Oakland, 26 de marzo de 2024 – California está captando sólo el 2.4% de los empleos previstos en las operaciones planificadas en la cadena de suministro de baterías de litio de la nación, y la mayoría van a parar a estados que ocupan puestos bajos en términos de protección laboral, salud y seguridad de los trabajadores, y leyes salariales.

Las conclusiones publicadas hoy en un nuevo informe de New Energy Nexus, en colaboración con el Instituto para la Transformación Social de la Universidad de California en Santa Cruz, y socios del Centro Laboral de la Universidad de California en Berkeley, detallan cómo la propia iniciativa estatal del “Valle del Litio” en la región del mar Salton no aprovechará el creciente auge del litio, donde menos del 1% de los empleos están asociados con la extracción de litio. Se prevé que la inmensa mayoría de los más de 100.000 nuevos empleos serán en la fabricación de baterías y vehículos eléctricos (VE)..

El informe – “Generando prosperidad: Creando una cadena inclusiva de suministro de litio en la región del mar Salton de California” – analiza los datos de empleo en la cadena de suministro a través de una plataforma interactiva en línea, “Lithium Battery Supply Chains of North America,” (Cadenas de suministro de baterías de litio de Norteamérica), que por primera vez traza un mapa de los empleos en relación con los indicadores laborales, climáticos y de justicia económica. También recomienda cómo la región podría captar más empleos “de alto nivel” y beneficios comunitarios de la extracción de litio con un mayor enfoque político, inversiones públicas específicas y asociaciones sólidas entre la industria, los trabajadores, las comunidades y las tribus.

“Las decisiones que se tomen ahora determinarán si el auge de las baterías de litio será una carrera hacia la cima o una carrera hacia el fondo”, afirmó Rebecca Lee, coautora del informe y Directora General de New Energy Nexus California.

“California ha sido líder mundial en innovación de vehículos eléctricos y baterías, y para mantenerse a la vanguardia, necesita apoyar a las empresas que tomen la vía alta, y que se queden y fabriquen sus tecnologías en el estado. Esto podría ser un modelo global de prosperidad compartida, generando empleos que sustenten familias y beneficios para las comunidades locales, y al mismo tiempo descarbonizando la economía.”

La región del mar Salton en California es un rincón del estado en el que no se ha invertido lo suficiente, y donde una cuarta parte de la población total y la mitad de la población nativa americana de la región vive por debajo de los índices de pobreza. También alberga algunas de las mayores reservas de litio del mundo, lo que ha dado lugar al nombre de “Valle del Litio”.

La Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructuras y la Ley de Reducción de la Inflación crearon importantes incentivos financieros para la producción nacional de baterías de litio y vehículos eléctricos. Crear una cadena nacional de valor del litio – desde el procesamiento, la fabricación de baterías y el reciclaje- podría crear buenos empleos, nuevas oportunidades comerciales y beneficios significativos para las comunidades locales.

“Tenemos que asegurarnos de que los empleos en la extracción de litio en el condado de Imperial sean buenos empleos, pero un beneficio mayor para la región podría surgir de la ubicación conjunta de la fabricación de baterías y vehículos eléctricos”, afirmó Chris Benner, coautor del informe y profesor y director de la facultad del Instituto para la Transformación Social de la Universidad de California, Santa Cruz.

“Las empresas de baterías y vehículos eléctricos que se instalen aquí obtendrían beneficios en términos de reputación y de mercadotecnia por estar vinculadas a una de las fuentes de litio más limpias del planeta, así como un acceso cercano a un gran mercado de consumidores concienciados con el medio ambiente – la base de consumidores de vehículos eléctricos más grande del país.”

