Curtatone-Led Clean Energy Group Moves To Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA — A clean energy lobby led by former mayor Joseph Curtatone has moved to Somerville.

The Northeast Clean Energy Council, (NECEC) an advocacy group that lobbies for clean energy companies and policies, recently announced the relocation of its headquarters to Greentown Labs. The organization was based in downtown Boston for more than a decade, but chose Greentown Labs as its new home to "engage with emerging companies" in the climatetech sector, according to a press release from the group.

"We want to be where the innovation is," Curtatone, president of NECEC, said in a statement. "Climate tech has spent the last decade gaining momentum. By the end of this decade it will be the driving force behind the regional, national and international economies. We want NECEC to be at the vanguard of this movement, and for emerging companies to understand the immense importance of creating a diverse workforce, policy and marketplaces in driving the adoption of these technologies."

Curtatone took over as president of the group in January, following his nearly 20-year tenure as mayor of Somerville. At City Hall, he promoted sustainability and was an early adopter of carbon reduction efforts, supporting fossil fuel divestment and introducing a fleet of electric vehicles and EV charging stations to the city.

Curtatone described Greentown as a lab where "the future is being imagined." Located near Union Square, the 100,000-square-foot campus is the largest climatetech incubator in North America, according to the NECEC. Greentown has incubated nearly 450 companies, creating more than $2.4 billion in economic impact across New England, and recently opened a 40,000-square-foot campus in Houston, Texas.

Over the years, 60 companies have graduated Cleantech Open Northeast and become Greentown Labs members in Houston and Somerville. In addition, 76 Greentown members have joined NECEC's Navigate program, which connects resources to companies as they transition from startups to established businesses.

"Greentown and NECEC have a long-standing partnership, and we're thrilled to welcome their team into our community as they relocate their headquarters to Somerville," Greentown Labs CEO Emily Reichert said in a statement. "NECEC is a pillar of the Northeast innovation ecosystem and has successfully advocated for policies we need to decarbonize all sectors of our economy as rapidly as possible. Smart policy, especially at the local, state and regional level, can play an important role in spurring innovation while also creating new market and job opportunities."