RALEIGH – A closed loop energy source that generates electric power from geothermal energy… a high-tech version of exterior building coatings that reduces energy usage… solar power for underserved households… a real-time dashboard to measure carbon emissions… aftermarket conversion to electrify vehicles… an enzyme-based technology that cleans HVAC systems without shutting them down… and an IoT-based fault detection systems for utility power grids to prevent outages and wildfires. These are just the latest clean energy technologies that are coming to North Carolina.
Joules Accelerator, in partnership with the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC), introduced the latest cohort of cleantech startups to join the North Carolina Cleantech Corridor, an initiative designed to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies throughout the Raleigh-Charlotte corridor.
These eight entrepreneurs were selected for the Corridor’s accelerator program, which kicked off with a virtual event on April 22nd where the new companies pitched their business ideas and began the process of connecting with Joules’ and RTCC’s regional partners over the next 90 days. (A recording of an earlier pitch night can be viewed at https://youtu.be/UOkKc-YwMGA)
“We are pleased to welcome this next cohort of cleantech startups to introduce their ideas and businesses to our members and to begin contributing to North Carolina’s cleantech economy,” said Bob Irvin, executive director of Joules Accelerator, in introducing the pitches. “And it’s especially appropriate that this event is being held on the 50th celebration of Earth Day. This group represents the sixth cohort of cleantech entrepreneurs to join our virtual accelerator program to the Cleantech Corridor, connecting municipalities, universities, utilities, and industry to drive innovative energy solutions and jobs throughout the greater Charlotte and Research Triangle regions.”
“This pitch night was the beginning of a 90-day process to connect these new companies with North Carolina advisors to challenge their business plan, navigate the corporate and municipal ecosystem, and identify new business development opportunities in our communities,” explained Susan Sanford, executive director at RTCC.
The pitch format consisted of a four-minute presentation by each of the companies, followed by a two-minute question-and-answer session, explained Irvin. “Since our role is to listen, learn, and connect with our new cohort, we refer to the pitch session as ‘The Dolphin Tank’ and not ‘The Shark Tank,’” he said.
Cleantech Cohort Members’ Pitches Represent All Facets of Energy Innovation
- Eavor (Calgary, CAN) – As CEO Ryan Michaluk explained, the “Eavor-Loop” is a closed-loop energy harvesting system to produce a reliable, scalable and constant source of green electrical power, using the earth’s natural geothermal energy. Using underground piping, proprietary fluid is pumped deep underground, where it is heated by geothermal energy, causing the heated fluid to rise to where the heat can be extracted to generate power, and the cooled fluid sinks, starting the cycle again. The system is able to effectively operate with a temperature delta of ~30°C, making it widely applicable in environments around the world. The company’s initial target areas are outside the US, in locations where high electric power costs make their solution cost-effective, but as the technology scales up, costs are projected to decrease, making it possible to implement the system more widely in all regions.
- EnKoat (Phoenix, AZ) – Co-founder Aashay Arora describes EnKoat’s technology as an energy-efficient phase-change coating material that can be applied to interior and exterior building surfaces, where its insulating properties reduce overall HVAC costs by 30 – 30%. Available as a paint, plaster, or stucco material, the EnKoat technology uses an adaptive material with the ability to collect and store heat, making a thin layer of the material equivalent to insulation with an R-value of 10. The annual cost for HVAC in residential buildings was $372B in 2018 (latest year available), making the potential for savings significant. According to the company, the EnKoat technology is currently undergoing validation testing by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Preliminary estimates indicate a five to eight-year payback period in small scale applications, but they anticipate this will reduce to less than three years with larger scale deployment.
- Good Solar (Charlotte, NC) – CEO and co-founder Ethan Blumenthal describes the mission of the non-profit firm Good Solar as creating renewable energy solutions for non-profit organizations and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, with the guiding principles of promoting social justice, combating climate change, providing community economic development, and building community resiliency. Through an innovative business model that uses proven technology and third-party leasing options, the company is bringing residential solar power to low- and moderate-income areas that have been historically underserved by the solar energy industry. They also pursue opportunities to develop community solar installations that enable a shared investment in creating sustainable power as well as job opportunities for these communities, particularly those classified as being in “energy poverty,” where more than 10% of household income is spent on energy costs. The company has a pilot program in North Carolina, and is seeking a location for its first community solar program.
