GigaOM » Google.org

Energy innovation rockstar, former ARPA-E Director, to join Google.org

Katie Fehrenbacher — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:35:03 +0000

The former Director of the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, Arun Majumdar, will be joining Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org. Majumdar will “drive Google.org’s energy initiatives and advise the company on our broader energy strategy,” Google said Monday.

The announcement is interesting for at least two reasons. About a year ago Google announced that it would be shutting down its clean power research projects through Google.org, called REI didn’t think it was all that big of a deal at the time, given Google has invested close to a billion dollars into clean power projects, but the move was widely seen as Google cutting some philanthropic research that was outside of its basic territory.

But with Majumdar joining Google.org, clearly Google will be launching some new projects, or investing some new resources, into energy innovation and research. That’s exciting. Despite the fact that Google is not an energy company, it has been one of the bright spots in the private sector by funding new energy technologies through investment in startups, through brainstorming ways to buy clean power to run its data centers, and by being a test case for new energy technologies like Bloom Energy’s fuel cells.

Majumdar oversaw the DOE’s ARPA-E program, which puts small grants — from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars — into early stage, “moonshot” research that could deliver a breakthrough, but is too early for private investment. The ARPA-E program has been one of the most successful and least controversial projects under the DOE and has delivered dozens of projects that have found follow-on private financing.

It’s also worth noting that Majumdar will now be joining the private sector, so will be able to use Google’s balance sheet to fund energy innovation. ARPA-E’s budget ever year is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Majumdar hails from Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and the University of California at Berkeley.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

What’s up with Google and biomass power?

Katie Fehrenbacher — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:46:29 +0000

Out of all of Google’s close to $1 billion in clean power projects, turning biomass into energy seems like the least relevant technology to Google’s core business. But Google has made a few small investments into biofuels and biomass to energy projects including a venture investment into CoolPlanetBiofuels earlier this year, and one I learned about this week: a project that turns waste from hog farms into electricity in North Carolina.

The article about the hog waste project, which was published in the Los Angeles Times, says Google invested part of the $1.2 million it cost to build the project that uses bacteria to digest hog poop, burn methane to produce electricity and convert ammonia into nitrogen for fertilizer. Duke University and the farmer Loyd Bryant were the other financiers of the system.

The article notes Google has a data center nearby, and Google will earn carbon offset credits from the system. Like some of Google’s other clean power micro investments, the project could be a way for Google to investigate ways to tap into distributed power in local regions, for either its data centers or offices. (There’s no indication this one in North Carolina will be powering anything Google related).

Remember Google was the first customer for Bloom Energy’s fuel cell, which can use biofuel, as well as natural gas and biogas, to produce electricity. Google used the Bloom Energy fuel cells to provide power in a data center test lab. Distributed energy production could be a way for Google to manage and control power costs.

Back when Google invested in CoolPlanetBiofuels, Google Ventures’ Managing Partner, Bill Maris, told me this:

As a company, Google is interested in reducing all aspects of its environmental footprint. As a firm, Google Ventures is interested in contributing to this effort both on Google’s behalf and for the benefit of positive global impact. While petroleum does not constitute a large percentage of Google’s emission profile, we are enthusiastic about supporting technologies that can help us economically reduce our carbon footprint while simultaneously contributing to our domestic energy security.

How do you think Google could use biomass and biofuel projects for its business?

Image courtesy of eutrofication&hypoxia.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Electric car maker Aptera shuts down

Katie Fehrenbacher — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:36:13 +0000

Updated: Electric car maker Aptera has officially shut its doors, according to a letter from president and CEO Paul Wilbur (the letter is published in full on The Chronicle’s blog). The company is “out of resources,” writes Wilbur, after spending years developing three-wheeled and four-wheeled versions of its all-electric unusual tear-drop shaped car.

