Nextek to Benefit from $750,000 EDA Grant to NextEnergy

One of Nextek Power System’s closest collaborators, NextEnergy of Detroit, has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The grant positions NextEnergy as an Advanced Energy Innovation Center for Southeast Michigan and ensures continued participation in joint projects between the two companies. The grant will give the Southeast Michigan region, and specifically Detroit’s Alternative Energy Renaissance Zone, a continued competitive advantage in the development of renewable energy technologies, such as Nextek’s application of low-cost, reliable Direct Current (DC) power in buildings and campuses.

The Innovation Center designation allows NextEnergy to provide an applied research facility that combines research and development with the production of advanced energy technologies in a variety of fields. In addition to Nextek, NextEnergy collaborates with other innovative companies such as Ilumisys, A123 Systems, Clipper Creek and Rapid Electric Vehicles, which work in renewable energy-based technologies like smart grid, electric vehicles and data centers. These rapidly growing sectors are expected to provide significant job growth in Southeast Michigan as their technologies become more widely accepted.

“This investment from the EDA will assist us in the development and commercialization of our products and demonstrate NextEnergy’s power infrastructure as one of the largest, most diverse DC microgrids in the world,” said Paul Savage, CEO of Nextek Power Systems.