Corporate and Utility Leaders Join California Clean Tech Open's 2007 Competition.

AMD, Google Inc., Lexus, PG&E, SCE, SDG&E and ENVIRON Foundation Sponsor Prizes in Six Clean Technology Categories

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Clean Tech Open (CCTO), a competition founded to accelerate the creation of clean technology companies, today announced that seven prominent organizations from the forefront of the growing clean economy have joined as category prize sponsors for the 2007 competition. AMD, Google Inc., Lexus, Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and the ENVIRON Foundation are supporting this year's prizes in six critical clean technology categories.

Joining keynote speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Resources Defense Council in kicking off the 2007 competition, leaders from sponsor organizations will share insights and updates from their own innovative clean technology initiatives in a lively panel discussion at the California Clean Tech Open's Launch Event. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 15 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM at San Francisco City Hall's North Light Court. Doors open at 4:30 PM for registration. To RSVP, please visit: http://www.cacleantech.com.

"Economic growth and environmental preservation are two sides of the same coin. There's no better illustration of that point than the California Clean Tech Open, which challenges California entrepreneurs to bring new, clean technologies to market. I encourage business leaders, policy makers, and environmental advocates to support this innovative, exciting competition," said Terry Tamminen, Special Advisor to the Governor and former Secretary of the California EPA.

"After only one year, California Clean Tech Open has become the most important business plan competition in clean tech because it harnesses the entrepreneurial resources of the Bay Area to nurture new companies," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The 2007 CCTO sponsors and prize contributors will give cash and service prizes valued at more than $600,000, and will also support a summer-long series of networking and educational events designed to help move clean tech innovation from concept to market. The six clean tech prize categories include:

Green Building:

Sponsored by Google Inc., the Green Building category comprises reduction of the environmental impact of building construction or operation through improved design or construction practices, new or innovative use of building materials, or new hardware or software applications.

Transportation:

Sponsored by Lexus, the Transportation category encompasses transportation and mobile technology applications that improve fuel efficiency, reduce air pollution, and reduce oil consumption.

Smart Power:

Sponsored by AMD, the Smart Power category encourages the integration of information technologies and electricity delivery to give industrial, commercial and residential consumers greater control over energy consumption. The category also addresses new and innovative solutions for energy storage.

Renewables:

Co-sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, the Renewables category includes innovations that use, enable and accelerate the migration to renewable energy sources such as solar, biofuels, wind, wave and tidal and hydropower systems.

Energy Efficiency:

Co-sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, the Energy Efficiency category comprises technology that can significantly reduce wasted energy. Qualifying technologies include advanced lighting, solid-state power flow controllers, wide area measurement systems, energy efficient appliances, machinery, motors, water pumps, and advanced heating and cooling systems.

Air, Water & Waste:

Currently co-sponsored by the ENVIRON Foundation, the Air, Water & Waste category focuses on improving resource availability, conservation and pollution control. With respect to waste, the category focuses on cradle-to-cradle approaches to reduction, reuse and recycling technologies, as well as innovative business models and approaches to materials usage.

"As we embark on another year of fostering clean tech innovation, the support of sponsors like these seven pioneering organizations is integral to the continued success of the competition and its winners," said Marc Gottschalk, partner at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and co-chair of the California Clean Tech Open. "We are particularly pleased to be supported by a group of organizations that are leading by example with some of the most advanced and influential clean tech initiatives in the country."

Additional California Clean Tech Open sponsors include:

Summer Workshop Series Sponsor: The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Founding Partners: Acterra, MITCNC, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

In-Kind Prize Sponsors: Adaptive Planning, Antenna Group, Horn Murdock Cole, McCorkle Insurance, People Connect, Plug & Play Real Estate, Tangibility, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Gold Sponsors: Ernst & Young, Silicon Valley Bank, and the California Energy Commission.

Silver Sponsors: Air Resources Board, Sunpower Corporation, Palo Alto Investors, and Whole Systems Foundation.

VC sponsors: Accel Partners, Applied Ventures, Battery Ventures, Foundation Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mohr Davidow Ventures, NEA (New Enterprise Associates), NGEN Partners, Noventi, Nth Power, Vantage Point Venture Partners, and Venrock.

Innovation and University Partners: EPRI, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, PARC, Sandia National Laboratory, SRI, Stanford University, Technology Ventures Corporation, and UC Berkeley / BERC.

Competition Partners: Build-it Green, CleanEdge, Cleantech Venture Network, Connect, E2, Entretec, GreenBiz, Inside Greentech, LARTA, OCTANe, Sustainable Industries Journal, SV2, and SVASE.

About the California Clean Tech Open:

The California Clean Tech Open brings together a unique and powerful combination of entrepreneurs, researchers, environmentalists, investors, business professionals and others to create economic growth and environmental sustainability by sparking a clean technology cluster in California. By giving winners early-stage capital and expertise, the competition speeds clean technologies from lab to market. The goal is to foster innovative new businesses focused on energy efficiency, smart power, renewable energy, transportation, green building technologies, pollution control and resource management. The competition thrives on the state's strong business and governmental support for innovation, technology and environmental protection to create rich soil for the growth of clean technology enterprises that foster a healthy natural environment. To learn more, please visit: www.cacleantech.com/.

The California Clean Tech Open is sponsored by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit based in Palo Alto, California. The competition is supported by a diverse array of businesses, educational institutions, government leaders and private individuals, and run by a dedicated group of volunteers including business professionals, scientists, environmentalists and entrepreneurs.