Australian cleantech Endua solves renewable energy intermittency problem
One of Endua’s hydrogen power banks
Intermittency is one of the main problems with renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectricity. This means that they cannot be relied on permanently because, for example, the sun may stop shining or it may be a calm, windless day. To fill the gaps, users often rely on diesel generators or batteries. But diesel generators produce emissions and the batteries only last a short time. Clean tech start-up Endua says it has found the solution with its modular hydrogen generation and storage technology.
The Australian startup today announced that it has raised A$11.8 million (approximately US$7.8 million). Participants in the round included new investors Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), Melt Ventures and 77 Partners, who together invested A$7.5 million. The rest of the funding came from returning strategic investors Main Sequence (the cutting-edge technology fund founded by government science agency CSIRO) and Ampol, Australia’s largest transport energy provider.
Launched in 2021 by CEO and founder Paul Sernia, Endua uses stand-alone, modular hydrogen power banks that it says can power power loads of up to 100kW per module. This is enough to power water pumps, agricultural sheds or autonomous telecommunications infrastructures. The amount of electricity used is scalable as excess renewable energy is stored as hydrogen and converted to electricity by fuel cells as needed.
Sernia told TechCrunch that storing excess renewable energy in the form of hydrogen overcomes intermittency issues, since users can draw on their stored energy whenever needed or when renewable energy production is insufficient. Endua serves a wide range of customers, including regional government, agriculture and agriculture, telecommunications infrastructure, energy distributors and remote infrastructure.
Endua has designed and built electrolysers that separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. Then this generated hydrogen is stored in its modular banks, which are high-pressure storage tanks that can preserve the integrity of the hydrogen for months. Once Endua customers are ready to convert their stored hydrogen into electricity, the power banks use electrochemical technologies, primarily via hydrogen fuel cells, which create zero carbon emissions.
Paul Sernia, founder and CEO of Endua
Sernia said Endua’s power banks are designed to integrate with existing energy systems, including renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, to capture excess energy. This ensures that customers have a continuous power supply.
Endua will use its new capital to scale its pilot systems and to hire over the next 18 months. In addition to its funding, Endua also received a total of $4.3 million dollars, including the Entrepreneur Program Commercialization Acceleration Grant, the Cooperative Research Centers Project, and the Center for Research Grant. growth in advanced manufacturing. All of its products are manufactured in Australia and it is currently establishing manufacturing facilities in Queensland.
In a statement on the funding, Ampol Chief Executive Matthew Hallliday said, “Endua’s technology lays the foundation for off-grid and diesel power users to meet decarbonization commitments and become self-sufficient. We look forward to working with our customers as the technology scales to further explore applications in our economy. »
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