Electricity Producer Retains MLS to Assist with Entry into New Market

ML Strategies has helped numerous energy technology companies accelerate their deployment within a market dominated by conventional energy systems
The company manufactures and installs fuel cells

A company that manufactures and installs fuel cells retained ML Strategies to facilitate its entry into a new market. The company's technology produces electricity for commercial and institutional customers. It uses a safe chemical process (one used by NASA to power the space shuttles) to transform natural gas into electricity — on site, without combustion, and with minimal emissions. The company saw an opportunity to expand its deployment into Massachusetts and retained us to help secure state incentives that would overcome the hesitancy of early adopters. A change in state law would be required, and we developed a strategy to accomplish just that.

ML Strategies began by meeting with legislative leaders and executive branch officials to determine the parameters of political support and the policy arguments that would be needed to be successful. That was followed by an extensive campaign to educate environmental advocates, business leaders, utility executives, and other energy companies that a change would be beneficial, affordable, and feasible. The team advocated for legislation as it made its way through House and Senate hearings and committee actions, mobilizing supportive testimony and addressing concerns raised by utilities. We educated regulators, secured favorable testimony from supporters, and helped the client address technical and operational questions throughout. Eventually, the necessary legislation was included in an omnibus energy bill that was enacted by both chambers and signed by Governor Baker in August of 2016.

On December 29th of 2017, the responsible state agency finalized the required regulations. The client company has since been installing its fuel cells at customer facilities around Massachusetts. ML Strategies has a very happy client, emissions from power generation are being lowered, and another wave of transformation in the state’s energy landscape is underway.