In 2004 the Fort Collins Economic Vitality and Sustainability Advisory Group (EVSAG) recommended that certain business clusters be investigated as economic development strategies, naming several potential clusters under the umbrella of CLEAN ENERGY including solar and wind energy, efficient energy technology, and green building and energy utilization.

In 2005, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors identified two focus areas for the year: 1) economic development and 2) supporting CSU in addressing its financial challenges. To address these goals, the Chamber's environmental committee put forth the recommendation for the Chamber to support advancement of a Clean Energy Cluster.

As well, the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) has identified the growth of science-based clusters as a key means of development in the region.

In July, 2005 NCEDC and the Fort Collins Chamber hosted a Focus Group meeting of academic and business leaders in the Clean Energy field to explore the strength of the region's current assets in clean energy and gain advice on how to best advance the cluster.

Focus group attendees agree that our region has all the makings of a strong cluster including a progressive municipal-owned utility, world class clean energy research programs at CSU, end users employing leading edge clean energy technologies, a highly trained workforce, and national recognition for innovation and entrepreneurship.

As a result of the 2005 Focus Group and a series of meetings in Winter 200 with broad participation and input from dozens of interested participants, the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster was launched in May 2006 (press release).