By Tim Ryan

Get ready to plug into the future of energy innovation! The Dominion Energy Innovation Center (DEIC) is turning up the heat with its newly expanded 2024 accelerator program. This year, three tracks will supercharge 15 groundbreaking startups focused on revolutionizing energy and climate tech. Here’s a closer look at what’s in store.

Powering Innovation: Three Tracks, One Vision

DEIC’s accelerator program, launched in 2020, is all about connecting energy and sustainability startups with their next big break. This year, DEIC introduces three dynamic tracks:

  1. DEIC Accelerate: This signature track will see five stellar teams working on utility deployment, helping them secure pilot projects with Dominion Energy and other key players.
  2. Hyperscaled: Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s EPIC Round 3, this new track supports startups creating solutions for utilities and data centers, offering specialized industry support.
  3. Precursor: Also funded through EPIC, this pre-accelerator track is designed for earlier-stage startups, providing foundational support to get them ready for prime time.

Meet the Game-Changers

Accelerate Cohort

  • GH Power (Hamilton, Ontario): Innovating with highly efficient energy reactors to decarbonize the utility, oil & gas, and electronics industries.
  • Heat Inverse (Ithaca, New York): Developed a passive cooling film that reverses heat absorption, cooling surfaces without additional power.
  • Latimer Controls, Inc. (Boulder, Colorado): Pioneering machine learning-powered control software for utility-scale solar assets.
  • Okovate Sustainable Energy (Washington, DC): Creating derisked community solar projects that harmonize with crop farming practices.
  • Power Up Connect (Baltimore, Maryland): Building portable power solutions to connect communities after natural disasters using clean energy.

Hyperscaled Cohort

  • Bedrock Energy (Austin, Texas): Making geothermal energy installations affordable and accessible.
  • Expand Power (San Francisco, California): Offering digital transformers to boost urban electrification and grid resilience.
  • Granular Energy (London): Providing clean energy management solutions for utilities and retail energy suppliers.
  • GridBeyond (Dublin/Austin, Texas): Using AI to connect energy markets, asset owners, and consumers with innovative solutions.
  • VEIR (Woburn, Massachusetts): Developing high-temperature superconductor-based transmission lines.

Precursor Cohort

  • Aura Energy (Richmond, Virginia): Engineering low voltage power distribution equipment for mission-critical markets.
  • Ashlawn Energy (Springfield, Virginia): Created a rechargeable battery system for buildings to store and discharge power as needed.
  • CarbonPivot (Washington, DC): Alerting customers to the carbon footprint of their energy use in real-time.
  • C-Crete Technologies (San Leandro, California): Inventing infrastructure materials with ultra-low or negative CO2 footprints.
  • FisherH2O (Richmond, Virginia): Transforming water purification with a patented electromagnetism and electrolysis system.

The Big Picture

From September through November 2024, these 15 startups will dive into an 11-week program packed with education, mentorship, and pilot opportunities. Led by Dominion Energy and QTS Data Centers, the DEIC accelerator is poised to spark the next wave of energy innovation. As Adam Sledd, DEIC’s Executive Director, puts it, “Our goal is to support startups that can help Virginia’s energy landscape thrive and achieve a net-zero carbon economy.”

Stay Connected

Keep your eyes on these trailblazers as they redefine the energy sector. For more info on DEIC’s accelerator programs, click here.