7 Teams Reach Semi-Finals in Clean Energy Prize Competition

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Seven teams, all with
connections to the University of Michigan, have advanced to semi-final round
in the Clean Energy Prize competition.

The competition was founded this year to help move clean energy
technologies from the laboratory to commercial production. DTE Energy, through
its DTE Energy Ventures subsidiary, and U-M, are challenging teams from
Michigan colleges and universities to develop the best business plans for
bringing new clean energy technologies to market. The teams with winning ideas
will share $100,000 in prize money, with a grand prize of $65,000.

The competition is a rigorous, multi-round process geared to reward top
clean energy business ideas and provide students with experience and expert
feedback on what it takes to create a successful clean energy startup
business. Each successive round requires more information about the proposed
business — leading up to a full business plan — to be submitted by the
advancing teams.

In the first round of judging last month, 14 teams advanced from the 20
teams that entered the competition. Those teams submitted seven-page market
and financial overviews for Round 2 judging.

The seven teams advancing to the Semi-finals must submit a complete 20-
page business plan with full financial information. Judging in the semi-final
round will be Feb. 13. The finals will be March 20, when the grand prize will
be awarded.

Following are the advancing teams and a summary of their business
proposals:

— Algal Scientific — Turn-key water treatment systems that combine
wastewater treatment with biofuel production using algal growth bioreactors
and proprietary processing technology.

— CTW International — Land-based projects that deliver climate,
biodiversity, and community benefits based on accountable metrics and carbon
accounting.

— Energy Technology Components — Flexible fuel electricity generation
products for use in military, trucking, and distributed power markets.

— Husk — Convert agricultural waste into thin, high-grade insulation for
the refrigeration industry that delivers a significant improvement over
conventional, petroleum-based insulation.

— Lean Energy — Complete energy efficiency retrofit solution for
residential customers.

— SITumbra — Rigid solar shading window system configured to respond to
seasonal variations with optimal energy efficiency.

— Vortex Hydro Energy — A patented technology that derives clean energy
from moving water

The U-M Ross School of Business’ Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial
Studies, College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and the
Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute along with student organizations
MPowered Entrepreneurship and the Ross Energy Club have organized the
competition. The competition is open to students and faculty from all
Michigan colleges and universities, but each team must have at least one
University of Michigan student. The Clean Energy Prize is part of the Michigan
Business Challenge.

The competition requires teams to focus on business ideas that support
renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid technologies, environmental
control technologies, plug-in electric vehicles or energy storage. The prize
money will help the winning teams start new businesses that can contribute to
Michigan’s emerging role as a leader in clean energy.

Details of the competition are available on the Clean Energy Prize Web
site: http://www.dtecleanenergyprize.com .

DTE Energy Ventures is a DTE Energy company that invests in emerging
energy technologies and to date has invested more than $100 million in energy-
related companies and funds, making it one of the larger Michigan-based
venture capital operations. Information about DTE Energy Ventures is available
at http://www.dteenergyventures.com .

DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company
involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and
services nationwide. Its operating units include Detroit Edison, an electric
utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, MichCon, a
natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan and other non-
utility, energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, coal and
gas midstream, unconventional gas production and energy trading. Information
about DTE Energy is available at http://www.dteenergy.com .

The globally recognized Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies provides the curriculum, program initiatives,
community involvement, and alumni outreach activities that deliver exclusive
resources for future entrepreneurs of the Ross School of Business at the
University of Michigan.

The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute develops, coordinates and
promotes multidisciplinary energy research and education at the U-M. Some 75
faculty in disciplines ranging from engineering to policy to environmental
science to urban planning are a part of the institute.

This competition coincides with a number of other energy and
sustainability related initiatives at the University of Michigan, including
the College of Literature, Science and the Arts’ theme semester Energy
Futures: Society, Innovation and Technology, which will examine the human and
social behaviors associated with energy demand.

SOURCE DTE Energy