News: AMP innovations for large scale energy storage

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up with a base on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, will lead on a Government funded feasability study into its innovative battery technology.

Cumulus is developing prototype battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry. Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity.

Cumulus hopes its grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity will be the lowest cost battery technology in the world. By using its new batteries, developers of offshore wind farms or solar farms could reduce the price at which electricity must be generated from the source to break even over the lifetime of the project.

The UK Government is also interested in harnessing the technology for a potential First-of-a-Kind (FOAK), large-scale energy storage demonstration project. A competition to fund feasibility studies is part of a drive to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies. Cumulus' successful bid is for £70,000.

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With research in San Francisco and manufacturing in South Yorkshire, Cumulus was one of 19 projects to secure funding from the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market. It has been busy raising £4m for product development and the plan is to manufacture the Copper/Zinc super-storage battery units in the Sheffield city region, on or near the AMP where Cumulus is based.

Also receiving funding is Sheffield's ITM Power which operates the hydrogen refuelling station at the Hydrogen Mini Grid at AMP. It is one of only a handful of places in the UK where pioneering hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be refuelled and is unique in that the energy stored in the grid is created by wind power, which means that the vehicles it powers will not contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.

ITM is to collaborate with Northern Gas Networks (NGN) to undertake a study examining the potential deployment of large-scale Power-to-Gas energy storage.

The project will look at a scalable energy storage technology capable of absorbing power from the electricity grid at times when supply exceeds demand and when intermittent renewable generation causes network stability problems. In Power-to-Gas, electrical power is converted to chemical energy in the form of hydrogen which can be injected and stored in the gas network.

Cumulus website
ITM Power website

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News: Cumulus boosts profile through Pitch@Palace

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up with a base on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, has taken part in a bootcamp as part of the Duke of York's Pitch@Palace initiative.

Cumulus is developing prototype battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry. Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity.

Cumulus is developing a grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity which it hopes to be the lowest cost battery technology in the world. By using its new batteries, developers of offshore wind farms or solar farms could reduce the price at which electricity must be generated from the source to break even over the lifetime of the project.

With research in San Francisco and manufacturing in South Yorkshire, Cumulus was one of 19 projects to secure funding from the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market.

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In less than three years Pitch@Palace has helped over 200 businesses grow, with some now enjoying huge global success. This year's event focuses on technology and HRH has been touring the country looking for firms. The first event was hosted at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing's (AMRC's) Factory 2050 building on the Sheffield Business Park in September.

Pitch@Palace was set up by The Duke of York's Charitable Trust to support start-up businesses and entrepreneurs in the UK. It gives potential entrepreneurs the chance to explain their hi-tech business ideas to Prince Andrew and a panel of experts, in front of an audience of investors, business leaders and mentors, in a bid to secure the backing they need to take them to the next level.

CEO Nick Kitchen pitched at the Sheffield event and Cumulus was one of 42 entrepreneurial companies selected to attend a boot camp where participants heard from industry experts and Pitch@Palace Alumni, and received support and mentoring. Having missed out on being one of the 15 that will go forward to pitch at St. James's Palace in November, Cumulus is now in contention for the "People's Choice" award - an opportunity for the public to vote for their favourite Pitch@Palace entrepreneur.

Nick Kitchen, CEO at Cumulus (pictured), said: "Last year, the National Grid paid £90m to wind farm operators to not generate electricity. The reason for this is that the grid isn't designed to cope with variable and intermittent electricity that is generated by renewables. It needs a buffer, which needs to be used when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, to store that electricity and deliver it later at the time that its needed - this is what Cumulus Energy Storage does.

"At the moment the main buffer is pumped hydro - two reservoirs that are geographically constrained - hence the need for our very flexible battery - copper / zinc super storage - that we can position anywhere we like in the electricity network.

"We have a very experience management team and we have ten people in San Francisco, six in the UK, and we are currently raising £4m for product development with a pilot line set for 2017."

A 20kWh operational prototype is being developed in the company's labs in San Francisco and in the UK, Cumulus has established a "customer interest group" with the likes of E.ON, National Grid, Sheffield Forgemasters and Sheffield University.