Turns out Aptera was pretty close to getting a $150 million loan from the DOE, though it wasn’t able to get enough private investor funds to actually clinch the DOE loan. Aptera says it got a letter from the Department of Energy indicating it would get a conditional commitment from the DOE’s Advance Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) for $150 million to build a five-passenger $30,000 electric sedan. However large private investors weren’t willing to invest the matching funds needed. Update: The DOE confirms with me that it did not give Aptera a conditional commitment for a $150 million loan. See new story on that here.

Aptera has long been struggling and delayed the launch of its inaugural three-wheeled car the 2e and earlier this year stopped offering potential customers a chance to reserve it. Earlier this Spring the company publicly discussed restructuring and moving its manufacturing out of California to cut costs and this Summer raised some debt financing.

Such an unusual three-wheeled electric car was never going to be a big money-maker, and using that as the launch car before building a four-wheeled car seems like a strategic error. Electric car makers are already hurting this year, as electric cars are very slowly being adopted. At the same time big automakers Nissan and GM already launched their inaugural electric cars this year that were in the same price range as Aptera’s, and are far more mainstream cars.

Aptera was backed by Idea Labs, power company NRG Energy, and Google.org.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Aptera raises $2.25M in debt, restructuring

Katie Fehrenbacher — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:39:34 +0000

Three-wheeled electric-car startup Aptera has already delayed the launch of its inaugural car, the 2e, by over a year, and in May it publicly discussed restructuring and moving its manufacturing out of California to cut costs. But it looks like the company is not completely down for the count: According to a filing, Aptera has raised $2.5 million of a planned $3 million round of debt. So, yeah, they’re not bankrupt, yet (I checked on that, too).

But even as recently as this May, Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur was emphasizing that the company is still hoping for a Department of Energy loan to help it with funding for manufacturing the car. About a year ago Aptera execs said that once the DOE loan had been received, it could start manufacturing in 11 months. That should be a lesson for greentech entrepreneurs that are building businesses based off government support.

Even with newly raised debt, things are looking a little shaky for Aptera. All Cars Electric and Autoblog Green point out that Aptera is no longer letting prospective buyers reserve the car on its website (the reservation system gives an error message). At the same time, automakers Nissan and GM have launched their inaugural electric cars that are in the same price range as the planned 2e, which is classified as a motorcycle in California because of its three wheels.

Aptera has some high-profile backers, including Google.org, NRG Energy and Bill Gross’ Idea Labs, so maybe its funders can keep the company alive until it can get its car out. I hope so — I still want to drive a 2e!

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Lithium-Ion Battery Startup ActaCell Gains Partners, Funds

Katie Fehrenbacher — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:06:48 +0000

Lithium-ion battery startup ActaCell, which has already raised funds from such high-profile groups as Google.org, DFJ Mercury and Applied Ventures (Applied Materials’ venture arm), is out touting over $3 million in newly acquired funding Wednesday morning. Part of that is from a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the other is a $179,000 contract with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium, a research group created by Chrysler, Ford (f f), and General Motors.

For a three-year-old company, which is working to commercialize low-cost, high-power, lithium-ion cell materials, that’s a rock star list of well-known supporters stretching from the world’s largest search engine to two name brand venture capital firms to the biggest U.S. auto makers, to the U.S. government. To date, ActaCell has raised close to $7 million in funding.

ActaCell was actually awarded the $3 million NIST grant two weeks ago, and the funding was one of nine grants given out under a federal program to support innovative manufacturing technologies. As Josie put it recently, innovation in manufacturing can be just as important as novel designs or materials, particularly when it comes to energy storage and clean power.

ActaCell’s technology is based on research out of the Material Science and Engineering labs of professor Arumugam Manthiram at the University of Texas at Austin. The startup develops materials for battery anodes (which draws in lithium ions when a battery recharges) and cathodes (which draws out current), and is also conducting research on battery cell and pack designs, and has built a module for demonstration in hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle applications.