Conclusiones clave:

• California es actualmente el núcleo de la industria nacional del vehículo eléctrico, con aproximadamente el 19% de los empleos existentes en toda la cadena de suministro de litio y vehículos eléctricos, es con diferencia el mayor porcentaje de todos los estados.
• California, Arizona y Nevada representan casi un tercio (31%) de los empleos en toda la cadena de valor de las baterías de litio y los vehículos eléctricos, pero solo el 10% de las nuevas inversiones previstas. (1).
• Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama y Georgia representan en la actualidad aproximadamente el 16% del empleo total existente a lo largo de la cadena de valor, pero representan casi el 34% de los empleos previstos en nuevas instalaciones. Estos estados ocupan los últimos puestos en cuanto a protección laboral, salud y seguridad y salarios de los trabajadores..
• De los más de 150.000 empleos existentes en la cadena de valor del litio en EE.UU., el 43% corresponde a la fabricación de VE, el 26% a la fabricación de los componentes, baterías y paquetes de pilas, y solo el 6% de los empleos corresponde a la minería o a la extracción de minerales críticos.
• En la región del mar Salton, el número de empleos directos derivados de la extracción directa de litio será relativamente modesto: unos pocos cientos de empleos al principio, que aumentarán a unos 2.000 empleos en curso cuando se proyecte su pleno desarrollo dentro de muchos años.
• La gran mayoría de los empleos relacionados con el litio de la región del mar Salton se crearán a lo largo de la cadena de valor: unos 1.600 empleos en la fabricación de cátodos, 20.000 empleos en la fabricación de pilas y baterías, y más de 100.000 empleos en la fabricación de vehículos eléctricos (2).  Actualmente no existen acuerdos para traer estos empleos a la región del mar Salton, y mucho menos para garantizar que estos empleos sean de alta calidad o se destinen a residentes locales (3).

Noemí O. Gallardo, Comisionada de la Comisión de Energía de California: “La visión del Valle del Litio tiene el potencial de proporcionar una tremenda oportunidad económica que eleve simultáneamente a la industria, los trabajadores y los residentes. Basándose en los esfuerzos estatales existentes, las recomendaciones descritas en este informe pueden ayudar a hacer realidad esta posibilidad e impulsar la región del mar Salton.”

Brigette Browning, Secretaria General Ejecutiva del Consejo Laboral de los Condados de San Diego e Imperial: “Este informe muestra que California debe consolidar urgentemente su liderazgo en energías limpias y asegurarse de captar y conservar empleos que sustenten familias en el auge de las baterías de litio. Tanto en la fase de construcción de los proyectos como en las operaciones y el mantenimiento en curso, el sector debe apoyar buenos empleos sindicales y vías profesionales en los nuevos empleos de las industrias verdes, especialmente para los residentes locales.”

Sanjiv Malhotra, fundador y director ejecutivo de Sparkz: “Hemos visto un verdadero valor en adoptar el enfoque de “alto nivel” en el Valle del Litio, enfocándonos en la innovación, invirtiendo en nuestra fuerza laboral y generando buenos empleos. Estamos orgullosos de asociarnos con el sindicato United Auto Workers para asegurar al trabajador estadounidense un lugar en la nueva economía de la energía, y al mismo tiempo desarrollar la cadena de suministro de baterías a nivel nacional.”

California podría proporcionar un modelo global del desarrollo económico inclusivo y favorable al medio ambiente de las cadenas de suministro de litio y baterías. Las recomendaciones incluyen:

• Apoyar el desarrollo de la fuerza laboral “de alto nivel”. Esto incluiría imponer condiciones para la financiación pública de las empresas, basándose en Acuerdos de Beneficios Comunitarios negociados, así como la capacitación de trabajadores de la construcción, obreros y profesionales y técnicos en el condado de Imperial.
• Reforzar la “canalización de la innovación a la implementación”: proporcionar beneficios a las empresas de ” alto nivel” que desarrollen y fabriquen tecnologías en el Estado. Esto debería incluir un aumento en la financiación a organizaciones de apoyo para emprendedores de energías limpias que apoyan vías de alto nivel para la comercialización de empresas emergentes.
• Invertir en infraestructuras locales. Esto incluye infraestructuras físicas y sociales como servicios de salud pública, transporte público, viviendas resistentes al cambio climático y restauración medioambiental relacionada con la gestión del mar Salton y la calidad del aire.
• Abordar los obstáculos a la concesión de permisos. Por ejemplo, se podría acelerar la obtención de permisos para proyectos que hayan formalizado acuerdos y cuenten con el apoyo de las comunidades.
• Transparencia de la cadena de suministro de baterías. Deben existir mecanismos que controlen, midan y respeten los estándares medioambientales, laborales y de la calidad del aire, tales como el Pasaporte Global de Baterías.

