EPIcenter, San Antonio's innovative future energy incubator, today announced plans for a special event next month to deal with one of the most vexing problems facing homeowners...why do the lights go out when it starts to rain, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
EPIcenter CEO Kimberly Britton says that will be the subject of its first summit, called 'Disaster Disabled, Resistance Reinvented, coming up at the Pearl Stable May 3.
Britton says electricity interruptions are annoying for homeowners, and became serious threats to health during Hurricane Harvey and Houston last year, and remains a serious problem in Puerto Rico, where the island has not recovered from a hurricane last September.
"What should the savvy business leader be doing right now to prepare for the next Harvey, or that next attack," she said.
EPI, which stands for Energy, Partnerships, Innovation, is a unique project of CPS Energy and several private energy related companies. Its goal is to be an incubator for emerging technology, borrowing a concept that has worked extremely well in technology, and bringing together budding start-ups which could become the drivers of the new world of energy in the future.
EPIcenter's founders pointed out that in the Age of Petroleum, Texas has been the world leader in the business, production, and, as is clearly shown in Houston oilman George Mitchell's invention of fracking, cutting edge development of oil and natural gas. EPIcenter seeks to insure that Texas will remain the world leader in energy development in the coming age, when oil will be supplanted by new fuels.
EPIcenter is being built into the old Mission Road Power station on the City's south side, to demonstrate the connection between the power of the past and the power of the future. But in the interim, it is headquartered at Geekdom, the downtown tech incubator.
Britton says EPIcenter has also invited two companies to become the first to be mentored at the institution.One is a San Antonio start-up called Go Smart Solar.
She says it will work to get solar power over the hump, and help it move from a boutique fuel to one of the key players in the future energy mix.
"Making it more ubiqutous and universal, whether you are a homeowner of limited means, or if you are a business owner who wants to have solar in your parking lot."
Britton says the energy industry can take a page from the success of technology, and focus exclusively on the future of energy.
“One of the first ways EPIcenter is putting its ‘mission in motion’ is with this incubator and accelerator to support start-up companies in the new energy space,” she said. “By focusing entirely on new energy, EPIcenter will help grow this segment of our economy, creating jobs and new opportunities in the region.”