‘Important to Explore Alternatives’ to Lithium-Ion, Shell-NREL Accelerator Says

on May 5, 2020
Energy-Storage-News

A collaboration between the innovation arm of fossil fuel company Shell and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) selected the maker of an organic flow battery among a group of “startups with the potential to dramatically alter the future global energy landscape”.

Adam Duran, programme director at Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (styled as CGxN), spoke with Energy-Storage.news about the selection of Jolt Energy Storage as one of three startups selected to receive technical and capital resource assistance to accelerate commercialisation of their products, and de-risking investment somewhat.

Duran said the three companies, the third tranche of selected cohorts, “represents startups that are increasing efficiency of solar and energy storage technologies and standardising manufacturing processes at a lower cost than available solutions,” with the overall accelerator programme focusing on “accelerating the commercialisation of disruptive, novel technologies”.

Beechwood, Michigan-headquartered Jolt makes flow batteries “with the same large-scale storage capabilities as lithium-ion, but at a lower cost,” a press release sent out by GCxN said. The devices use organic compounds for electrolytes and claim an energy density around four times that of vanadium redox flow batteries.

Selected alongside Jolt and its redox flow energy storage batteries were BluDot Photonics, which is attempting to create cost-effective and scalable solar cells using perovskite and Icarus RT, which is making a hybrid solar-thermal photovoltaic system that recycles “waste heat” from solar panels.

“As renewables adoption increases over time, the need for large-scale energy storage technologies will continue to grow,” NREL staffer Duran said, in explaining Jolt Energy’s selection.

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Fractal Energy Storage Consultants‘Important to Explore Alternatives’ to Lithium-Ion, Shell-NREL Accelerator Says