El informe y el mapa Lithium Battery Supply Chain (Cadena de Suministro de Baterías de Litio) cuentan con el apoyo de una subvención de la Fundación James Irvine, y representan la culminación de más de un año de investigación, que incluye aportaciones de una amplia gama de partes interesadas de los sectores laboral, comunitario, industrial, público y tribal.

Notas para los redactores:

Resumen del informe (en español)

(1) California ocupa el primer lugar, Arizona el 18 y Nevada el 20, según el Índice de Mejores Estados para Trabajar de Oxfam. Best States to Work Index.

(2) Este cálculo se basa en la cantidad anual de litio extraído de todas las plantas geotérmicas existentes y utilizado para fabricar baterías

(3) Al menos dos empresas promotoras han firmado acuerdos de proyectos laborales (PLA por sus siglas en inglés) con sindicatos del sector de la construcción para la fase de construcción de los proyectos.

Acerca de New Energy Nexus:

New Energy Nexus es una organización sin fines de lucro que lucha por una economía 100% de energía limpia para el 100% de la población en el menor tiempo posible. Con 20 años de experiencia, ofrecemos aceleradores, financiación y capacitación de primera clase para ayudar a diversos emprendedores a desarrollar una transición energética limpia, más justa y equitativa..

New Energy Nexus comenzó en California en 2004 y ahora opera programas en Nueva York, China, India, Sudeste Asiático, África Oriental y Occidental, y Australia. Desde 2016, hemos apoyado a 1.200 empresas emergentes, más de 8.000 emprendedores y movilizado más de 3.700 millones de dólares en inversiones. Más información en: www.newenergynexus.com/california

Acerca del Instituto para la Transformación Social de UC Santa Cruz

El Instituto, integrado en la División de Ciencias Sociales de UC Santa Cruz, el Instituto apoya la investigación innovadora que cambia al mundo. El instituto es un centro intelectual y social crítico, que conecta a académicos de toda la UC Santa Cruz y a socios de fuera de la universidad, creando soluciones basadas en la investigación de urgentes problemas sociales, medioambientales y políticos del mundo. La investigación del instituto tiene como objetivo comprender y transformar las causas sistémicas subyacentes de los problemas en estas áreas, y aporta la experiencia basada en la investigación y los recursos de UC Santa Cruz a colaboraciones con otras entidades comprometidas con la creación de sociedades locales y globales que se basan en la equidad, el acceso y las oportunidades para todas las personas, la regeneración del medio ambiente y la revitalización democrática. https://transform.ucsc.edu/

Acerca del Centro Laboral de UC Berkeley

El Centro de Investigación y Educación Laboral de UC Berkeley es un programa de servicio público y divulgación del Instituto de Investigación sobre Trabajo y Empleo. Fundado en 1964, el Centro Laboral lleva a cabo investigación y educación sobre temas relacionados con el trabajo y el empleo. Los currículos del Centro Laboral y las capacitaciones de liderazgo sirven para educar a una nueva generación diversa de líderes laborales. El Centro Laboral lleva a cabo investigaciones sobre temas como la calidad del empleo y el desarrollo de la fuerza laboral, y trabaja con sindicatos, gobiernos y empleadores para desarrollar programas y perspectivas políticas innovadoras. El Centro también ofrece una importante fuente de investigación e información sobre los sindicatos y la evolución de la fuerza laboral para estudiantes, académicos, legisladores y el público en general. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/

Contacto para los medios de comunicación:

Tristan Tremschnig, Director de Global Communications, New Energy Nexus, correo electrónico:  tristan.tremschnig@newenergynexus.com (con sede en San Francisco)

Oakland, 26 March 2024 – California is capturing only 2.4% of projected jobs in planned operations in the nation’s lithium battery supply chain, with most going to states that are ranked low in terms of labor protection, worker health and safety, and wage laws.

