Senate Bill sb2186
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2186
By Senator Fasano
11-943-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Clean Energy
3 Technology Center for Excellence; requiring the
4 Florida Energy Office in the Department of
5 Environmental Protection to contract with the
6 Florida Technological Research and Development
7 Authority to operate the Florida Clean Energy
8 Technology Center of Excellence; providing for
9 administration by the center of a grant program
10 to support businesses developing a product or
11 service related to energy; providing for
12 responsibilities of the center relating to a
13 Florida Hydrogen Capabilities Catalog, an
14 annual venture forum, and the promotion of
15 alternative energy technologies; requiring
16 conformance with the powers granted to the
17 authority; providing an appropriation;
18 providing an effective date.
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20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. The Florida Clean Energy Technology Center
23 of Excellence.--The Florida Energy Office in the Department of
24 Environmental Protection shall enter into a contract with the
25 Florida Technological Research and Development Authority,
26 whereby such authority shall operate the Florida Clean Energy
27 Technology Center of Excellence to perform the following
28 responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with the
29 powers granted to such authority under chapter 87-455, Laws of
30 Florida:
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2186
11-943-05
1 (1) Administer the Venture Smart Grant Program. The
2 Venture Smart Grant Program shall award grants of up to
3 $50,000 to one or more businesses that are developing a
4 product or service related to energy. The grants awarded shall
5 provide a recipient business with the guidance and technical
6 support necessary to attract and secure investment in such
7 product or service. The guidance and support provided may
8 include prototype development, management-team recruitment,
9 intellectual property protection, or business and
10 marketing-plan development. To receive a grant, a business
11 must be developing an energy product or service for the
12 marketplace, be a start-up or medium-sized business, submit a
13 grant application, and be selected for funding by the board of
14 directors of the authority. The board's selection shall be
15 made after the board considers the recommendations of a
16 three-member review committee that is independent of the
17 authority. The independent review committee shall make its
18 recommendations to the board following the committee's review
19 of the applications that the business development managers of
20 the Venture Smart Grant Program at the authority have
21 identified as the best prospects. The managers shall make such
22 identification by screening the applicant companies in order
23 to select the products and services that are the most
24 promising.
25 (2) Create and maintain a Florida Hydrogen
26 Capabilities Catalog on the Internet. Such catalog shall
27 provide a web-based list of the hydrogen-related research
28 projects that are underway at the state's public and private
29 universities, the businesses in the state which are involved
30 in the development and commercialization of hydrogen energy
31 technologies, and the opportunities for state or federal
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2186
11-943-05
1 grants to support development and commercialization of
2 hydrogen energy technologies.
3 (3) Sponsor and organize an annual clean energy
4 venture forum to bring venture capital to promising companies
5 having clean energy innovations.
6 (4) Enhance the energy security of this state and the
7 nation by reducing dependence on foreign oil as an energy
8 source by promoting the research, development, demonstration,
9 and deployment of clean energy technologies, particularly
10 renewable technologies, through the provision of traditional
11 business-incubation services and the administration of the
12 Venture Smart Grant Program as a member of the National
13 Alliance of Clean Energy Business Incubators, a group that was
14 created in 2002 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of
15 the United States Department of Energy to assist entrepreneurs
16 in commercializing clean energy technologies.
17 Section 2. The sum of $400,000 is appropriated from
18 the General Revenue Fund to the Florida Energy Office in the
19 Department of Environmental Protection for the purpose of
20 funding the Florida Clean Energy Technology Center of
21 Excellence at the Florida Technological Research and
22 Development Authority.
23 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2186
11-943-05
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Directs the Florida Energy Office in the Department of
Environmental Protection to contract with the Florida
4 Technological Research and Development Authority to
operate the Florida Clean Energy Technology Center of
5 Excellence. Provides for administration by the center of
a grant program to support businesses developing a
6 product or service related to energy. Provides for
responsibilities of the center relating to a Florida
7 Hydrogen Capabilities Catalog; an annual venture forum;
and the promotion of research, development,
8 demonstration, and deployment of alternative energy
technologies. Requires conformance with the powers
9 granted to the authority.
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