U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui launched a collaboration Friday in an effort to make Sacramento the nation's clean-tech capital.

The impetus: $127.5 million the U.S. Department of Energy awarded to Sacramento Municipal Utility District and local partners last fall to install a regional smart electric grid system. The grid collects electricity use information from generation to consumption and makes that available via the Internet.

Local green-sector businesses, organizations, academics and government agencies now must team up to figure out how to use the federal funding as venture capital to stimulate economic growth through clean-tech initiatives and green energy projects, said Matsui, who represents Sacramento as part of California's Fifth District.

"With a changing economy comes opportunity, and this is the time to think big," she said, speaking to more than 50 people at SMUD headquarters. "We need to walk out with a clear vision of what the region needs to do to become the clean-tech capital."

The money was among $3.4 billion in stimulus funding grants divided between more than 100 utilities, businesses and cities in October for smart grid technology development. The Obama administration is using the 2009 Recovery Act to lay the foundation for a national clean-energy economy and to make the country a global energy leader, said Travis Dredd, special assistant to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

Matsui, who sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, also announced Friday that California State University, Sacramento, has won $750,000 in stimulus funds for smart grid workforce training.

The $127.5 million grant will allow Sacramento to "move to the front of the line" and speed the development of smart-grid technology here — and that infrastructure will pave the way for other innovations, said SMUD General Manager John DiStasio.

Sacramento has a chance to become "the hub for clean tech in the country," said Bob Burris, deputy director for the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO).

"We believe that could be the case," he said.

The number of clean-tech companies has grown quickly in the region over the last few years. The area was home to 30 such businesses in 2006. The number of companies then jumped to 56 in 2007 and 90 in 2008. The pace slowed with the recession, growing to 95 in 2009 and 106 in 2010, said Meg Arnold, chief executive officer of Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. While at UC Davis, Arnold developed programs to support start-up companies that began on campus.

SMUD, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Roseville Electric — the three primary electricity providers here — are on the cutting edge in the development and use of clean energy, according to SACTO.

In the last six months, half of the companies expressing interest in moving to Sacramento have been clean tech. About 70 percent of those are European, 13 percent are from the Pacific Rim and 17 percent are domestic, Burris said.

Ecostream of Holland and SunTechnics Energy Systems of Germany recently established national headquarters here.

The region is attractive to such businesses for several reasons. California provides the biggest market for sustainable energy and other clean technologies. Natural resources, including sun and wind, are plentiful. The area is centrally located in the West and easily accessible via highway, rail and sea ports. UC Davis and California State University, Sacramento, offer leading clean-tech programs. And as the capital, Sacramento is policy headquarters for the country's most progressive, environmentally friendly state, Burris said.

Collaboration has helped the region get where it is. The Green Capital Alliance has been promoting a partnership of clean tech and a green economy, Arnold said. UC Davis and UC Berkeley are working together to build a clean energy hub in the area.

Matsui is now working to build on that cooperation in order to make the region and its economy clean and green. A follow-up session to the Friday meeting is expected to be held by early June.

"We've done an awful lot here in Sacramento," she said. "But we need to step it up a notch."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter covering business and development for The Sacramento Press.