Author: Begona Iriso

WOBURN, Mass. & MUNICH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Factorial Energy (Factorial), an industry leader in the development of solid-state battery technology for electric vehicle (EV) applications, announced today the establishment of a European subsidiary in Germany. Factorial’s presence in Europe will allow the company to better serve its automotive partners and customers.

Factorial has joint development agreements with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai with the goal to accelerate production of Factorial’s solid-state battery technology, which the company believes is safer and more energy dense than current lithium-ion battery technology.

“This is an exciting step in Factorial’s strategic global expansion,” said Siyu Huang, CEO and Co-founder of Factorial. “We will be on the ground floor as the European Commission considers new regulations around battery sustainability, including the Battery Passport and Green Deal initiatives, to accelerate EV adoption. The local presence will keep us in close proximity to our automotive partners and put us in a position to maneuver legislative policies in Europe. We look forward to our continued development as we work towards becoming a leader in the solid-state battery space.”

This new location will enable the company to continue to build strategic relationships and work closely with key European suppliers and manufacturing partners. Additionally, this expansion provides access to the region’s advanced automotive expertise and prestigious universities and institutions for future team build-out to support customer validation and testing.

Factorial announced operations in both South Korea and Japan last year, which add to its global footprint. Follow Factorial on LinkedIn for more company updates.

About Factorial Energy

Based in Woburn, Massachusetts, Factorial Energy is developing breakthrough solid-state batteries that offer longer range per charge and increased safety and aim to be cost competitive with conventional lithium-ion batteries. The company’s proprietary FEST® (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) leverages a solid electrolyte material, which has the potential to enable safe and reliable cell performance with high-capacity cathode and anode materials. FEST® has been scaled in 40Ah cells, works at room temperature, and is compatible with existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. The company has entered into joint development agreements with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai Motor Company. More information can be found at www.factorialenergy.com. © 2023 Factorial Inc. All rights reserved. Factorial, the Factorial logo and FEST are registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

BOSTON, MA – March 21, 2023 – Gradiant, a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment, today announced it has acquired Muscat Projects & Engineering Services (MPES), a leading full-service water and wastewater management company in Oman. This announcement follows Gradiant’s acquisition of Advanced Watertek in February, a major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for membrane-based water and wastewater treatment systems.

In response to the region’s most severe drought in 900 years, nations and businesses in the Middle East are rapidly implementing water sustainability targets, building out new water and wastewater treatment capacity, and looking to alternative water supplies to meet growing demand – creating unprecedented opportunities in the region’s water and wastewater market. With the acquisition of MPES, Gradiant expands its full-service capabilities in the region, including deployment of the SmartOps plant performance optimization and asset management technology through O&M services.

“Gradiant excels at project delivery,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant. “We offer various business models, including design-build and design-build-operate (DBO), to meet our clients’ unique requirements. With DBO projects, we transfer the responsibility of multiple parties to a single entity, Gradiant, which promotes innovation and efficiency, leading to lower total water costs. The acquisitions of MPES and Advanced Watertek create an integrated platform for Gradiant to deliver best-in-class offerings into the Middle East. We will extend MPES’s core expertise and resources in O&M services to Gradiant’s existing and new facilities in the region, diversifying our revenue mix to a long-term recurring profile.”

Founded in 2008, MPES delivers turnkey solutions for wastewater and solid waste management and specializes in the O&M of water and wastewater treatment plants. The company is now one of Oman’s leading wastewater management companies, with key clients including Haya Water, the Ministry of Defense, and Petroleum Development Oman.

“We look forward to integrating our expertise with Gradiant to expand the impact of our water and wastewater solutions,” said E.M. Badhrudeen, Managing Director of MPES. “We are fortunate that today, we are the leading O&M service provider in Oman, and by joining Gradiant, we will extend our operations know-how into projects across the Middle East region.”

Through its continually expanding portfolio, Gradiant is bringing together industry-leading water treatment solutions with the power of AI to sustainably solve the world’s most important water challenges.

About Gradiant

Gradiant is a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions, powered by the top minds in water, Gradiant serves its clients’ mission-critical operations in the world’s essential industries. Gradiant was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is uniquely positioned to address the world’s increasing challenges created by industrialization, population growth, and water stress. Today, with over 900 employees including 300+ operators and technicians, Gradiant operates from its global headquarters in Boston, regional headquarters and Global Innovation Center in Singapore, and offices across fourteen countries. For more information, please visit gradiant.com.

We’re excited to announce Gradiant has been recognized in Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers for 2023. The award evaluated 11,000 U.S. businesses based on employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth. Any company founded between 2012 and 2019 with at least 50 employees was considered a startup.

America’s Best Startup Employers Award

Gradiant was selected for its innovative technology solutions for advanced water treatment, its commitment to employee development and satisfaction, and its rapid growth in the water industry over the last decade.

