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According to Ihab Elzeyadi, one of the leaders of an Oregon start-up, many business enterprises meet their end in the 鈥渧alley of death鈥� 鈥� the stage of development where extreme financial risks must be taken in order for small ventures to grow into viable ones.

For green technology start-ups, this stage comes with additional hurdles: translating advanced science into industrial processes, raising money for new equipment and production facilities, and marketing innovative science to a skeptical industry. Innovative Invironments, a University of Oregon spin-off, is on its way out of the valley.

Innovative Invironments is a five-person company now working to bring solar awning panels that were developed in the High Performance Environments Lab into the marketplace. Spurred on by Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center, the team has conducted extensive testing and perfected its prototype, and is now honing its marketing strategy.

鈥淩eaching the optimized (product) condition was not easy,鈥� said Elzeyadi, the originator of the concept and design of the solar awning panel. 鈥淥ne inch will hugely impact the product’s performance, but we did lots of experiments to come up with all of the intricacies; we came up with the perfect scientific approach.鈥�

The initial idea for the awning came out of Elzeyadi’s belief that solar panels could be used as part of the brick and mortar of a building in a way that would function beyond its primary purpose of energy generation. Solar panels that serve as shingles for roofing or windows in a building can be more efficient and made for less money, but Elzeyadi was unsatisfied because they simply replace one building material with another that creates energy.

鈥淚’ve been working with these ideas for a number of years to explore how you can expand this range to see if (solar panels) can enhance occupant performance and comfort as well,鈥� he said.

The result was a 鈥渢hree-in-one鈥� green building product that features energy generation, energy redistribution and energy savings. Each solar panel generates up to 80 kilowatt-hours per year; the number of panels required would vary based on a building’s size and energy needs. The shade provided by the solar panels can reduce heat stresses on the building’s facade by up to 50 percent.

A carefully angled interior light shelf can redistribute daylight deeper into a building space, reducing solar glare and electricity costs. When the sun starts to set, sensors can turn on automatic LED lights.

Overall, energy loads can be reduced by up to 45 percent along walls where the panels are installed.

The project team decided to enter the solar awning into the Cleantech Open business competition that awards the national winner with a $250,000 investment. Students from the University of Oregon’s Master of Business Administration program in Sustainable Business Processes contributed initial market research and financial projections during a 10-week independent study with Elzeyadi. Journalism students came up with the product’s final name: SolarStream.

Innovative Invironments recently was named a semifinalist in the 2011 Cleantech Open competition, but Elzeyadi said the event doesn’t have his full attention.

鈥淚 want to focus on getting as much feedback as possible and make any necessary changes as we go into the next (development) stage,鈥� he said.

Twenty local architects, property managers and building owners offered suggestions during a focus group event. Two of the independent study students, Paul Clark and Doug Anderson, conducted the market research in the White Stag Block.

鈥淭he feedback was helpful in terms of just helping open our eyes as to what challenges and barriers might exist in adopting the product,鈥� said Anderson, who graduated from the MBA program this year. 鈥淎s we inch our way out of this recession, I think we’ll see some very exciting innovations, though, and I hope (SolarStream) can be one of those exciting innovations.鈥