Accio Energy has been awarded US$4.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.
The funds will be used to support the company’s work developing utility-scale electrohydrodynamic wind energy generation systems offering much lower cost offshore energy with a higher capacity factor and significant siting advantages.
“We are thrilled to have the support of ARPA-E in taking the next big step in developing this advanced energy technology that can overcome the cost and siting hurdles limiting the harvest of abundant offshore wind. This work will enable a first-ever sub-commercial scale validation of EHD power generation offshore using EHD technology and position EHD to move towards commercialization,” said Jennifer Baird, CEO of Accio Energy.
EHD technology uses the wind to separate a mist of positively charged water droplets from excess electrons that form a high voltage direct current source. EHD systems will operate on seawater; be built using high-volume, low-cost automotive heritage advance manufacturing; offer deep-water deployment options and radar compatibility; and be sufficiently robust to survive expected storm conditions.
Accio Energy has demonstrated EHD at laboratory scale and commercially relevant power densities. The team’s innovative approach could create an entirely new option for low-cost offshore wind to accelerate development of the offshore wind market in the U.S. and globally to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change risks.