Gradiant prides itself in recruiting the best and most diverse talent in water, which include 500 employees, 286 scientists and engineers, that have earned 104 advanced degrees and represent 28 nationalities worldwide. Originally founded at MIT, we operate 16 global offices across the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, India, and beyond.

“Our people are our best asset to drive us forward toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. We appreciate Forbes for recognizing both our growth as well as the hardworking people that have taken us to the next level in the water industry,” said Anurag Bajpayee, CEO of Gradiant.

As part of the Gradiant team, you’ll do work that matters. You’ll impact the world by developing and deploying cleantech water solutions to the world’s essential industries. We are differentiated not only by our unmatched technologies, but also with the top minds in water and technology powering our solutions.

We are continuing to expand our team in 2023 with positions available in engineering, R&D, and sales. Gradiant prioritizes work-life balance, offering flexible work arrangements and opportunities for remote work. This approach not only supports employee well-being but also enables the company to attract and retain top talent.

Gradiant & its History of Innovation

Over the last ten years, Gradiant has 250 approved or pending patents and has built 500+ water and wastewater treatment plants, saving over 5 million households worth of water every single day. Gradiant’s RO Infinity, Bio Infinity, and Carrier Gas Extraction technologies have revolutionized the way industrial wastewater is treated, providing significant cost savings and reducing the environmental impact of traditional treatment methods. Gradiant’s SmartOps Digital uses artificial intelligence to provide real-time insights into water treatment processes. It can monitor and analyze data from various sources, including sensors, meters, and operational systems, to predict potential issues and identify opportunities for optimization.

“Our success is not only a recognition of our current achievements but a testament to our potential for future growth and success. We believe that our commitment to creating a positive workplace culture will help us continue to innovate and succeed, and we are excited to see what the future holds,” said Prakash Govindan, Co-Founder & COO of Gradiant.

Gradiant ‘s inclusion on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Startup Employers is a significant achievement that highlights the company’s commitment to sustainable water treatment solutions and employee satisfaction. As the company continues to innovate and expand, it will make an even greater impact in the industry and beyond. Check out our Careers page to join an innovative team protecting our most critical resource – water.

• Leading carbon capture company Carbon Clean, opens US headquarters in Houston, underscoring the company’s growth ambitions in North America
• Carbon Clean is responding to a 64% leap in enquiries following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and expects the US to become its largest market
• Carbon Clean has set its sights on the US for a significant ramp up of both corporate presence and local supply chain development to deliver its growing project pipeline

Carbon Clean, a leading global carbon capture solutions business, has announced a significant expansion in North America to meet booming demand for its carbon capture technology. The company has opened its US headquarters in Houston, Texas and will double its US headcount to meet demand for CycloneCC, its fully modular technology, in what is expected to become its biggest market.

UK-headquartered Carbon Clean supplies cost-effective industrial carbon capture solutions for essential hard-to-abate industries such as cement, steel, refineries, and energy from waste. Its technology is operating in 49 sites around the world and has captured over 1.8m tonnes of CO₂.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is driving enormous demand for industrial carbon capture and has already resulted in a dramatic spike in US enquiries for Carbon Clean – up by over 64% since the passage of the IRA in August 2022.

Carbon Clean has been active in the US for over four years and its largest partner is Houston-based Chevron New Energies, which led the company’s $150m Series C round in May last year. Carbon Clean’s new permanent presence in Houston, and medium-term plans to further invest in the US, demonstrates its strong commitment to this growing market.

Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, said:

“With the passing of the IRA, the US has become one of the best places in the world to develop industrial carbon capture projects. Carbon Clean has seen a huge uptick in interest from industrials across the US and our new Houston HQ will help us to meet this demand. We are already partnering with companies with major US operations, including Chevron and CEMEX.

“Carbon Clean is experiencing phenomenal growth globally, but we expect our expansion in North America to outpace all other regions. As a result, we intend to establish a very significant base in North America, which will include developing a local supply chain to ensure we are set to ramp up commercialisation.

“We will be announcing some incredibly exciting projects and partnerships in North America in the coming months, confirming the leading role these geographies will play in delivering industrial decarbonisation.”

A radical shift is underway in industrial carbon capture, driven by a new generation of standardised, fully modular, compact carbon capture units that will be prefabricated and mass produced – overcoming the cost and space concerns that have been barriers to deployment. Carbon Clean’s fully modular technology, CycloneCC, can reduce the cost of carbon capture by up to 50% and has a 50% smaller footprint compared to traditional carbon capture units.

Carbon Clean has recently announced its 50^th commercial project supplying carbon capture equipment for Ørsted’s FlagshipONE facility – Europe’s largest green methanol project. The company is an innovation leader with 81 active patent assets across 14 patent families covering 32 countries, and has over a decade of experience in designing, building, and operating industrial carbon capture systems.