- Dynamhex (Kansas City, MO) – Sunny Sanwar of Dynamhex has established the company to deliver “decarbonization as a service” for municipal, industry, and individual clients with a gamified platform that uses real-time information delivered from 20 datasets to chart the lowest cost path to achieve climate goals. Using the company’s Hex, a virtual multicolored cube, users can identify the critical measurements of climate change action and carbon emission reduction; innovate solutions by harnessing the transformative power of entrepreneurship to achieve environmental sustainability; implement these changes with clear targets and progress monitoring; and engage citizens, businesses, and governments to catalyze community action to achieve climate resilience. The company recently began a $22K pilot program in [the Kansas City metro area.]
- Flux Hybrids (Raleigh, NC) – Cody Biedermann, co-founder of Flux Hybrids, describes the company’s offering as a universal fit aftermarket hybrid conversion kit to upgrade virtually any vehicle to take advantage of the benefits of electrification. A spinout from NC State University, the company is currently focused on commercial vehicles, fleet operations, and public transportation, as well as consumer vehicles, offering options for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and all-electric vehicle (EV) conversion kits. Upgrading to any of these options significantly reduces a vehicle’s economic and environmental impact by reducing or eliminating fuel costs, increasing horsepower and torque of the total system. The company currently has an ongoing project to convert a Ford Ranger pickup truck, and is actively seeking a fleet operation for an expanded pilot program.
- Blue Box (Gardena, CA) – Jeremy Akers, Blue Box director of strategy and business development, explained the company’s patented process to use an enzyme-based cleaning process to remove dirt, grime and biological fouling within HVAC coils, which causes reduced equipment life, inefficient heat transfer, and poor indoor air quality. Until now, a thorough cleaning required dismantling the HVAC system, resulting in significant downtime. Using the Blue Box bioenzyme cleaning method, a pH-neutral, odorless, and non-toxic, non-corrosive formulation thoroughly cleans and disinfects 100% of the coil’s surface area, and is safe for down drain disposal. The Blue Box system is ideal for disinfecting HVAC systems in hospitals, hotels, commercial office building, industrial facilities, schools and universities, airlines, cruise ships, and military facilities. The company is looking at establishing an office in North Carolina.
- IND Technologies (Melbourne, Australia) – Joining the pitch event from the early morning hours in Australia was Dr. Tony Marxsen, IND Technologies chairman, explaining the company’s innovative IoT-based platform to monitor and locate early fault detection (EFD) for primary and secondary faults in power utility grid distribution networks. Faults in utility lines can cause power outages, power quality issues, as well as wildfires, and these faults are the result of broken wire strands, conductor “clash,” or contact between conductors, vegetation encroachment, fuse failure, and transformer failure By deploying a combination of fixed hardware, wireless sensors, edge computing, and GPS connectivity, the IND Technologies’ system will detect a powerline fault with accuracy to ±30 feet, enabling utility crews to implement repairs before a serious problem occurs. The company has several inquiries from California, following the devastating wildfires in California linked to utility equipment, and are looking forward to expand to North Carolina.
- GridX (Munich, Germany) – GridX was unable to join the pitch event due to a technical issue, but will have an opportunity to present to the group in the near future. The company’s “gridBox” enables the integration of distributed energy resources with a state-of-the art IoT communications gateway to monitor and manage the consumption, charging, and production of connected energy networks.
Each of these eight cleantech startups selected for the cohort provides innovative solutions in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and smart grid technology to help North Carolina communities, utilities, and industry reduce their carbon footprints.
Editor’s note: Chris Burke is president of BtB Marketing Communications, an integrated marketing agency located in Raleigh, focused on helping technology-driven companies worldwide reach their target audiences. BtB is a Leadership Member of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster.