The findings released today in a new report from New Energy Nexus, with partners at the Institute for Social Transformation at UC Santa Cruz and the UC Berkeley Labor Center, detail how even the state’s very own “Lithium Valley” initiative in the Salton Sea region is projected to miss out on the growing lithium boom, where less than 1% of jobs are associated with lithium extraction. The vast majority of the more than 100,000 expected new jobs are projected to be in battery and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.

The report – “Powering Prosperity: Building an Inclusive Lithium Supply Chain in California’s Salton Sea Region” – analyzes employment data in the supply chain through an interactive online platform, “Lithium Battery Supply Chains of North America,” which for the first time ever maps jobs in relation to labor, climate, and economic justice indicators. It also recommends how the region could capture more “high-road” jobs and community benefits from lithium extraction with greater policy focus, targeted public investment, and stronger industry, labor, community and tribal partnerships.

“The decisions taken now will determine whether the lithium battery boom will be a race to the top or a race to the bottom,” said Rebecca Lee, co-author of the report and Managing Director of New Energy Nexus California.

“California has been a world leader in EV and battery innovation, and to stay ahead of the curve, it needs to support companies that take the high-road, and that stay and manufacture their technologies in the state. This could be a global model for shared prosperity, generating family-supporting jobs and benefits for local communities, while also decarbonizing the economy.”

California’s Salton Sea region is an underinvested corner of the state where a quarter of the total population, and half of the region’s Native American population, live below the poverty line. It is also home to some of the largest lithium reserves in the world, which has given rise to the name “Lithium Valley.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act created major financial incentives for domestic lithium battery and EV production. Building out a domestic lithium value chain – from processing, battery manufacturing, and recycling – could potentially create good jobs, new business opportunities, and meaningful benefits for local communities.

“We need to ensure that the jobs in lithium extraction itself in Imperial County are good jobs, but a larger benefit to the region could come from co-locating battery and electric vehicle manufacturing,” said Chris Benner, co-author of the report and Professor and Faculty Director at the Institute for Social Transformation, UC Santa Cruz. 

“Battery and electric vehicle firms locating here would gain reputational and marketing benefits of being tied to one of the cleanest sources of lithium on the planet, as well as close access to a large environmentally conscious consumer market – the largest consumer base for electric vehicles in the country.”

Key findings:

• California is currently the core of the nation’s electric vehicle industry, accounting for roughly 19% of existing jobs in the full lithium and electric vehicle supply chain, by far the highest share of any state.
• California, Arizona and Nevada account for nearly a third (31%) of jobs in the full lithium battery and EV value chain, but only 10% of planned new investment. These states rank highly in the nation for policies that support good jobs and wages (1).
• Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia currently account for approximately 16% of total existing employment along the value chain, but represent nearly 34% of projected jobs in new sites. These states are low-to-bottom ranked in terms of labor protection, worker health and safety, and wages.
• Of the more than 150,000 existing jobs in the lithium value chain in the USA, 43% are in EV manufacturing, 26% are in battery component, cell, and pack manufacturing, and only 6% of jobs are in mining or critical minerals extraction.
• In the Salton Sea region, the number of direct jobs from direct lithium extraction will be relatively modest: a few hundred jobs initially, rising to roughly 2,000 ongoing jobs at projected full build-out many years from now.
• The vast majority of jobs associated with the lithium from the Salton Sea region will be created further along the value chain: roughly 1,600 jobs in cathode manufacturing, 20,000 jobs in battery cell and pack manufacturing, and over 100,000 jobs in EV manufacturing (2).  There are currently no agreements in place to bring these jobs to the Salton Sea region, much less ensure these jobs are high-quality or will be targeted for local residents (3).