WindESCo has announced the successful installation of its Swarm^TM technology across Longroad Energy’s Milford I and II wind plants in Utah, the US, featuring a combined capacity of 306 MW. The commissioning of Swarm at Milford marks the wind industry’s first full scale implementation of commercial wake steering and collective control technology.

Wakes at the wind farms create substantial turbulence and curtailment, reducing plant output by up to 20% according to a study published in Wind Energy Science. As wind energy instalments have grown in turbine size and scale over the last several years, this problem has been exacerbated. Wakes are of particular concern to the growing number of offshore wind plants that are planned around the world, including along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the US.

Swarm, the industry’s first commercial solution for collective control of wind turbines, works by combining advanced analytics, model-in-the-loop control, and industrial internet of things (IIOT) to accomplish +3% increase in annual energy production (AEP) via wake steering and additional collective control applications developed by WindESCo.

The Milford I and II Swarm installation was completed in December 2022 on 165 turbines, consisting of a mix of GE 1.5 MW and Clipped 2.5 MW machines. With both sites operational for over a decade, WindESCo and Longroad’s collaboration supported the plants’ repowering, which also included rotor, blade, and controller upgrades for many turbines.

Jeremy Law, Head of Asset Management at Longroad Energy, said: “It is no secret that as assets age, they have a natural tendency to experience certain losses in efficiency. But that does not have to be the end of the story. We are committed to looking at innovative solutions that not only mitigate production loss, but actually reverse that direction of travel. We selected Swarm at Milford I and II because we are comfortable that WindESCo will deliver that expected AEP gain.”

WindESCo has released a case study of positive initial results from the project. Wake steering pairs tested for commissioning have also exceeded modelling completed prior to installation.

Mo Dua, Chief Executive Officer and WindESCo Founder, Noted: “While many research teams have modelled and written about the potential for improving wind plant performance through wake steering, never before has a large scale commercial test of such technology been completed. We are so proud of the years of work that went into bringing this solution to the market. The commissioning of Swarm at Milford demonstrates that large scale wake steering is possible as a retrofit solution for older assets, while also proving feasibility for Swarm to support the expanding global fleet of wind turbines offshore.”

WindESCo plans to release additional results from the Milford project this summer. The company is working to install Swarm in Indonesia with additional sites offshore in the UK and continental Europe expected to be announced later this year.

Carbon Clean joined other leading cleantech scale-ups, accelerators and investors in the UK to mark the launch of Cleantech for UK yesterday. This new initiative is supported by Breakthrough Energy and organised by Cleantech Group. The initiative aims to pave the way for a new generation of global cleantech champions. 

The participants were joined by Bill Gates and UK PM Rishi Sunak for the launch event at Imperial College London, where they discussed how to create the next generation of global cleantech champions in the UK. 

Ann Mettler, Vice President for Europe at Breakthrough Energy, said:

“The UK has all the ingredients to become a major player in the global push to build our net zero emissions future, including world-class research facilities and forward-looking investors. I am confident that the Cleantech for UK coalition will become a key bridge between cleantech investors, innovators and policymakers.”

UK cleantech venture capital investment was £3.2 billion in 2022, equalling the record-breaking amounts of 2021. This is especially remarkable in a cooling global venture capital climate. But as other countries enact increasingly ambitious climate packages such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the USA, and the Net Zero Industry Act in the EU, the UK must go further and faster to maintain competitiveness. The UK would have to spend a total of £36bn to reach the GDP equivalent of the IRA.

Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, added:

“As a carbon capture solutions company headquartered in the UK since 2012, we know that the UK is uniquely placed to be a global leader in the fast-expanding carbon capture, utilisation and storage market. But it’s vital that the government acts quickly to foster certainty and attract the investment that we need.

The market is ready to move provided the right policy framework is in place. The IRA has shown that it’s possible to have smart policies that create a highly attractive investment environment, drawing in huge amounts of private funding. This will be crucial if we are to pick up the pace of decarbonisation through carbon capture.”

Cleantech for UK’s objective is to supercharge UK cleantech innovation. The UK is home to excellent scientific research and a thriving innovation scene. But this world-leading capability is not consistently translated into world-leading cleantech scale-ups.

Richard Youngman, CEO, Cleantech, said:

“To secure the enormous benefits on offer to those brave enough to lead the transformation of our industrialised economies to cleaner, decarbonised and resource-efficient versions of themselves will require innovation in all facets.

“Yes, technological, but equally in financial instruments and in policymaking. I believe a period of intense dialogue, experimentation and hyper-collaboration is needed for the UK to deliver on its net zero goals, its economic growth ambitions, and its national security.”