ActaCell aims to use the NIST funds to scale up production of its nanocomposite material for lithium battery anodes by a factor of 1,000. Eventually, according to ActaCell’s project description, this could enable “safe, powerful and economical batteries for electric vehicles and other demanding applications.” While ActaCell claims its anode material is “in principle, significantly less expensive to produce” than state-of-the-art alternatives, the company is still working with small lab-scale batches. “To be commercially viable,” the company says it needs to bring production up to 5-kilogram batches, from five grams today.

To scale up, ActaCell plans to develop a low-cost manufacturing process involving something called “reactive high energy milling” — a technique that has yet to be applied at commercial scale in the lithium battery industry. According to the NIST project description, “The scale-up of this synthesis process will be a key innovation not only in the lithium-ion battery industry, but also as a low-cost manufacturing technique for other related materials.”

In terms of the contract with big autos USABC, ActaCell says it will do a 16-month-long assessment of how its cells perform in hybrid electric vehicles. According to this latest release, ActaCell will first focus on medium-to-heavy duty hybrid trucks for its battery tech.

Image courtesy of ActaCell

For more research on energy storage and cleantech financing check out GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

ActaCell Charges Ahead With New Way to Make Batteries

Josie Garthwaite — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:00:09 +0000

Innovation in manufacturing can be just as important as novel designs or materials, particularly when it comes to energy storage and clean power. On Wednesday lithium-ion battery startup ActaCell was awarded one of nine grants given out under a federal program to support innovative manufacturing technologies.

While ActaCell has already raised $5.8 million from investors including Google.org, DFJ Mercury and Applied Ventures (Applied Materials venture arm), this $3 million award (over three years) could offer the Austin, Tex.-based startup a significant boost.

Founded in 2007, ActaCell is working to commercialize low-cost, high-power lithium-ion cell materials based on technology developed in the Material Science and Engineering labs of professor Arumugam Manthiram at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to ActaCell’s work on materials for the anode (which draws in lithium ions when a battery recharges) and cathode of a battery, the company says it’s also working on battery cell and pack designs, and it has developed a module for demonstration in hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle applications.

ActaCell’s latest funding comes through the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Innovation Program, or TIP. The program, which announced a total of $22 million in awards on Wednesday, is designed to support high-risk, high-reward research projects focused on areas of critical national importance.

Throughout 2010, companies including A123 Systems and Amprius — another startup working on anode technology — have scored funds under the program. The latest round, which drew 110 proposals, was specifically for developing more efficient, lower cost, less wasteful and faster manufacturing processes for industries including renewable fuels, energy storage and advanced pharmaceuticals.

With the NIST funds and additional investment to meet cost-sharing requirements (total project costs are estimated at $6.2 million), ActaCell aims to scale up production of its novel nanocomposite material for lithium battery anodes by a factor of 1,000. Eventually, according to ActaCell’s project description, this could enable “safe, powerful and economical batteries for electric vehicles and other demanding applications.”

While ActaCell claims its anode material is “in principle, significantly less expensive to produce” than state-of-the-art alternatives, the company is still working with small lab-scale batches. “To be commercially viable,” the company says it needs to bring production up to 5-kilogram batches, from five grams today.

What’s the plan? ActaCell’s proposal for a low-cost manufacturing innovation involves what’s called “reactive high energy milling” — a technique that has yet to be applied at commercial scale in the lithium battery industry. According to the NIST project description, “The scale-up of this synthesis process will be a key innovation not only in the lithium-ion battery industry, but also as a low-cost manufacturing technique for other related materials.”

“Inventing disruptive manufacturing innovations is every bit as hard as inventing new materials,” Frank van Mierlo, President and co-founder of solar startup 1366 Technologies, told me in an interview last year. Clean technologies ranging from energy storage for plug-in vehicles to photovoltaics need both kinds of inventions in order to compete with the old standbys (internal combustion engine cars and fossil fuels). As shuttered startups like Imara and Firefly Energy have illustrated in the last couple years, it’s one thing to develop a breakthrough material in the lab with potential to deliver better batteries — but it’s another to be able to produce that material at commercial scale at reasonable cost. With this new funding, ActaCell has until early 2014 to try to figure out that second half.