The plan is to manufacture the super-storage battery units in the Sheffield city region, on or near the AMP where Cumulus is based.

Cumulus Energy Storage website
Pitch@Palace website

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News: AMRC hosts Pitch@Palace

The Sheffield city region hosted a round of Pitch@Palace this week - an initiative that offers the chance for business ideas to be seen by a global audience of influencers who can catapult them to the next level.

Established by The Duke of York, in less than three years Pitch@Palace has helped over 205 businesses grow, with some now enjoying huge global success. This year's event focuses on technology and HRH hosted the touring event at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing's (AMRC's) Factory 2050 building on the Sheffield Business Park.

Pitch@Palace was set up by The Duke of York's Charitable Trust to support start-up businesses and entrepreneurs in the UK. It gives potential entrepreneurs the chance to explain their hi-tech business ideas to Prince Andrew and a panel of experts, in front of an audience of investors, business leaders and mentors, in a bid to secure the backing they need to take them to the next level.

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42 entrepreneurs will be selected to attend a boot camp and 15 will go forward to pitch at St. James's Palace in November.

The first of a number of regional events, Factory 2050 saw around 25 hi-tech businesses pitch their innovative ideas to the Prince, local dignitaries and leading business people and a judging panel including AMRC co-founder Prof Keith Ridgway, CBE.

Recommended reading: Payment Trends Every Business Should Watch in 2025

Amongst the pitches were Rotherham-based SOTpay - a unique payment transfer system which uses a series of rigorous card and customer checks to prevent fraudulent transactions from taking place. The system was developed in-house by Manvers company Gala Tent, the UK's leading distributor of marquees and gazebos, and has eliminated fraudulent telephone transactions.

Also pitching was Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham. Cumulus is developing prototype battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry.

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The event was won by three companies; Doncaster-based Drenched Ltd and its product for taps that transforms the flow of water, reducing the volume of water used by 90%; Offer Moments, a Manchester start-up creating digital advertising screens to personally engage visitors and shoppers; and Sheffield's Mobile Power Ltd that has designed a way to deliver renewable energy at a price-point affordable to the emerging market.

Prince Andrew said that the standard and passion of businesses was outstanding and praised the AMRC. He said: "I have watched this incredible institution grow over the years and to be able to see this wonderful new building being filled with some really clever advanced manufacturing is fantastic."

Prof. Ridgway said: "It is a great honour to have one of the AMRC’s facilities selected to host this prestigious event.

"We created Factory 2050 to be the home of cutting edge research and innovation involving technologies that will underpin the future success of UK manufacturing and to inspire the next generation of engineering leaders.

"That made it an ideal location for a new generation of entrepreneurs to explain and seek backing for their ground-breaking ideas and, hopefully, seeing what is already being achieved at Factory 2050 will inspire them to achieve yet greater things."

AMRC website
Pitch@Palace website

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News: Minister checks batteries at Cumulus

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, continues to be backed by the Government as it brings its low cost energy storage battery to the market.

Previously known as Wind Power Performance Ltd, and based in the AMP Technology Centre, Cumulus is developing prototype battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry.

Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity.

Cumulus is developing a grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity which it hopes to be the lowest cost battery technology in the world. By using its new batteries, developers of offshore wind farms or solar farms could reduce the price at which electricity must be generated from the source to break even over the lifetime of the project.

With research in San Francisco and manufacturing in South Yorkshire, Cumulus is one of 19 projects to secure funding from the latest round of the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market.

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Secretary of State for Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Amber Rudd, recently visited a number of firms including Cumulus in the San Francisco Bay Area, to gain insight about how the Government can best create a dynamic UK energy innovation ecosystem and a commercialisation pipeline for disruptive energy storage technologies.

California is the first state to mandate energy storage, setting a target of 1.3GW of energy storage by 2020 has already driven an expansion of infrastructure for energy storage innovation, including publicly funded demonstrator units, plus hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in advanced education and fundamental research in the public and private sector.