Noemí O. Gallardo, Commissioner, California Energy Commission: “The Lithium Valley vision has the potential to provide tremendous economic opportunity that simultaneously uplifts industry, workers, and residents. Building on existing state efforts, the recommendations outlined in this report can help realize this possibility and boost the Salton Sea region.”

Brigette Browning, Executive Secretary-General, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council: “This report shows that California must urgently build on its clean energy leadership, and ensure it captures and retains family supporting jobs in the lithium battery boom. Both in the construction phase of projects and ongoing operations and maintenance, the sector must support good union jobs and career pathways in new green industries jobs, especially for local residents.”

Sanjiv Malhotra, Founder and CEO, SPARKZ: “We’ve seen real value in taking the “high-road” approach in Lithium Valley, focusing on innovation, investing in our workforce, and generating good jobs. We are proud to partner with the United Auto Workers to secure the American worker’s place in the new energy economy, while also growing the battery supply chain domestically.”

California could provide a global model for the inclusive and environmentally friendly economic development of lithium and battery supply chains. Recommendations include:

• Support “high-road” workforce development. This should include conditional public funding for businesses based on negotiated Community Benefits Agreements, as well as training for construction trades, blue collar, and professional and technical workers in Imperial County.
• Strengthen the “innovation to implementation pipeline”: provide benefits for “high-road” companies that develop and manufacture technologies in the state. This should include an increase in funding to clean energy entrepreneur support organizations that support high-road pathways for startup commercialization.
• Invest in local infrastructure. This includes physical and social infrastructure such as public health services, public transportation, climate resilient housing, and environmental restoration related to Salton Sea management and air quality.
• Address permitting barriers. For instance, expedited permitting could be made available for projects that have formalized agreements and support from communities.
• Battery supply chain transparency. Mechanisms must be in place that monitor, measure, and uphold environmental, labor and air quality standards, such as the Global Battery Passport.

The report and the Lithium Battery Supply Chain map are supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, and represents the culmination of more than a year of research, including input from a wide range of labor, community, industry, public sector and tribal stakeholders.

Notes to editors:

(1) California comes in first, Arizona at 18th, and Nevada at 20th according to Oxfam’s Best States to Work Index.

(2) This calculation is based on the annual amount of lithium extracted from all existing geothermal plants and used to make batteries.

(3) At least two developers have signed project labor agreements (PLAs) with building trades unions for the construction phase of the projects.

About the Institute for Social Transformation, UC Santa Cruz

Rooted in the Social Sciences Division at UC Santa Cruz, the institute supports innovative scholarship that changes the world. The institute is a critical intellectual and social hub, connecting scholars across UC Santa Cruz and partners beyond the university, developing research-based solutions to urgent social, environmental and political problems in the world. The institute’s research aims to understand and transform the underlying systemic causes of problems in these areas and brings the research-based expertise and resources of UC Santa Cruz to collaborations with others committed to building local and global societies that are rooted in equity, access and opportunity for all people, environmental regeneration and democratic revitalization. https://transform.ucsc.edu/

Oakland, CA 13 September 2023 – The California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development (CalSEED) program is thrilled to announce that 27 new Concept awards have been approved by the California Energy Commission (CEC).

For the Concept award, 27 companies out of 153 were selected to receive grants of US$150,000 to develop their breakthrough technologies. In total US$4 million of CEC EPIC funds will be invested in clean energy innovations throughout California.

“The CalSEED program has been successful in helping entrepreneurs working on promising climate solutions to get the support they need to scale up,” said David Hochschild, Chair of the California Energy Commission (CEC).

“Through the California Energy Commission’s EPIC research program, CalSEED is helping entrepreneurs turn great ideas into marketable solutions and providing benefits to California ratepayers.”

Concept awardees went through a rigorous process including a review with CalSEED’s curated review committee, who offered their time and expertise to score applications for technical merit, potential for social impact and energy equity, and team expertise. CalSEED’s solicitation is designed as a call for early-stage clean energy innovations that fall within the following technology areas: energy storage, DER integration and load flexibility, transportation electrification, building decarbonization, and industrial decarbonization.

