Adena Power is developing an energy storage solution using sodium batteries and domestically-sourced raw materials.
Adena Power was the winner of the People’s Choice Award, chosen as the “best startup” by the 300 attendees at the 2024 National Renewable Energy Lab’s Industry Growth Forum.
Ohio-based Adena Power was selected out of a field of more than 210 to present its sodium-based energy storage products to investors and industry representatives at the Industry Growth Forum (IGF) held last week in Denver, Colorado.
“Adena team and I are thrilled to be selected to present at IGF this year,”said Nathan Cooley, co-founder and CEO. “Since the end of last year’s event, we have made it a goal to be requested to present at IGF. We see the NREL Industry Growth Forum as the best climate tech startup event on the calendar.”
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) hosts the IGF, now in its 29th year and considered one of the nation’s premier events for cleantech entrepreneurs and other industry experts.
The IGF is an opportunity for cleantech entrepreneurs, investors and experts from industry and the public sector to showcase innovative technologies and identify business solutions and to network. NREL facilitates connections between startups and motivated investors to drive innovation to market for impact. NREL is the only U.S. federal lab dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research.
“The theme of this year’s IGF is ‘breaking ground,’ and I believe our presenters represent that well in a variety of different ways,” said NREL Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) group manager Katie Richardson. “From batteries to revolutionary software, these presenters will help us all break ground through innovation. There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ deployment strategy as we continue the global transition to a cleaner energy future, and that’s why it’s crucial to be in the room at IGF 2024 to learn from peers in the industry.”
Adena reports that its technology addresses all the limitations of conventional, molten sodium batteries and combines the energy density and roundtrip efficiency of li-ion batteries with the safety and lifetime of flow batteries.
With manufacturing facilities in Lewis Center, Ohio, Adena Power is in the demonstration phase of its IP-protected energy storage solution.
The company recently completed the successful demonstration of a 1 kWh battery module and reports that the test validates important components within the module and positions Adena for a larger external demonstration with a utility partner early next year.
“This successful module test finishes a very successful year for Adena Power,” said Neil Kidner, president of Adena Power. “We are looking forward to building on this result and continuing to meet our aggressive product development goals in 2023.”
Adena has been in discussions with utilities and renewable developers and is aiming to develop an energy storage solution that is safer than lithium ion, has a flexible duration and a lower installed cost. The company expects to launch our first product early in 2025.
Read about the 2023 NREL Industry Growth Forum.