Cumulus' Bi-Metal copper-zinc battery is based on existing industrial chemistry and architecture already used at a larger scale in mineral processing. The technology allows this to be used as a re-chargeable grid-storage battery, using inexpensive, recyclable materials. The the high energy/long duration design contrasts with the high power/short duration energy storage typically provided by Lithium Ion batteries and other technologies.

Amber Rudd MP (pictured, centre), said: "We are tackling a legacy of under-investment and building a system of energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century, and I want to see storage play a big role in that. Cumulus' innovative work on energy storage, supported by Government funding, will help to develop this technology of the future, driving energy efficiency, unlocking skills and creating jobs."

The Government funding has the potential to realise the energy storage dividend for UK plc, through increased manufacturing capacity, global export capability and better energy management.

Cumulus is ready for match-funded demonstration projects in order to prove its technology at a commercial scale. The race is on to find workable battery technologies in a market that Cumulus says will be worth £6bn by 2020.

Cumulus website

Images: Cumulus

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News: Cumulus at Venturefest

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, has been selected to pitch for a £50,000 prize at the 12th annual Venturefest Yorkshire conference next month.

Previously known as Wind Power Performance Ltd, and based in the AMP Technology Centre, Cumulus is developing prototype low-cost battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry.

Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity. Cumulus has received a patent for its grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity which it hopes to be the lowest cost battery technology in the world.

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Held at York Racecourse, Venturefest is a one-day, free entry event showcasing Yorkshire's most inspiring science, technology and innovative entrepreneurs. The largest event of its kind in the North of England, it aims is to present practical advice, ideas and funding options to innovative science, IP-creating, and technology oriented entrepreneurs and growing businesses.

The event's Investment Competition is organised by GrowthFunders and has attracted a record number of entries, not only from Yorkshire-based companies, but across the country. Eight finalists will pitch their business ideas in an attempt to secure a pot of prizes worth more than £50,000 that includes support from leading solicitors, HR experts and coaching and workshops from experts in raising finance.

Cumulus was one of 19 projects to secure funding from the latest round of the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market.

The Bi-Metal copper-zinc battery is based on existing industrial chemistry and architecture already used at a larger scale in mineral processing. The technology allows this to be used as a re-chargeable grid-storage battery, using inexpensive, recyclable materials.

Cumulus is on track to have a 20kWh battery grid-connected in June 2015 and is seeking additional finance to enable further product and business development.

The firm, which is based at the AMP and in San Francisco, was selected as one of the UK's most promising cleantech SMEs as part of the recent Clean & Cool Mission. This followed the first successful funding round which secured £250,000 from from investors as far ranging as Switzerland, Guernsey, London and Yorkshire.

Venturefest 2015 takes place on March 12.

Cumulus Energy Storage website
Venturefest website

Images: Cumulus

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News: Cumulus on Clean and Cool Mission

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, has been selected as one of the UK's most promising cleantech SMEs, and has been in California to explore business opportunities.

Previously known as Wind Power Performance Ltd, and based in the AMP Technology Centre, Cumulus is developing prototype low-cost battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry.

Innovate UK, the new name for the Technology Strategy Board, is sending a small group of the UK's most promising early stage and innovative cleantech SMEs on a Clean and Cool Mission to connect with investors, partners and customers, culminating at the Cleantech Forum San Francisco in March 2015. The Mission will help winning companies: develop quality contacts with investors and partners, gain unique insight, profit from fresh stimulus, and improve pitch and profile.

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Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity. Cumulus has received a patent for its grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity which it hopes to be the lowest cost battery technology in the world.

The Bi-Metal copper-zinc battery is based on existing industrial chemistry and architecture already used at a larger scale in mineral processing. The technology allows this to be used as a re-chargeable grid-storage battery, using inexpensive, recyclable materials.

Cumulus is one of 19 projects to secure funding from the latest round of the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market. It already has a toe in San Francisco. The company is headed up by CEO Nick Kitchen, COO Darron Brackenbury, two professional engineers with MBAs, and Mike Horwitz, the principal inventor. Research is based in San Francisco and manufacturing here in South Yorkshire.