Image courtesy of ActaCell

For more research on energy storage and cleantech financing check out GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

The Father of Vehicle-To-Grid Charges Toward Commercialization

Katie Fehrenbacher — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:25:51 +0000

An electric vehicle charging project led by one of the fathers of so-called vehicle-to-grid technology — the two-way flow of electrons between electric vehicle batteries and the power grid — could someday soon move from academia to the commercial world. Willett Kempton, professor and lead researcher of V2G research at the University of Delaware, told us this week that he’s in serious negotiations with two car companies, a national government and three electric utilities, for potential licensing and manufacturing deals of his team’s technology that can use groups of electric vehicles to help utilities regulate frequency of the grid in real-time.

The idea is that electric vehicles could safely and successfully respond to a utility’s digital order in real time to act as a frequency regulator. The power grid works by constantly balancing supply and demand (generation and load) and must be kept at a 60 Hz frequency. That’s a complex and difficult task given today’s grid has little energy storage capacity. So if the frequency goes too high or low the utility must respond by shifting generation and load. For example, PJM, a regional transmission organization serving a population of 51 million, commonly pings generators to control regulation as often as hundreds of times per day.

But electric vehicle batteries could act as the real-time, distributed intelligent frequency regulators, replacing generators. Vehicles are commonly used less than 20 percent of the time and the rest of the time sit parked at homes and offices. Kempton and his team calculate that in areas with deregulated electricity markets, that type of regulation service could have an average value of $30-$45 per MW per hour. Say, if the currently expensive electric vehicle could pay for itself through delivering these types of services, it could be sold for a lot cheaper, with the right business model (see: Finding a Niche in the Electric Vehicle Market on GigaOM Pro, sub. required).

However, the system has to be smart enough and that’s where Kempton, who has been working on V2G technology since 1997, and his team’s technology come in. The group has created smart algorithms that can manage the communication between the vehicle and the utility control center, and have developed prototype gear that can be installed in the car.

The university’s V2G project kicked off in earnest back in May of 2007, when the University of Delaware, Pepco Holdings, PJM, and electric car tech maker AC Propulsion created the Mid-Atlantic Grid Interactive Car Consortium (MAGICC) to prove the V2G concept and the universities’ previous research. MAGICC received funding of $200,000 from the Delaware Green Energy fund, $250,000 from Pepco, and $150,000 from Google.org.

In October 2007 the team behind MAGICC successfully connected (see photo) AC Propulsion’s eBox — a converted Toyota ScionxB that uses a drivetrain that later became the core tech for the Tesla Roadster – to the PJM grid using a signal from the PJM control center to dispatch the vehicle as a regulation resource, like it would a traditional generator. Willard says the eBox’s 19 kW capacity makes it a better fit for V2G services compared to a lower capacity electric vehicle.

Since that 2007 demonstration Kempton and the researchers have boosted the number of pilot cars in the program to six. While that might still be small — to get a contract on its own with the utility it needs around 100 cars, says Kempton — the group is in the phase of moving beyond the research stage to exploring ways to actually commercialize the technology. Kempton says the team has a number of patents and is trying to figure out the best business model. “We’ve gone from ‘here’s how you do this’ to ‘here’s how you can license this,’” says Kempton.

The path to commercialization could potentially come from a spin-off company, depending on what kind of business model the researchers choose to take, Kempton tells us. While the group isn’t necessarily looking for funding, they will likely need some funding to move to the next stage and into commercialization — particularly if they decide to manufacture the hardware. In about nine months, Kempton predicts, the group will make a move toward creating an actual business out of the tech.

The plan isn’t without competition. Large auto makers, smart grid vendors, startups and IT firms are all eying the smart charging and V2G market, too. Conglomerate GE recently linked up with auto maker Nissan and startup Juice Technologies. Ford has been demoing its V2G technology in recent months.

