For the second year in a row, the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI) will host the Utility Technology Challenge, a technology-matching program that bridges the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace for early stage clean tech ventures.

One of the challenges facing new technologies in the highly competitive and infrastructure-laden industry of clean energy is the lack of connectivity between top-level solutions and the test beds that can prove them out. The Utility Technology Challenge aims to mobilize corporate integrators and utilities into narrowing their requests and opening their doors to make these opportunities more prolific.

"We saw enormous success in 2010 with this program in dynamic conversations between peers in the utility and corporate spheres, as well as discovery of new opportunities for solution providers and integrators alike," said CTSI CEO Patricia Glaza. "This year, we expect to see new utility-focused technologies and to connect them to our partners."

Key technology solution areas for this year's challenge include: electricity distribution (automation, voltage optimization, intelligent asset management systems, substation waste heat recovery, solid state transformers, line loss reduction), transmission system protection and control, grid integration and smart grid, micro-CHP, distributed storage, home automation and consumer communications/behavior change tools, building envelopes and retrofits, distributed solar, wind and bio fuel systems, advanced energy metering and sub-metering, energy storage, SF6 alternatives for high-voltage switchgear, and natural gas distribution, metering and applications.

Companies participating in the Utility Technology Challenge will gain visibility with the UTC utility and industry partner group including: Austin Energy, National Grid, the City of Anaheim and Northeast Utilities. This group, over several review rounds, will select the top 15 solutions to present at the Clean Technology 2011 Conference in Boston, June 14-16. The selected top 15 winners will have an opportunity to network with the utility partner group in addition to other potential partners and customers in attendance.

The submission deadline is Feb. 18, 2011. Organizations with pilot-ready or early-commercial stage solutions targeting utilities and large customers should apply here: http://ct-si.org/services/cleanTest/challenge.html.