday at Colorado State University's Powerhouse Energy Campus during Fort Collins Startup Week.

Hosted by InnovatioNews, the free event will be held at the Powerhouse, 430 N. College Ave., from noon to 2 p.m.

"This Friday the PowerHouse will be the scene of an incredible variety of innovative companies and projects," said Lee Porter, InnovatioNews publisher. "We're very pleased to partner with Fort Collins Startup Week, the Van Heyst Group, the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and the CSU Powerhouse Energy Campus for this event that shows these innovations off to our community."

The Powerhouse officially opened April 17 and is a central feature of CSU's energy research and part of CSU's Energy Institute.

The $18.5 million, 100,000-square-foot, four-story facility is an expansion of the CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory.

The Powerhouse is home to the CSU Center for the New Energy Economy headed by former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, startup businesses from Rocky Mountain Innosphere and CSU's Research Innovation Center and other related campus offices.

The new facility, built by Fort Collins-based The Neenan Company, incorporates a variety of innovative designs in its construction.

Those taking part in Friday's event include The Neenan Company, Sundolier Solar Systems, VanDyne SuperTurbo, Envirofit International, Czero, Rocky Mountain Innosphere, CSU Ventures, Rebound Technologies, Spirae, Colorado Technology Association and CSU's Vehicle Innovation Team competing in this year's national EcoCAR 2 competition.

The "Powerhouse of Innovation" mid-day event will also feature tours by RamTrax and local food trucks The Silver Seed and Nomad Street Cuisine.

Projects throughout the building will be featured on the tours. Spirae's InteGrid Lab, Van Dyne SuperTurbo's Engine Lab, Sundolier's solar installation and Envirofit's Rocket Stove Lab will be included on the tour, among others.

The tour will also include the PowerHouse's fourth floor incubator, managed by Innosphere.

Prior to the InnovatioNews event at the Powerhouse from 9 a.m. to noon, "The Future of Life: Agriculture and the Internet of Things" will be presented by Van Heyst Group of Boulder.

The Internet of Things event features three panels, "Smart Air, Dirty Water: Ag and the Future of Conservation, ""Ag and the Future of Economic Development, "and "Ag and the Future of Population Health and Well-Being."

Advance registration for both events, which are open to the public, is available through the ftcstartupweek.co website.

Parking for the event will be available in the Museum of Discovery lot across College Avenue and in a grass lot south of the building accessible off Willow Street.