In addition, building the type of ecosystem that can support a pod of EVs that can act as frequency regulation will face numerous hurdles. Smart grid firm GridPoint backed away from the V2G concept, because, as GridPoint’s Seth Bridges explained to us last year major automakers “are not going to go down that path anytime soon.” Many automakers are wary of the impact that V2G will have on battery life and warranty costs. Ford doesn’t expect V2G to be deployed commercially until 2020 or later (GigaOM Pro, subscription required). Kempton said that of the two car companies his team has been talking to, neither are American, despite the researcher trying to negotiate with U.S. automakers.

For Kempton, who was talking about vehicle to grid tech before the LEAF was even a glimmer in Nissan’s eye, it’s an interesting time. While the world has been struck by EV-fever, and dozens of new electric vehicles could be on the market in the coming years, one of the academics that paved the way for the industry to take shape is now faced with figuring out how to sell it.

For more research on electric vehicles check out GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

Report: IT Opportunities in Electric Vehicle Management

Finding a Niche in the Electric Vehicle Market

Electric Cars Need Software, Not Just Hardware

Nielsen Preps ‘Internet Meters’ for Cross-Platform Measurement

Ryan Lawler — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:49:30 +0000

Brain Fuhrer (The Nielson Company) on stage at NewTeeVee Live 2009 in San Francisco

Nielsen is taking steps to integrate its measurement of TV and online video viewing, telling clients that it will soon install Internet meters into Nielsen homes to come up with cross-platform metrics for what content consumers are viewing.

As part of a new initiative called “TVandPC,” Nielsen will install 7,500 of these meters in homes that participate in its National Television Panel. Once installed, the company hopes it will be able to create a combined ratings system for TV and online.

Nielsen has provided the ratings for TV programming that content providers use to sell ads with for years, but the proliferation of video viewership online has led many of its clients to seek a better way to measure total audience across the Internet and TV.

Concerns among television programmers and advertisers have only increased with the rapid growth of viewership on Hulu and other premium content sites. And measurement of video consumption across multiple platforms will be essential to the success of TV Everywhere-type initiatives, which seek to make premium broadcast and cable content available online.

Get this report for $79 when you subscribe to GigaOM Pro!

In an interview with NewTeeVee editor Chris Albrecht at NewTeeVee Live (embedded below), Nielsen senior vice president and media program leader Brian Fuhrer said that to meet that demand, the company would need to implement single-source measurement of qualified videos online as part of its current panel, which is what TVandPC is all about.

The initiative comes not long after clients like CBS, NBC Universal, Time Warner, Viacom, and News Corp created a competitive consortium to deal with cross-platform measurement called the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM).

In light of that, Nielsen has accelerated its plans to develop a TV and online ratings system; previously, it had said it would begin tracking TV Everywhere services by 2011. But facing unhappy clients that have threatened to come up with their own measurement program, the company hopes that its deployment of Internet meters will be completed by August 31 of next year.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Aptera on the Skids: Electric 2e on Hold Amid Layoffs, Dash for Cash

Josie Garthwaite — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:26:25 +0000

“Aptera’s production and delivery will be tied directly to funding,” said Aptera Motors CEO Paul Wilbur in a release from the ultra high-efficiency vehicle startup late yesterday. That very mild assessment belies the reality that Aptera is peering across the Valley of Death, where many ventures die for lack of funding at the critical commercial development phase. According to the release, dwindling cash reserves are forcing the company to delay production of its inaugural vehicle, the three-wheeled electric 2e, until 2010 rather than the end of this year as previously announced.

Hitting the new 2010 target (or any future production goal for that matter), will require Aptera to bring in fresh capital, and it’s banking on either a federal loan or private investment to come through. At this point, the company is shifting its focus away from development, which “has been outpacing the rate of fundraising.” The company has laid off an undisclosed number of employees, co-founder Steve Fambro is taking an extended vacation (he’ll return in the new year), and Chris Anthony, the other co-founder, is “stepping aside from day-to-day activities” — all in an effort, Aptera says, to slow the burn rate and free up resources for top priorities: raising cash and starting volume production of the 2e.