The chosen firms were in the US last week for an intensive itinerary of meetings, pitching sessions, coaching and netwroking. Nick Kitchin, CEO at Cumulus Energy Storage (pictured top, right), explained: "With support from the UK government, we are on track to have a 20kWh battery grid-connected in June 2015 and we are seeking additional finance to enable further product and business development.

"So, Cumulus Energy Storage, together with another 14 of the best Cleantech companies from the UK, ... presented two-minute pitches to a 50-strong audience of potential investors and business partners at "Intersection for the Arts" - a high energy event with professional presentations - followed by one-to-one meetings with investors, sowing the seeds for future investment and partnerships." You can see a pitch from Nick below:

Kevin Baughan, director of technology and innovation at Innovate UK, said: "With San Francisco at the heart of the cleantech ecosystem in the US, the Clean and Cool Mission is a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses to showcase their innovative technologies and identify growth opportunities in this thriving industry.

"The level of investment achieved by previous Mission attendees is incredible and we're really excited about the companies selected for this year's trip. Each chosen company has shown us new and exciting cleantech solutions with huge potential and addressing a multitude of environmental challenges faced by society today."

Kitchen and Cumulus took part in the previous Clean and Cool Mission to Colorado 2013, which led to offers of grant funding and the firm raising £250K from seed investors.

Also on that mission to Colorado was Iceotope, another hi-tech firm based on the AMP, that has worked with the University of Leeds to develop a new system that reduces the power consumed in data centres by using liquid rather than air to provide cooling, eliminating the need for power-hungry fans. Last year Iceotope successfully completed a round of fundraising for $10m to help further commercialise its innovative cooling solutions.

Rotherham's Metalysis, based in Manvers, and Xeros Ltd, based on the AMP have taken part in the missions in previous years. Last year, Australian minerals firm, Iluka Resources Limited, agreed to invest £12.2m in Metalysis, as it commercialises a low-cost way to manufacture titanium and other specialist powder metals. Xeros, which is commercialising a patented system using a unique method of special polymer beads rather than the usual large amounts of fresh water to clean clothes, raised £30m when it floated on the AIM stock exchange in 2014.

Cumulus Energy Storage website
Clean and Cool Mission website

Images: Clean and Cool Mission

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News: Cumulus secures further funding

Cumulus Energy Storage (CES), a high-tech start-up based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, is being backed by Government funding to help bring its low cost energy storage battery to the market.

Previously known as Wind Power Performance Ltd, and based in the AMP Technology Centre, Cumulus is developing prototype battery technology which can be developed commercially to cope with the rigours and requirements of the renewable industry.

Storing the electricity from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar at source, or "grid level," is a key problem due to the mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the changing demand for grid electricity.

Cumulus is developing a grid-level energy storage battery with 1MWh-100MWh storage capacity which it hopes to be the lowest cost battery technology in the world. By using its new batteries, developers of offshore wind farms or solar farms could reduce the price at which electricity must be generated from the source to break even over the lifetime of the project.

The Bi-Metal battery is based on existing industrial chemistry and architecture already used at a larger scale in mineral processing. The technology allows this to be used as a re-chargeable grid-storage battery, using inexpensive, recyclable materials.

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Cumulus is one of 19 projects to secure funding from the latest round of the Government's Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund (EEF) that was established in 2012 to help bring a range of new and innovative low carbon products to market. The scheme particularly aims to assist small and medium sized enterprises, including start-ups, and those companies that are selected can receive additional funding for incubation support.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd said: "As the nation that is leading the way in tackling climate change, it is important that we support small and medium sized businesses get their innovative energy projects off the ground."

Cumulus recently secured £250k from seed investors as far ranging as Switzerland, Guernsey, London and Yorkshire. It will help to meet the aim of bringing the battery to market in 2015 after the demonstration models have been commercialised. Already there is considerable interest in the USA as well as in the Netherlands particularly with solar and tidal companies.

The firm is headed up by CEO Nick Kitchen, COO Darron Brackenbury, two professional engineers with MBAs, and Mike Horwitz, the principal inventor. With research in San Francisco and manufacturing in South Yorkshire, the enterprise was recently recognised for Outstanding Achievement through Passport to Export at the second annual Passport To Export Awards, organised by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Cumulus website

Images: Harworth Estates

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