(Houston Business Journal September 4, 2009) A relatively new term, cleantech describes products or services that improve operation while reducing costs, energy consumption and waste. In 2008, Haynes and Boone LLP Partner Paul Dickerson launched the law firm’s cleantech practice group, a new concentration for the firm focusing on technology, financing and other legal issues faced by companies in the burgeoning industry.Today, as the leader of his firm’s cleantech group, Dickerson lives in Houston, which he says is not just the hub of oil and gas, but a world leader in biofuels, wind energy and energy efficiency.

“When you consider that Texas had virtually no developed renewable energy resources just 10 years ago, and today it’s the No. 1 state in the land for wind power, it’s just staggering,” he says. “And the beauty of this transformation is that Texas seems to be connecting the dots to profitability along the way — something few states have been able to replicate.”

Here, Dickerson addresses questions about the cleantech era and its effect locally.

Q How do you think Texas is positioned to compete in the clean technology market?

A Honestly, I don’t think there’s another state in the land with as much potential as we have here in Texas.

As I travel the country, I am repeatedly asked by venture investors if I know any traditional energy experts willing to jump ship and join a renewable energy enterprise. On top of that, federal and state policymakers continue to reach out to academics at our world-class universities for help in solving the industry’s major roadblocks. For example, earlier this summer the Department of Energy asked two teams of scientists at UT for help in solving key hurdles in solar energy and the use of waste byproducts.

Q What role do you see oil and gas companies playing in the renewable energy sector? In what ways do you think they could be more involved?

A The clean technology industry is entering a phase of its development that oil and gas producers know all too well. Having proven their technologies in the laboratory, clean tech entrepreneurs are now looking to “scale up,” or move to the production phase of their development. Oil companies know this drill. They have a long track record of planning, financing and overseeing large projects — and coming in under budget and on time. There are many areas for potential technical collaboration, as well. In Europe, for example, oil companies have already begun partnering with renewable energy developers to bring their deepwater infrastructure expertise to offshore wind farms. And in just the past few weeks, Royal Dutch Shell joined a consortium to compete for government money to build the U.K.’s first commercial-scale clean-coal plant.

Continue reading this article at:
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/09/07/focus6.html?b=1252296000%5e2030451&s=industry&i=green