After all, nearly 4,000 customers are waiting. That’s how many deposits (fully refundable) Aptera says it has received for the 2e. And then there are the heavyweight investors — including Google.org, Idealab, The Beall Family Trust and others — who Aptera says it hopes to provide with “strong returns.”

This week’s sober announcement from Aptera is in some ways reminiscent of the straits startup Tesla Motors found itself in late last year, when plans to set up manufacturing for the delayed Model S sedan were put on hold pending approval of a loan guarantee or low-interest loans from the Department of Energy. Tesla CEO Elon Musk described the loan guarantee back then as a “when, not an if,” adding, “We’ll do what we need to get approval.”

Tesla ended up winning $465 million in DOE loans this summer (though according to a report this week from former Tesla marketing chief Darryl Siry, the company hasn’t “seen a dime” of the award yet). If private investors fail to come through for Aptera this time — it has already raised more than $24 million — the company hopes to secure a loan under the same program that has approved loans for not only Tesla, but also another startup, Fisker Automotive.

Aptera’s odds in the program are better now than ever before, given that federal rules were recently revised (after a significant lobbying effort by Aptera’s backers) to allow high-efficiency, three-wheeled vehicles like the 2e to at least qualify for funds. But Aptera is smart to rein in spending, because having an open door at the DOE and a team of deep pocketed investors in your corner won’t necessarily deliver you across the Valley of Death.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Battery Startup ActaCell Lassos Cool $1M from Texas

Josie Garthwaite — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:19 +0000

Updated with additional info from ActaCell: Lithium-ion battery startup ActaCell has just added the state of Texas to its corral of high-profile backers. The state is providing a “pre-seed award” of $250,000 to ActaCell, according to a release from the Austin-based company this morning, and putting another $750,000 on “reserve” for the startup, which nabbed $5.8 million in first-round financing last year from investors including Google.org’s RechargeIT program, DFJ Mercury, Applied Ventures (the VC arm of Applied Materials and Good Energies.

Founded in 2007, ActaCell is working to commercialize lithium-ion battery cells and packs based on technology developed in the Material Science and Engineering labs of professor Arumugam Manthiram at the University of Texas at Austin. DFJ Mercury managing director Ned Hill said back in 2008 that the batteries — meant to have longer life cycles at lower cost than currently available options – would be particularly valuable for the plug-in hybrid vehicle market. But ActaCell (one of our 13 lithium-ion battery startups to watch) has let few details slip since it spun off from the university.

The funding announced this morning comes from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, a program designed to support commercialization and manufacturing of emerging technologies in the state. (Award winners have to commit to locating a “substantial percentage” of the work resulting from the funds in Texas.)

The $1 million from the fund is more than pocket change for ActaCell at this stage. However, it’s small game, compared with the $600 million project that the company had planned to participate in as one of the 50 members of the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries (NAATBatt) — if stimulus funds had come through for the consortium’s planned li-ion battery plant earlier this year.

At this point, the state funding, combined with the “final tranche milestone” of the Series A financing round, will allow the company to expand the “technical and managerial ranks of the company” and complete development of an R&D facility, ActaCell President and CEO Bill Ott says. Previously the company said that it will bring a product to market in 2010. We’ve asked for an update on that time line — more when we know more.

Update: ActaCell CEO Bill Ott tells us this morning that the startup plans to develop a beta product during 2010. The main use of the $250,000 from the Texas fund, and the additional $750,000 that ActaCell can request if it hits two technical milestones, will be expanding the company’s ranks of technical and management staff. According to Ott, “specifically focusing on senior talent from the Li-Ion battery industry is a key effort for ActaCell in the near term.”

Graphic credit Manthiram Laboratory

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.