Talking Climate Tech 021 redux
Energy Storage Startups, Trump vs Science + Data, DJ v Climate and Pylon of the Month
🔋 Energy Storage Startups | 🍊 Trump v Things | 🎧 DJ Climate | 🪫 Battery Reborn
Issued to subscribers 25th April 2025.
Let's jump into this week's mega-mix, including some DJ news [see what I did there], and of course, the usual Trump nonsense.
💸 Startup News
More energy storage!? Yes, because it's important. Let's recap, we looked at:
▶️ Mixed Battery Tech - Newsletter 002
▶️ Thermal Energy Storage - Newsletter 004
▶️ Flow Battery - Newsletter 010
▶️ Thermal Energy Storage Again - Newsletter 018
This week, we have a feature on SorbiForce, which are on an investment raise in the US. Bearing in mind the steep challenges of startup life just got very much harder because of the current US interest in climate tech innovation, I thought it was a nice thing to do - pay it forward and all that. 😊
Serhii Kaminskyi, CTO of SorbiForce:
Our battery incorporates an ultra-porous carbon material, which allows for the adsorption and absorption of ions throughout the entire volume of the pores, not just on the surface.
We've completely eliminated metal components from our manufacturing process, and we don't use any toxic substances. Our battery is made entirely from renewable materials.
Components - they use various waste streams, including agricultural waste, plastic waste, and waste from desalination factories. 95% can be broken down as organic materials, with 5% of other components to be recycled and reused.
Target Market - Industrial intraday storage market, 4 hours charge, 4 hours discharge. Beyond grid and renewable co-location, large-scale transport applications
Growth Status - Early days, they have raised a seed round through crowdfunding in 2024, approx $1.3m to date, with a current valuation of $20m. More on the current raise here with further information on the technology, proposition, market outlook and media coverage. Series A in 2026, scaling up towards IPO in 2030.
Technology Roadmap - working up scaling prototypes and pilots from 1 kWh through to 150 kWh pilot installations due in the field later this year. Heading towards a 1 MW / 0.7 MWh containerised unit. Forecast cost is $25 / kWh ultimately.
This will be an interesting one to track - look forward to monitoring their progress, and perhaps we can get them on an interview in the future to give us a progress update. 🎙️
🔎 Deeper Dive
Trump Watch 💥
The Eye of Sauron turned back to Ukraine this week, huffing and puffing and beating up VZ a bit more because he hadn't conceded to all the asks and territory Russia is claiming from its invasion. Shock. 😱
Elsewhere, the carnage continues unabated:
🏦 The World Bank is on edge, Politico:
The World Bank has softened its once-vocal cheerleading for climate action as the Trump administration evaluates its support for international organisations and works to cut funding for climate programs
⚡The IEA is now being buffered and bullied - they keep trying to delete the data and the science. Politico again:
Trump Officials Pressure World's Top Energy Agency to Drop Climate Mission
⚛️ On a science and data note, remember those great scientific minds at NOAA? The dismantling continues, inhibiting their ability to deliver data, analysis, and enforce protections and policies for endangered species and ecosystems. The Guardian:
They’re just letting it burn. I honestly don’t understand how US science will recover.
Please read - the dismantling of this organisation and treatment of people and science is shocking.
✈️ Talking of Scientists, they are on the move. More on the international migration as they flee the US, looking for safety and security in countries which support and endorse scientific research. More here from Nature.
Analysis Signals the Beginnings of a US Brain Drain
🏡 Konfab News
Back up to the 'big smoke' next week for Innovation Zero.
Not quite as smokey as it used to be, see here, ULEZ all zones summary 2019-24:
📉 NOX emissions are estimated to be 24% lower
📉 PM2.5 exhaust emissions are estimated to be 29% lower
📉 CO2 emissions are estimated to be 2% lower
📉 In 2024 alone, NOX emissions are estimated to be 33- 39% lower
Last year, although it had very good panel sessions and exhibition, was blighted by very large Fossil Fuel exhibition stands dominating the main entrance, with a full fresh coating of greenwash.
Let's hope they have recalibrated this year...
Also, the food was terrible, and I think the coffee might have been as well. 🙄
Report to follow....
😃 Good Stuff
Rythm of the Earth 🎧
I often mention that arts & culture has a key role to play on the climate change and climate action narrative. I posted about the Kyoto play in London a couple of months back, and to celebrate this week's Earth Day, there was an Earth Night!
DJs for Climate Action was originally focused on reducing emissions from gig travel, and now, for Earth Night, they facilitated nearly 40 worldwide.
Eli Goldstein, president of DJs for Climate Action:
When we look at our local community and how we can participate, help build resiliency, and just come together in a joyful way, it can feel like you’re actually making a difference.
Born Again 🪫
For the battery naysayers, there is a second life which often conveniently gets forgotten. UK company Altilium are making that happen here in the UK. More from the BBC here.
Christian Marston, President and COO of Altilium
We have to remove that myth that batteries go to landfill.
Pylon of the Month ⚡
The pylon coffers were running dry at HQ - a bit of scouting around led me to this Tower of Power.
Hailing from what once was the Good 'ol USA, which is now something else entirely, this moribund scene is a rather ironic reflection of the State of the Nation and its new Energy policy...
The transmission lines carried by the pylons come from the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project, which provides about 25% of Seattle's electricity.
Great source for transmission, and good to see Seattle getting a chunk of clean power. However, the most remarkable aspect of this scene and the fallen giant you see before you - it's still there on Google, abandoned to its long decay in the field.
On that bombshell....
Thanks as always, let's keep pushing forward with all things climate tech and the real-world solutions that meet our climate challenges.
Remember, the momentum is unstoppable despite everything you might see and hear! 🌍
Stay warm, cool and safe wherever you are 🙏
Kane
Konfab is free to its subscribers, for now, but it does take a lot of time, energy and a fair bit of coffee to make it happen! 🥺
If you would like to support me, I could always use an extra cup... ☕ ⬇️
