Back in November, we alerted you to a potentially significant development in non-lithium long-duration storage.  One of the companies was Form Energy, which based its battery on oxidizing and reducing iron. Oxidized iron is, of course, also known as rust.  Clearly, iron is a lot cheaper and more abundant than lithium.  An iron-air battery was an old idea, but Form was touting a 100X improvement in cycle life with an initial 1 MW product that could hold 150 MWh of energy.  That put it squarely in the “desirable” range as a commercial product.  This first system is going to Great River Energy in Minnesota but has not yet been installed.

Now Form has signed a contract for two 10 MW, 1,000 MWh systems with XCEL Energy and a 15 MW system with a 1500 MWh capacity with Georgia Power.  As one commenter noted, the Georgia Power system would hold more MWh than all the other utility storage systems installed in the country to date.

Form’s battery releases energy slowly, so it is not really a technology ideal for EVs.  But slow discharge is perfect for long-duration applications.

You can read more about this update from this article and the company’s news release.

Did you miss out on our latest networking event? Well, no worries, because we’ve got something exciting coming up that you won’t want to miss! Picture this: an exciting networking session where you can kick back and relax at Lucid Winery. We recently had one on June 22, and let me tell you, it was a blast!

This wasn’t our first rodeo, though. We’ve already done one session like this before [blog], and it was a hit. Lucid Winery (next to the Fox and Goose on R Street) is the perfect spot for a meetup, and their drinks are pretty darn interesting too. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

We had a bunch of new faces join us along with our old pals. It was fantastic getting to know everyone and hearing about all the cool stuff they’re working on. Plus, we had the pleasure of co-hosting the event with JCT Growth, a Roseville-based company that specializes in helping businesses grow faster through Search Engine Optimization. Their work might seem like magic to the uninitiated, but if you want to take your business to the next level, Jesse and his team can work wonders. They’ve got some seriously practical advice to offer.

Speaking of connections, let me tell you a story. Our friend Adam Busch, who volunteered to help us out with a Techstars Weekend for cleantech companies a while back, introduced us to JCT. It just goes to show that you never know when an opportunity like that will lead to a valuable connection. It was so great to catch up with Adam again!

By the way, we purposely choose venues near the state agencies involved in clean tech. It’s a strategic move because we want to make it convenient for you to swing by after work. Trust me, you won’t regret it. You never know what you might learn or who you might meet. More connections mean more opportunities, right?

And hey, don’t just take my word for it. Check out what some of our attendees had to say:
[Insert awesome testimonials here]

So, mark your calendars and save the date for our next event. You won’t want to miss it! September 28th, 2023.
Come join us for an evening of great company, interesting conversations, and who knows, maybe even a little bit of magic. Can’t wait to see you there!

At the finals of the UCD Big Bang competition on May 23, Badaye Technologies won both the Clean Energy + Sustainability prize, and the Food + Ag prize, scooping up a total of $20,000.

CEO Ismael Mayanja came up with a simple, inexpensive device to process hand-harvested corn in Africa and efficiently remove waste chaff.  Their flagship product (SUNSULA) efficiently cleans maize in seconds and produces quality grain for safe and longer storage, easy processing into other foods, and healthy consumption.  The conventional method is to winnow the grain by hand, which leaves a lot of chaff in the product and lowers its value.  You can watch an animation of the product in action here.

Key points: 

• The Community Resource Project’s board of directors meeting was interrupted by a celebration for 15 women who completed electric vehicle job training, including immigrants and those seeking new career paths.
• The pilot program, funded by the California Energy Commission, aims to train nearly 100 Sacramento area residents, with a focus on immigrants, women, and youth from traditionally underserved communities.
• The training program involves classroom learning with virtual reality headsets followed by hands-on experience with smaller remote vehicles, with the goal of empowering participants to start their own businesses and contribute to the green tech solution for climate change.

A recent meeting of the Community Resource Project’s Board of Directors was interrupted by a little child dancing, smiling, and handing out diplomas as the 15 women who recently completed electric vehicle job training were congratulated.

Unique Pilot Program Targets Underserved Communities

The unique pilot program, funded by the California Energy Commission, is set to train nearly 100 Sacramento area residents to work with electric vehicles. The program aims to benefit traditionally underserved communities with focused recruiting of immigrants, women, and youth for class groupings that target specific groups for focused attention. 

The first graduating class was populated with immigrants from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The Women’s Cohort is the second to graduate. The 15 graduates included immigrants, two mother-and-daughter pairs, and other women seeking a new career path.

After four weeks of learning in a classroom with virtual reality headsets, the class moved to hands-on learning at the California Mobility Center. Rather than jumping straight to full-sized vehicles, the class started with smaller remote vehicles.

Positive Testimonials Highlight Program’s Impact

“I learned more about cars or vehicles than I could have ever fathomed from participating in this program. I learned how to put together a remote control car by assembling all of the parts,” wrote program participant Degrata Brown. “It was amazing to build something from scratch and see it become powered by an electric battery. I began to understand that we were working with something unseen or invisible, and that is energy. To me, understanding that component was incredible.”

Two additional class groups, each with about 20 students, are currently meeting. The fifth and last scheduled class group is set to start on June 19. 

Apply here:

Organizers said it is important to recognize the accomplishments of program graduates at the late May Community Resource Project meeting. 

“It was exciting to watch the participants celebrate their accomplishments,” said Gary Simon, chairman and founder of Clean Start. The hope is that the program will lead to real-life change for participants.