Opportunity for local cleantech companies to collaborate on decarbonizing hi-rise buildings in New York State
14 September 2021Thula Zondi
The City of Cape Town’s Department of Enterprise and Investments catalytic business partner GreenCape is helping the City become the Green Economic hub of the continent. GreenCape, as a member of the International Cleantech Network (ICN), will be assisting South African cleantech companies to access an opportunity to collaborate on decarbonizing hi-rise buildings in New York State.
“The sort of opportunities that are embodied in this NYSERDA challenge will allow South African companies to participate on a global stage, further positioning the City as a cleantech hub,” said Alderman James Vos, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management.
Extracts from the original news release, issued by NYSRDA here, below.
“The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the International Cleantech Network (ICN), and EU Techbridge announced the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) designed to enhance collaboration on identifying high-impact solutions to overcome critical barriers to decarbonizing high-rise buildings and stimulate investment in New York State’s clean energy economy. The partnerships will focus primarily on NYSERDA’s $50 million Empire Building Challenge, which is expected to leverage over $250 million in private investment in building upgrades, testing, and technology.
Mike Mulcahy, Chair of the ICN and CEO of GreenCape in Cape Town said, “The ICN represents 16 000 GreenTech companies from 4 continents. The partnership with NYSERDA provides a tangible opportunity for global co-operation and learning in support of a greener future. The work done through this project will unearth new solutions for the buildings and
create the context for international partnerships.”
Under the agreements, the strategic partnerships will support knowledge sharing, matchmaking and investment from leading cleantech providers in the European Union, Africa, North America, and South America to New York to strengthen NYSERDA’s ability to learn from the robust global industry of building decarbonization solution providers.
The MOUs focus on overcoming the complex challenges of completing energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in high-rise buildings, a key area of the buildings sector that is being addressed through NYSERDA’s Empire Building Challenge. Launched in September 2020, the Empire Building Challenge program is designed to showcase best practices that can be replicated in contexts facing similar challenges and issues through pilot projects and demonstrations of technical solutions. Through the Empire Building Challenge, NYSERDA is establishing partnerships with leading commercial and multifamily real estate portfolio owners and occupants with buildings located in New York State that make a commitment to bringing one or more buildings in their portfolio to carbon neutrality by 2035.
Building owners, solution providers, manufacturers and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to visit http://nyserda.ny.gov/EBC for additional details on the Empire Building Challenge and to learn how to partner with NYSERDA, reduce carbon emissions, and get
involved in the clean energy economy.”
South African organisations interested in exploring this opportunity can get in touch with Lisa Johansson, Green Economy Investment and Finance liaison at GreenCape: lisa@green- cape.co.za.
See the ICN website for details.