“We’re thrilled to see so many clean energy entrepreneurs who are not only developing cutting-edge technology, but also thinking about circular and inclusive designs in the way they’re implemented” said Rebecca Lee, Managing Director New Energy Nexus California Programs. CalSEED is a program of New Energy Nexus in California.

Each year the CalSEED program selects new and emerging clean technology areas to fund to help California meet its climate goals. Within the upcoming cohort, 2 out of 27 companies are developing solutions to decarbonize the cement industry, which is currently responsible for 8.8% of industrial sector GHG emissions in California. The potential impact of transforming the way in which one of the most used materials in the world is created is one of the many ways the CalSEED program is working to bring the rapid transformation to a clean energy economy.

“This new cohort of CalSEED grant recipients stands at the forefront of new energy solutions and exemplifies California’s innovative ethos,” said Joy Larson, Program Director of CalSEED.

“With financial support, mentorship, connection to a large network, and the support of a community of fellow entrepreneurs, the CalSEED program offers a springboard for entrepreneurs to bring sustainable energy solutions and energy equity into the energy landscape.”

CalSEED is funded through the CEC’s EPIC program, which invests approximately $120 million annually for innovative clean energy technologies and approaches benefiting. the ratepayers of California’s three largest electric investor-owned utilities.

Details of the 27 companies awarded a total of US$4 million:

COHORT 6 CONCEPT AWARDEES:

• ActivatedEnergy is designing and demonstrating a long duration energy storage system for urban environments, where system footprint cost is a driving factor, without the use of lithium or cobalt. This innovation is a system that will store energy in the form of compressed liquified carbon dioxide and will release energy by expanding the gas through a turboexpander, using commercially evaluated and certified components.
• BioZen Batteries is developing a low-cost, carbon-based redox-active electrolyte (“redoxloyte”) fluid for redox flow batteries (RFBs). Redoxolytes are a green-plant-inspired organic chemistry leveraging modular, single-atom scale molecular modifications to tune solubility (capacity), redox potential (cell voltage), intermolecular interactions (lifetime), and manufacturing efficiency (cost). This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of deploying long-duration RFB energy storage on the grid, thereby dramatically decreasing pollution burdens and increasing energy resilience in underserved communities.
• Calion Technologies is developing a zero global warming potential and carbon-negative heat pump using our non-vapor compression Ionocaloric heat pumping technology that will provide a drop-in replacement for vapor compression technologies. Because the ionocaloric technology utilizes the solid/liquid transition instead of the liquid/vapor transition, the ionocaloric refrigerant doubles as thermal storage material and there is never any vapor produced during the heat pumping process, so there is no refrigerant that can harm the atmosphere.
  Carbon Blade Corporation is building an energy efficient hardware solution for carbon dioxide removal that can be placed directly at sequestration/usage locations with no additional cost for electricity or pipeline infrastructure. The proposed innovation is a stand-alone device that uses onboard wind and solar electricity generation to power a chemical process that captures CO2 from the atmosphere in a modular containerized solution.
• C-Crete Technologies is developing a process that turns naturally occurring abundant “non-carbonate” rocks to cementitious binders with significant energy savings, affordability, flexibility, emissions reductions while maintaining similar comfort level and performance for end-users.
  Ceja Engineering Solutions developing a self-powered line mounted wildfire detection system that will employ embedded sensors to continuously monitor for wildfire conditions and provide a remote automatic circuit breaker protective trip if a wildfire is detected.
• CONUSANT is developing and implementing a micro-controller in residential refrigerators to efficiently store thermal energy and permanently shift load on a daily basis. This invention will use off-peak energy to cool the refrigerator freezer compartment below the normal set point of 0 degrees Fahrenheit. By lowering the temperature 2-3 degrees below 0, we can turn off the compressor usage for up to 8 hours. This will help alleviate solar/wind over-generation and curtailment concerns during peak electricity production times and insufficient load,
• EarthEn is developing a flexible energy storage solution that uses CO2 in a closed loop to store 4-100+ hours of energy at a low cost & highly scalable & safe manner. The proposed innovation is an Energy Pod that uses supercritical CO2 (sCO2) as a circulating fluid that is compressed to store excess energy from solar and wind. When excess energy is present, CO2 is compressed into sCO2 at high pressures.
• EELi Technology is developing an economical, efficient, and scalable electrochemical-based direct lithium extraction platform technology using electricity rather than carbon-intensive reagent chemicals. Electrochemical extraction processes (EEPs), in which voltage/current is the driving force to capture ions, provide exceptional lithium selectivity, recovery rate, and rapid processing.
• ENAMP is advancing a distributed energy resources management & EV charging hub that will be an all-in-one solution enabling all residential buildings, even those with limited utility power capacity, to go all-electric. Enamp will use real-time data to implement the instantaneous dynamic control of major electric loads, enabling homeowners to integrate interoperable DERs, electrify major appliances, manage loads during the grid-islanded mode, and charge electric vehicles without the need to upgrade the behind-the-meter distribution system (Utility Service, Electric panel, and subpanels).
• EnergizedAI is increasing EV fast charger uptime through the development of a predictive maintenance algorithm, allowing service to occur before failure. EnergizedAI is developing a tool that will utilize an ensemble of methods including deep learning, forecasting, and statistical survival analysis to identify fast chargers at risk of becoming non-functional. This analysis takes into account multiple data points from each fast charger and local environmental information to derive a charger health score with continuously improving accuracy as feedback from each prediction is incorporated into the analysis and the model is exposed to more data.
• ExPost Technology is developing a reuse and recycling process for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to conserve critical materials, reduce environmental impacts, and lower material costs of new battery manufacturing. This closed-loop, direct recycling/upcycling technology uses a combination of physical and chemical processes based on pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.
• Furno Materials. is producing Portland cement using small cement plant technology that will leverage hydrogen fuel and waste recycled concrete fines to produce carbon-neutral cement at >90% efficiency. Furno’s hydrogen-fired cement plants with novel reactor design use hydrogen as a fuel, removing the fuel emissions from cement production.
• Grid Science is determining the value of behind the meter DER such as battery storage. The value of DER is determined by local supply and demand conditions in that specific utility circuit, the load capacity, and the reliability of that individual feeder. Grid Science will use sensors to deliver real time distribution power flow telemetry.
• Helios Climate Industries is developing a variable-speed heat pump controller to maximize comfort, minimize operating costs and provide demand response capabilities aligned with the electricity network. The controller will make machine-learned decisions by monitoring the indoor and outdoor climate conditions, Time-of-Use billing, forecasting weather, solar PV production and consumption, thermal and battery storage charge level, and electricity network demands.
