The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has awarded $250,000 to each of eight companies and research centers to develop working prototypes for a wide range of energy storage technologies. The recipients are all members of the NY Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY-BEST) Consortium.
The companies and research centers - located in Albany, Ithaca, New York City, Oneonta, Schenectady, Troy and Williamsville - will each receive $250,000 provided by NYSERDA to turn energy storage technologies with proven technical feasibility into working prototypes.
“Energy innovation plays an important role in driving economic growth and helps advanced manufacturers remain competitive. These eight recipients will leverage additional private investment for energy storage solutions developed in New York State,” says Francis J. Murray Jr., president and CEO of NYSERDA. “The state’s investment, under Governor Cuomo, in these companies and research centers will reap rewards for New Yorkers not only today, but for the next generation to come.”
Under the terms of these awards, each recipient must match NYSERDA’s funding, leveraging NYSERDA’s $2 million with a total of $2.5 million in additional private investment.
This is the first of three rounds of funding to help members of NY-BEST move technologies toward commercialization. NY-BEST is an industry-focused coalition working to establish New York as a leader in energy storage technology for heavy-duty transportation, electric grid and other storage applications.
Some notable companies and research centers receiving funding include the following:
Custom Electronics Inc., which seeks to develop an energy storage device known as a graphene electrolytic capacitor to provide extra energy to ride through power sags, swells or momentary electric interruptions.
E2TAC (Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center), which seeks to enhance lithium-ion capacitors for improved short-term energy storage for applications ranging from hybrid vehicles to power electronics. E2TAC is located at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany.
Graphene Devices Ltd., which seeks to develop graphene-based high energy ultracapacitors with three times the energy density of current commercial devices at the same cost. Applications include smart grid devices and the use of energy storage for hybrid vehicles.
Urban Electric Power Inc., which is seeking to store a megawatt-hour worth of power in a “flow-assisted” zinc battery that uses an advanced battery management system. The stored energy would be used to reduce peak power demand in the city. The project is being developed in conjunction with the CUNY Energy Institute.
