Category: News & Insights

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.”

Carbon Clean, a leading global carbon capture solutions provider, has been named on Cleantech Group’s 2023 Global Cleantech 100. This is the fourth time that Carbon Clean has appeared on the Global Cleantech 100, which features the most innovative and promising companies that will ensure commitments become actions to reach net zero.

A shortlist of 330 companies was compiled from over 15,000 nominations, from 93 countries. The final 100 was chosen by a Global Cleantech 100 Expert Panel, made up of leading investors, corporate and industrial executives who are active in technology and innovation scouting. They selected those companies that are best positioned to help build a more digitised, decarbonised and resource-efficient industrial future.

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

“We’re proud to feature on the Global Cleantech 100 for a fourth time. Carbon capture is at the frontline of industrial decarbonisation and we’re focused on picking up the pace of deployment to meet net zero targets. With the support of our investors and partners, we’re delivering innovative technology that is shifting the economics of carbon capture for industries across the globe.”

Richard Youngman, CEO, Cleantech Group, added:

“This Global Cleantech 100 edition is remarkable for the number of businesses in it who represent solutions for some of the hardest of decarbonisation challenges and those who are working on some of the critical materials issues coming our way, real soon. We salute not only these 100 companies, but all the thousands beyond, who are fighting the good fight.”  

Factorial Inc. (Factorial), an electric vehicle (EV) battery leader developing next-generation solid-state battery cells, today announced the company’s first 100 Amp-Hour (Ah) battery cell was previewed at CES 2023 in the Stellantis exhibition space. Developed as part of Factorial and Stellantis’ joint development agreement announced in November 2021, this cell results from the two companies’ continued collaboration to bring advanced solid-state battery technology to electric vehicles.

“The solid-state battery is expected to deliver up to 30% higher energy density compared to conventional lithium ion, which could enable an even longer driving range or less weight. ‘More with less’ is the way to lead the way the world moves.”

“Factorial is excited to showcase our large format solid battery cells in an automotive battery pack concept application at this year’s CES,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial. “Solid-state battery technology is rapidly advancing, and Factorial is proud to be at the forefront of cell development. We are immensely grateful to Stellantis for their close collaboration and partnership in bringing our technology to market.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Factorial, as part of our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, to develop a proprietary technology that uses less cobalt,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “The solid-state battery is expected to deliver up to 30% higher energy density compared to conventional lithium ion, which could enable an even longer driving range or less weight. ‘More with less’ is the way to lead the way the world moves.”

Factorial is committed to delivering high performance, sustainable and safe batteries to power electric vehicles. Factorial’s FEST™ (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) leverages current lithium ion battery manufacturing facilities, which saves production costs and time, while improving energy density and safety.

Factorial Inc. (Factorial), an industry leader in the development of solid-state battery technology for electric vehicle (EV) applications, today announced a new presence in Japan. Factorial’s presence in Japan follows a recent announcement of the opening of a new office in South Korea as part of Factorial’s growth and investment in the Asian market.

Establishing this presence in Japan grounds Factorial firmly in the region and enables greater collaboration and relationship management with key Japanese suppliers and other key partners, as well as providing access to experienced battery talents. “Japan is at the forefront of solid-state battery and materials development, and growing our talent and supplier relationships is crucial for Factorial to maintain a leading position in the global development of solid-state EV battery technology,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial.

Factorial is developing the next generation of battery technology for electric mobility. The company has existing relationships with automakers Mercedes-Benz AG, Stellantis N.V., and Hyundai Motor Company to develop safer and higher-performance solid-state EV battery cells for future passenger and commercial vehicles.

AeroSafe Global, the leading provider of cold chain services for the safe and sustainable delivery of biopharmaceuticals, announced today that it has achieved the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 14001:2015 environmental management certification for all of its operations in the United States.

“Sustainability has been, and will continue to be, the cornerstone for AeroSafe’s business model,” said AeroSafe Global CEO, Jay McHarg. “This certification validates our best practices in monitoring and minimizing negative impacts on the environment.”

AeroSafe Global was audited by an independent and objective registration and certification agency to ensure the company’s policies conformed to the ISO standards. ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements an organization must meet to enhance environmental performance. It is intended for organizations seeking to manage their environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner to contribute to sustainability.

In addition to ISO 14001:2015, AeroSafe is ISO 9001 certified. ISO 9001 is defined as the international standard for quality management systems. Organizations use the standard to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

New projects deliver Gradiant’s full-technology stack solutions to India’s renewable energy and industrial clients.

