California energy storage consortium CalCharge has signed its first corporate members, including Duracell, Volkswagen, Eaton, LG and Hitachi.
Also enrolled are startup firms Enovix, EnerVault, Farasis Energy, Halotechnics, Leyden Energy and Primus Power.
CalCharge aims to accelerate the development of the US state’s energy storage sector through a largely member-funded public-private partnership. Participating companies get help with research, collaboration, identifying barriers to emerging technology success, commercialization, and developing solutions for the adoption of energy storage technologies.
CalCharge offers its members access to programmes in Technology Assessment and Acceleration, Professional Development, Pre-Commercialization Support and Ecosystem Facilitation.
“California is home to one of the largest clusters of energy storage companies in the world,” said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), leader of the US House of Representatives. “In the [San Francisco] Bay Area alone there are more than 80 such companies and counting. CalCharge will connect California entrepreneurs, multinational companies and world-class scientists and provide them easier access to the resources and expertise they need. I am excited to see the progress CalCharge has announced.”
“As a young, Silicon Valley-based company commissioning our first grid-scale storage system in California, EnerVault views CalCharge as a valuable resource for building the relationships to grow our market, our company and our team,” said Craig Horne, EnerVault’s co-founder and chief strategy officer.
