Smart Energy News

Hillsboro, Ore. — ClearEdge Power, a privately held manufacturer of fuel cell power systems, has raised $10 million in convertible debt, according to a new filing by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Founded in 2003, ClearEdge offers scalable, continuous onsite power systems for commercial, institutional and residential customers. Two new products from the company now enable it to deliver both power and heat.

ClearEdge’s electrochemical process converts natural gas to electricity and heat, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 41% when compared to traditional combustion technology, according to the company.

The company says it offers the industry’s only commercially available continuous onsite power system for businesses or homes that require between 5 kW and 200 kW of electrical power.

ClearEdge Power has more than 100 customer installations since its founding.

Investors in the company include Big Basin Partners, Applied Ventures, and Southern California Gas Co.

Image credit: ClearEdge Power

ClearEdge Power website

ClearEdge’s SEC filing

Latham, N.Y. – Plug Power, a hydrogen fuel cell supplier for material handling operations, announced it plans to form a joint venture with Axane, a subsidiary of Air Liquide that develops fuel cells, with the intent of supplying fuel cell products for the European material handling market.

Through the partnership, Plug Power’s GenDrive products will target the European market, which consists of 325,000 annual forklift truck sales and an existing installed base of 2,000,000 forklift trucks, according to the company.

The GenDrive units will be manufactured at Plug Power’s Latham, N.Y. headquarters and distributed through the sales channel provided by Axane, with the potential for adding a European-based manufacturing capacity later, the company said.

Under joint venture, Plug Power will contribute certain technology licenses for the initial European project territory and Axane will provide installments of cash over a period of five years.

Plug Power will initially own a 45% stake in the joint venture and Axane will own 55%. Plug Power will have the opportunity to acquire a majority stake in 2016.

Plug Power website

Axane website

Wilmington, Mass. — Lilliputian Systems, a developer of small fuel cells for charging electronic devices, has raised an additional $11 million in a venture capital deal, according to a new filing by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In 2002, Lilliputian obtained initial funding as well as its “silicon power cell” technology, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Microsystems Technology Laboratory, which includes a chip-based power generator and is fueled by recyclable high-energy fuel cartridges.

The technology is approved for use on aircraft and is reportedly six times more efficient than using a wall charger. Compared to Lithium-Ion battery alternatives, Lilliputian’s solution provides a 5-10 times improvement in volumetric energy density and 20-40 times improvement in energy density by weight, according to the company.

Lilliputian Systems’ technology supports use with various consumer electronics devices ranging from mobile phones to laptops. The company said it will supply key components—notably its “generator chip” and a reference design—to system integrators that will manufacture the power systems.

The company now has raised over $100 million in venture capital funding from Blue-Atlas Ventures, Kleiner Perkins and Rockport Capital, and others.

Lilliputian Systems website

Lilliputian Systems SEC filing

Columbia, S.C. – A collaborative project involving the University of South Carolina and SCRA, an applied research organization, has received a $3.6 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support research and commercialization of “fuel-flexible” fuel cells for portable applications.

The project will include applied research at the university and product development with private sector partners and technical assistance through ATI, an affiliate of SCRA. The research will work to identify new fuel cell applications for portable power applications within the Department of Defense, which could have both military and commercial applications, according to an announcement.

Work under the grant will be performed in three new research labs at the university’s Horizon I Future Fuels facility at its Innovista campus in Columbia, S.C., with more than $1 million of investment in Horizon I’s facilities and equipment. Five new research, engineering and post-doctoral staff from the Future Fuels team will be added to the project.

Innovista website

EngenuitySC website

Cambridge, Mass. — Sun Catalytix, a Cambridge-based energy storage and renewable fuels company, announced on Thursday that it has raised $9.5 million in its second round of venture capital. The investment was led by Tata, an India-based conglomerate, and included additional participation from Polaris Venture Partners and others.

Sun Catalytix was founded in 2008 with discoveries made at MIT. Its technology uses catalysts made of elements that split water and generate hydrogen for industrial applications, for energy storage, and for use as a renewable fuel through internal combustion engines or fuel cells.

Sun Catalytix