BOSTON, Nov 16, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Gradiant, a global solutions provider for advanced water and wastewater treatment, is pleased to announce awards of $20 million in new contracts in September and October 2022. The awards are for clients in the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells (or solar cells) renewable energy and industrial protective equipment. All three projects will be delivered as design-build contracts.

One of the largest solar companies in India has partnered with Gradiant at a manufacturing site in the Western Region for ammonia and fluoride removal and wastewater treatment. The new facility will recover, neutralize, and treat complex wastewater rinse streams from photovoltaic cell production to levels that meet the client’s sustainability goals and local discharge limits.

Gradiant has also partnered with a leader in the renewable energy business for the design-build of two facilities for ultrapure water and wastewater treatment to support a new photovoltaic cell manufacturing site also in Western Region. The project will include Gradiant’s patented RO Infinity™ membrane technology to treat industrial wastewater streams. The zero liquid discharge (ZLD) facility will reduce wastewater to only salt and solid wastes.

“We are experiencing strong growth in the India market across multiple strategic verticals,” said Prakash Govindan, Co-Founder & COO of Gradiant. “India was already one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is well positioned to gain as global companies review their sourcing and manufacturing footprints to de-risk and diversify their supply chains. We are also witnessing a clean energy transition in India, as the country builds out renewable energy infrastructure and its supply to the world. This local market has always been important to India, and Gradiant is ready to support our clients with advanced water solutions as they shift or double-down their local manufacturing operations.”

In addition to these renewable energy projects, Gradiant is working with a leading manufacturer of industrial protective equipment for their new facility in Southern India. Gradiant will deliver an effluent treatment and ZLD waste minimization system. The plant will feature Gradiant’s Carrier Gas Extraction™ (CGE) for ZLD and SmartOps™ for AI-powered asset performance optimization, and a membrane biological reactor (MBR) for advanced wastewater treatment.

Gradiant entered the India market in 2018 to engage with major international and domestic companies to solve their advanced water and wastewater challenges in water recycling, minimum and zero liquid discharge, and ultrapure water. Clients are served by in-country expertise from Gradiant’s main office in Chennai while collaborating and leveraging global process and engineering resources. The India team is comprised of 80 expert engineers and staff today, with plans to increase headcounts across the country.

Leader in food safety and quality digitalization technology achieves leading business sustainability certification

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BETHESDA, Md. and DAIX, France, Nov. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Novolyze, the smart food safety and quality digitalization company, today announced that it has been certified as a B Corporation™ (B Corp™), affirming its long-term commitment to accountability and transparency in measuring societal and environmental impact.

To achieve the B Corp certification, companies must undergo a rigorous verification process administered by the nonprofit, B Lab. Through this process, the B Lab assesses the end-to-end impacts of their businesses including reviewing how their operations affect workers, customers, the environment and more. As part of the verification assessment, Novolyze received numerous high marks, significantly outpacing other B Corp certified companies in the U.S. market and the technology industry in categories including Health, Wellness and Safety (83rd percentile), Career Development (83rd percentile) and Mission Locked – Impact Business Model — where the company scored a perfect 100 percent.

“At Novolyze, we are constantly looking to deliver business value in the most ethical, responsible and progressive way possible,” said Karim-Franck Khinouche, Founder and CEO of Novolyze. “And to surpass the criteria of such a rigorous assessment like B Corp, it shows us that we are on the right path to achieving our broader business goals of making the world a better place and establishing ourselves as one of the most sustainability minded partners in the technology marketplace.”

Serving some of the largest food and beverage brands today – including Mars, Cargill, Nestle, and many more – Novolyze has quickly established itself as one of the leaders in food safety and quality control processes throughout the U.S. and Europe. Through Novolyze’s software platform, brands can harness the power of real-time data unification and leverage digital tools to help them mitigate risks, ensure compliance, augment plant performance and increase sustainability. This certification comes on the heels of a $15 million Series A fundraising round in late 2021.

Moreover, with the broader food industry accounting for a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, the need for an increasing network of B Corp certified companies throughout the industry has never been more important. Through the use of its patented solutions, Novolyze has been able to help its clients reduce their carbon footprint and related water consumption by more than 15% on average.

