Dash Clean Energy

What they do & why the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund invested

Dash Clean Energy offers zero-emission peak power solutions for communities, utilities, and commercial customers. Its services include hydrogen energy storage and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems, as well as engineering and advisory support to hydrogen businesses.

Founder Gordon H. Dash III grew up in the South Side of Providence, RI, where more than one out of three families lives in poverty, and residents live with one of the highest rates of asthma in the country caused by industrial toxins. The community was designated by the Department of Energy as a priority under Justice40, a federal environmental justice initiative. It is this background that propelled him to study and work with clean energy solutions.

“Our mission is to provide communities with high rates of pollution with a cleaner alternative and replace some of these fossil-based generators that are polluting their community,” Gordon said. “With our business model, we can tap multiple areas, from power generation to the transportation market. We’re looking at ways to accelerate decarbonization efforts in communities. A lot of companies quote-unquote say they want to do things in disadvantaged communities, but it’s a money grab. For us, it’s a passion and a purpose of why we’re doing this.”

Capital from the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund provides cash flow for Dash Clean Energy as the company awaits reimbursements from a California Energy Commission grant.

Dash Clean Energy came to the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund from Greentown Labs. The LACI Cleantech Debt Fund, managed by Mission Driven Finance, invests in companies working on solving challenges related to climate change.