Clean Tech, and New York’s Green New Deal, have common objectives: cleaner air, fewer emissions, more efficient fuel use. If that mix leads to the development of new technology, new products, a new factory, and new jobs, all the better.
That’s exactly what a Rochester, NY trucking technology company has done, and why it’s in the news this week in Elmira, New York
Manufactures of under-trailer aerodynamic devices for tractor trailers that reduce emissions and save fuel, EkoStinger was recently named the $1 million grand prize winner in the 76West Clean Energy Competition.
Since winning the competition last September, EkoStinger signed a lease for the new 8,000 square-foot facility at Elmira Corning Regional Airport, purchased new equipment from local vendors and hired six new employees.
The new facility, which will enable it to manufacture additional product for distribution, is in addition to their building in Rochester where they employ an additional 18 workers. The new facility is expected to increase production for EkoStinger from 2,000 to 8,000 units a year, allowing them to expand their customer base which currently includes Bridgestone, Raymour and Flanigan, Nestle, Ryder, Penske and Hyundai, among others.
The Elmira Star-Gazette covered the ribbon cutting at the Big Flats facility.
Clean trucking means Clean Tech, and while it might not be the image that comes to everyone’s mind, EkoStinger is at the cutting edge of clean technology in the trucking industry. According to the mission statement on the company’s homepage, they are serious about green trucking:
EkoStinger products and technology ‘consistently save fuel, reduce road mist, stabilize trailers in high cross winds, eliminate snow and ice buildup and prolong trailer life…and allow the trucking industry to be a good stewards of the planet. Going green never paid better.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched the 76West competition in 2016 to promote clean energy businesses and economic development.
New York State’s Green New Deal
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the nation’s leading clean energy and jobs agenda, will aggressively put New York State on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality This initiative will provide for a just transition to clean energy, spurring the growth of the green economy and mandating New York’s power be 100 percent clean and carbon-free by 2040, one of the most aggressive goals in the U.S. The cornerstone of this newly proposed mandate is a significant increase of New York’s successful Clean Energy Standard to 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. As part of the unprecedented ramp-up of renewable energy, New York has already invested $2.9 billion into 46 large-scale renewable projects across the state as it significantly increases its clean energy targets, such as: quadrupling New York’s offshore wind target to a nation-leading 9,000 megawatts by 2035; doubling distributed solar deployment to 6,000 megawatts by 2025; and deploying 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030. To support this ambitious work, NY Green Bank intends to use its expertise in overcoming financing gaps to foster greater environmental impacts per public dollar by raising over $1 billion in third party funds to expand climate financing availability across New York and the rest of North America.