“In order to create a more sustainable and resilient world for tomorrow, businesses not only need to focus on their own efforts, but also how they can help their others hit their own climate responsibility goals,” said Karim. “With that in mind, we have continued to work as hard as possible to emerge as a trusted partner both in terms of performance as well as social and climate responsibility. Thus, to be certified as a B Corp is both a source of tremendous pride as well as a catalyst that we will use to push ourselves further on our journey to hit more ambitious internal and external sustainability goals.”

Factorial Energy (Factorial), an industry leader in the development of solid-state battery technology for electric vehicle (EV) applications, today announced the opening of a new office in Pangyo, South Korea. The new site in South Korea is expected to strengthen Factorial’s relationships with strategic partners in the region.

The opening is part of Factorial’s plan to strengthen its support for its existing and anticipated future customers as well as strategic suppliers. “The Pangyo Techno Valley is abundant with diverse talent offering Factorial the opportunity to expand our engineering and customer support capabilities,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial. “We believe our expansion into South Korea will help us to identify strategic partners along the supply chain and attract additional talent from the region.”

Factorial is developing the next generation of battery technology for electric mobility. The company has existing relationships with automakers Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis, and Hyundai Motor Company to develop safer and higher-performance solid-state EV battery cells for future passenger and commercial vehicles.

WindESCo has signed a distribution agreement with Deloitte to expand WindESCo’s offerings to wind assets in Spain. Deloitte will be bringing WindESCO’s two SaaS offerings – Find, Fix, Measure and SwarmT to its existing and new clients in the region.

WindESCo Swarm is a patented solution for autonomous, cooperative control of wind assets. The system enables turbines to cooperatively adjust positioning to mitigate wake effects and increase production for the entire farm, as well as monitor for issues such as rotor imbalance, and build resiliency for farms in a climate that is ever changing.

WindESCo’s Find, Fix, Measure uses high resolution SCADA, rather than standard 10-minute SCADA, to detect over 60 known issues that contribute to decreases in energy production. Find, Fix, Measure continuously monitors for these issues and can alert asset managers through its portal.

HOUSTON & BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Schlumberger announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Gradiant, a global water solutions provider, to introduce a key sustainable technology into the production process for battery-grade lithium compounds.

As part of Schlumberger’s NeoLith Energy direct lithium extraction (DLE) and production flowsheet, Gradiant technology is used to concentrate the lithium solution and generate fresh water—a critical element in sustainable lithium production from brine.

“Proper natural resource management is essential in mineral production, and nowhere more so than in lithium,” said Gavin Rennick, president of Schlumberger’s New Energy business. “The unprecedented growth in demand for this critical mineral requires high-quality production without compromising sustainability. The integration of Gradiant technology into our direct lithium extraction (DLE) flowsheet has been key in our strategy to improve sustainability in the global lithium production industry.”

Gradiant’s new solution enhances the impact of the sustainable lithium extraction process—reduced time-to-market and environmental footprint. The technology enables high levels of lithium concentration in a fraction of the time required by conventional methods, while also reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption, and capital costs when compared to thermal-based technologies. This technology integration can be applied into new lithium mineral extraction and production sites, opening opportunities to untapped lithium production regions, as well as existing lithium production operations.

The collaboration will enable the lithium industry to meet surging mineral demand with a previously unattainable level of water utilization, by simultaneously lowering the consumption of fresh water and reducing wastewater.

“We are excited to be working with Schlumberger, with whom we are pioneering a new era of sustainable mineral resource recovery,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant. “This is made possible by Gradiant’s deep understanding of the complex chemistry that underlies the production processes, which is then operationalized by machine learning and digital technology. The sustainability impact of the integrated Schlumberger process, combined with Gradiant solutions, is a game-changer for the lithium production market. This strategic partnership will enable the global expansion of Gradiant’s technology in this important industry.”

About Schlumberger

Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is a technology company that partners with customers to access energy. Our people, representing over 160 nationalities, are providing leading digital solutions and deploying innovative technologies to enable performance and sustainability for the global energy industry. With expertise in more than 120 countries, Schlumberger collaborates to create technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all. In the world of new energy, Schlumberger leverages its intellectual and business capital to focus on low-carbon and carbon-neutral technologies, including ventures in the domains of hydrogen, lithium, energy storage, carbon capture, utilization and sequestration, geothermal power and geoenergy.

For more information, visit www.newenergy.slb.com

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 450 employees, Gradiant operates from its global headquarters in Boston, regional headquarters and global technology labs in Singapore, and offices across twelve countries.

For additional information, visit www.gradiant.com