CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy startup accelerator CLT Joules has selected four new companies to participate in its 2015 program to fast-track the growth of promising energy ventures. CLT Joules, which has served eleven companies since 2014, is now expanding to include:

• Atom Power, LLC founded in 2014, is focused on bringing intelligence and solid-state technology into electrical power distribution with the desire to make power safe, controllable, visible, and simple. Atom Power is a hardware and software company, integrating both together into seamless, end-to-end power distribution products. The company is based in PORTAL at UNC-Charlotte with a majority of employees graduates of UNC-Charlotte's School of Engineering.
• Base Trace was founded in 2012 to develop DNA-based "liquid barcodes" for environmental monitoring in hydraulic fracturing (oil and gas), and its current market focus is detecting leaks for nuclear plants. BaseTrace provides both a unique tool for tracing fluid systems as well as specialized services surrounding its application and detection and has uses in multiple industries. The company is based in the Research Triangle Park in Durham, North Carolina.
• eosMYCO, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is orchestrating a mining operation focused on developing and deploying a complete solution for coal ash remediation. eosMYCO is bringing to market a cradle to grave, modular, mobile, and scalable process to treat all 140 million tons of North Carolina coal ash in a timely and environmentally sound manner. This process treats coal ash as a mineral rich ore, and strip mines impoundment facilities. Minerals and metals are extracted first, while all remaining material is physically transformed into an environmentally inert aggregate material. The company is based in PORTAL at UNC-Charlotte and the founder is a graduate of UNC-Charlotte's Department of Biological Sciences.
• iRestore is a product of Business Radar, which was founded in 2012 to improve emergency response during emergency power outages. iRestore is a modular mobile application platform specifically designed for utilities to improve outage intelligence and enhance communication using the tools that most people are familiar with – smart phones and tablets – to allow the "eyes in the field". Business Radar is based in San Jose, California with local management in North Carolina.

The goals of the year-long energy accelerator program include connecting each participating company with mentors, infrastructure support, funding sources and prospective customers to drive jobs and innovation. CLT Joules' long term vision is to draw more startups to the Charlotte region by fueling breakthrough advancements in the energy sector.

Companies in the program have attracted almost $9 million in funding to date and have generated 66 new jobs, including full- and part-time and internships. CLT Joules is identifying high potential startups, and leveraging Charlotte's ecosystem to foster growth and bolster the city's position as a national energy hub. Participating companies are selected through an application process and industry panel interviews. 

Duke Energy, Moore & Van Allen, BDO, McGuireWoods , AREVA, Opower and Sapient Global Markets are financial sponsors of CLT Joules. Rob Caldwell, Duke Energy's Senior Vice President for Distributed Energy, is the new Board Chairman for CLT Joules, extending Duke Energy's strong support for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. 

About CLT Joules

CLT Joules is dedicated to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. As Charlotte's first community for energy startups, CLT Joules offers these companies a platform to learn, accelerate growth, and connect to the big players in the energy ecosystem. Energy communities facilitate the growth and development of early stage companies, which drive innovation in the energy industry. Learn more at www.CLTJoules.com.

FOR MORE INFO:                                                            
Lori Collins 
Executive Director, CLT Joules 
704-562-3775 – Mobile  
Lori@CLTJoules.com

Jacqueline Patterson 
Incoming Interim Director, CLT Joules 
704-965-3685 
jpatterson@sheercomllc.com

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SOURCE Duke Energy