• Kinetix Energy Storage is engineering an integrated reluctance motor with a carbon fiber flywheel energy storage system to minimize lifetime project costs for short-duration energy storage applications. This innovation integrates high-efficient system components and maximizes energy storage capacity in a 20 ft shipping container to minimize shipping and installation costs while providing reliable, resilient power for 20 years without degradation.
• Leeta Materials is developing a scalable, microwave-assisted manufacturing process for battery cathode materials. Microwave heating reduces the energy consumption of the manufacturing process and in-situ characterization will allow for direct probing of the material quality. This enables efficient production of high-quality materials while decreasing the environmental footprint of battery materials.
• Mirai Solar is developing, implementing, and testing a self-learning control logic for enhancing the energy use efficiency of greenhouses through the automation of retractable photovoltaic shade screens. This smart algorithm will pull from relevant data points, both historical and real-time, to make decisions that optimize both the crop growth and electricity output of the greenhouse by choosing when to let the sun fall on the plants or photovoltaic shades.
• Project K is developing a potassium-ion battery that is lithium-free, low-cost, energy-efficient, and long-lived for grid-scale energy storage. The innovation combines old and new battery features, like a Prussian blue analog (PBA) cathode with a graphite anode and an electrolyte composed of a small-molecule organic solvent; conductive salts; and stabilizing additive into a device with an architecture that is essentially identical to that of contemporary, mass-produced lithium-ion batteries.
• Root 121, Inc. is demonstrating a sodium-ion cathode manufacturing technology that will enable an affordable and domestically resilient battery supply chain. The proposed innovation is a vertically integrated process to manufacture high-energy density sodium-ion cathodes and a materials optimization methodology that uses data collected during manufacturing, materials characterization, and battery testing.
• Scalvy is designing and demonstrate a fully modular and granular drivetrain system for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to accelerate the electrification of this sector. This project enables low-volume OEMs to electrify their fleets using simple integration and an easier-to-access supply chain while operating efficiently. The drivetrain system will be composed of tens to hundreds of modular self-controlled drivetrain building blocks operating to drive the traction motor, charge the battery packs, supply the electronic loads, and perform the battery management system functionalities.
• Sea Dragon Energy is developing an energy management system for homeowners to monitor and control circuits using their existing circuit breaker panel. The innovation, mPower, will better utilize self-generated and stored energy while on or off grid and is easily installed into an existing panel, by snapping it into an empty slot, without requiring replacement of the panel.
• Solar Ice is building a prototype of a solar thermal-powered absorption air conditioning & refrigeration system utilizing high efficiency solar collectors, modern absorption chillers, and state-of-the-art phase change material storage. Compared to conventional systems, this solar thermal cooling innovation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality by operating without the HCFC refrigerants, and eliminating the compressor drastically reduces energy consumption, translating to cost savings and system reliability while eliminating the constant noise and vibration.
• Sunchem is developing and scale up a low-cost precision Nano Filtration device that can continuously capture critical metals used for the clean energy transition from any complex water mixtures. The Nano Filter (NF) technology is based on a library of compositions made up of highly porous sponge-like metal-organic framework (MOF) and polymer building blocks that can process complex water mixtures for precision separation and concentration of metals that are critical for the creation of renewable energy sources and storage such as solar photovoltaic cells, batteries and onshore/offshore wind.
• ThermoShade is developing a passive cooling panel that can be installed above outdoor spaces, creating a shady space that feels up to 20°F cooler than the outside air. ThermoShade integrates ultra-reflective coatings, which reflect >90% of the Sun’s energy, and phase change materials, which release stored cool thermal energy during the daytime heat, and recharge at night when temperatures drop, into a modular, highly scalable design. ThermoShade will work 24/7 with zero electricity, zero water, and zero upkeep, helping to keep customers cool, while reducing their electricity and water bills.
• Waste Salt Technologies LLC is demonstrating a process that repurposes the unseparated and minimally processed solid salt of the desalination process in an inexpensive, safe, modular, and scalable Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system that can be used to store thermal energy. Waste Salt Technologies’ approach includes physical and chemical steps to prepare the salt and involves a data-driven procedure for designing a heat exchanger that can thermally interact with the processed salt to provide and extract thermal energy.
• Westwood Aerogel is incorporating aerogel technology into energy efficient window designs. Sol-gel Solutions produces ambiently dried aerogel technology that will be applied through an optically clear adhesive onto a pane of window and assembled into insulating glass units. It is transparent, has extremely low thermal conductivities, and unlike existing technologies, can be mass produced in a continuous line process.

About CalSEED

CalSEED is funded through the CEC’s EPIC program which invests approximately $120M annually for innovative clean energy technologies and approaches benefiting the ratepayers of California’s three largest electric investor-owned utilities. Through the CalSEED initiative US$25M will be deployed to back over 80 startups in coming years. CalSEED is administered by New Energy Nexus.

About the California Energy Commission

The California Energy Commission is leading the state to a 100 percent clean energy future. It has seven core responsibilities: developing renewable energy, transforming transportation, increasing energy efficiency, investing in energy innovation, advancing state energy policy, certifying thermal power plants, and preparing for energy emergencies. For more information, please go to energy.gov.ca .