MONTVILLE — Governor Janet Mills announced Thursday a $500,000 grant program to spur innovation, support clean energy start-ups, and create jobs in Maine’s fast-growing clean energy sector while celebrating Earth Day at ReVision Energy, a leading solar energy company, in Montville. 

The “Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge” is a joint initiative of the Governor’s Energy Office and the Maine Technology Institute to spark innovation, develop new companies, and create jobs in the state’s burgeoning clean energy economy. 

“Companies like ReVision Energy, which started as a two-person shop in Liberty, Maine, are showing how the clean energy economy creates good-paying, sustaining careers across all of Maine,” said Governor Mills. “I have pledged that Maine will see 30,000 clean energy jobs in Maine by 2030, and with the Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge, we are stepping up our support for clean energy entrepreneurs to help them create these jobs and fight climate change at the same time.”

“ReVision Energy is proud to play a leading role in helping grow Maine’s clean energy economy, and we applaud the Innovation Challenge as a way to help a new generation of Maine companies thrive,” said Vaughan Woodruff, Director of the ReVision Energy Training Center. “The bold climate and clean energy actions by the Mills Administration are driving demand for a new generation of professionals who can live and work here in Maine in long-lasting careers that pay well and will help further strengthen communities across our state.”

“The Maine Technology Institute is pleased to offer the Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge and help Maine companies advance their great ideas,” said Brian Whitney, President of the Maine Technology Institute. “If you are a clean energy company or entrepreneur ready to take the next step with your product or technology, we encourage you to visit our website for more about the Challenge.”

“A thriving clean energy economy is rooted in innovation, and the Governor’s Energy Office is thrilled to work with MTI on the Challenge to help companies develop their ideas reduce dependence on fossil fuels and fight the effects of climate change,” said Dan Burgess, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office. “Creating jobs, strengthening our economy, fighting climate change, and protecting the health of the state we love and call home go hand-in-hand.”

With Maine adopting some of the nation’s most ambitious clean energy and climate goals, recent studies report that Maine is now well-positioned to create a thriving clean energy economy by increasing support of innovation, startups and entrepreneurs, according to a news release from the Governor’s office. 

Maine’s investment in research and development, a key driver of economic growth, has ranked among the lowest in the nation, the release noted.

Maine also has among the fewest clean energy jobs per capita in New England, behind Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, where clean energy jobs are among the highest per capita in the country, per the release. 

The Maine Clean Energy Innovation Challenge is a first step of increasing that support, by making funds available to existing clean energy startups to advance clean energy or climate technology, and aid Maine’s progress toward achieving its bold targets.

In addition to the Challenge, Governor Mills said her administration is continuing to develop programs to grow the state’s clean energy economy through public-private partnerships, apprenticeship, internship and career programs, and workforce development initiatives to support the state’s goal of having 30,000 clean energy jobs in Maine by 2030.