Imagine a severe storm knocks out a neighborhood powerline; while most homes go dark, one homeowner seamlessly manages their backup energy, prioritizing critical appliances. This is not the future—it is happening now with SPAN’s smart electrical panel. SPAN’s panel goes beyond traditional capabilities, allowing users to control individual circuits for individual devices.
Using enzymes instead of microbes allows Invizyne to focus on the specific enzyme pathways that make the biofuels, instead of trying to control the thousands of other things cells do. This means that Invizyne is in engineering-level control of optimizing the enzymes derived from biology, which are renewable and green, to replace petroleum-derived materials.
DTE Materials’ patented process, Clearwash, is designed to make anatomical changes to biomass to make it integrate with ceramic binders more effectively. With NREL equipment, Dan Schell is performing steam explosions repeatedly to test DTE’s feedstock. They will run the equipment over an eight-hour day, followed by a second round of testing two weeks later.
Biotech entrepreneur and Hexas Biomass founder and CEO Wendy Owens has brought her groundbreaking (pun intended) crop to GCxN after admiring the program from afar for several years. Hexas produces a plant-based raw material, called XanoFiber, that can substitute as feedstock instead of wood, food crops for fuel, and fossil-fuel-based raw materials.
NREL and its corporate program partners often help startups at their earliest stages so they can start the journey to bring disruptive technologies into the market. It usually occurs earlier in a startup’s development when NREL can validate emerging technologies with its experts and equipment that startups cannot afford or access otherwise.
This fall, Shell and NREL agreed to extend the GCxN program for another five years, providing 30 more startups with access to nondilutive funding to conduct technical assistance projects. Cohort 6 moves GCxN into technical areas it has not explored before, piecing together different expertise from across the laboratory in ways that are industry relevant.
PR Web:
“We are excited to invest in the founders and support Hygge Power’s mission for an energy mindful future. Ideaship is grateful to be part of Hygge Power’s journey to make our planet a better place,” commented Robert Bell, Ideaship Venture Partner.
Centered:
Many flow batteries contain the relatively rare metal vanadium, but Jolt’s batteries are considerably cheaper because they use an organic liquid for the electrolyte. The non-acidic, non-corrosive, non-toxic electrolyte also makes these batteries considerably safer than other kinds. Jolt’s batteries can produce about four times as much energy as other flow batteries at about a fourth of the cost.
TechCrunch:
Rao sees Span as far more than just a smart fuse box…
And he’s gotten some unique, expert validation of his vision in the form of an investment from Matt Rogers, one of the founders of Nest, which was the first billion dollar company to try and tackle home energy use and efficiency.
GreenTechMedia: Led by a Tesla alum, the California startup looks to tap growing demand for solar and storage in key markets of California and Hawaii.