Integration with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle Expected to Drive Commercial Adoption of Breakthrough Carbon-free Technologies

Heliogen, Inc. (the "Company" or "Heliogen"), a leading provider of AI-enabled concentrated solar power, today announced it has finalized a $39 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") to deploy the Company's breakthrough renewable energy technology in California.

The Company will apply the funds received from the DOE towards a commercial-scale facility leveraging its AI-enabled concentrated solar technology. In particular, the DOE funds will support the implementation of Heliogen's unique concentrated solar technology which couples its AI-powered heliostat field with a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycle. To do this, Heliogen's AI-powered heliostat field will efficiently generate higher temperatures than traditional concentrated solar, enabling the cost-effective integration of a sCO2 power cycle. Steam-based power cycles are typically used in thermal energy plants to convert heat into electricity, but advanced sCO2 cycles will reach higher efficiencies at lower cost with a smaller footprint and reduced water use. With its numerous advanced technologies, the Heliogen system is expected to unlock the production of low-cost, near 24/7 carbon-free electricity, highlighting the potential for concentrated solar technology to power industry and accelerate the clean energy transition in the United States and beyond.

"We're proud to lead the way for clean energy through the deployment of breakthrough technologies that utilize sunlight to displace fossil fuels," said Heliogen Founder and CEO, Bill Gross. "The large and ambitious scope of this DOE award adds momentum to deployment of Heliogen's breakthrough AI-enabled, modular concentrated solar solution for carbon-free energy at scale."

The DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Office - which supports projects that are expected to improve the affordability, reliability, and value of solar technologies on the U.S. grid and tackle emerging challenges in the solar industry - previously announced Heliogen's selection to begin negotiating the award on November 12, 2020.

About Heliogen

Heliogen is a renewable energy technology company focused on eliminating the need for fossil fuels in heavy industry and powering a sustainable future. The company's AI-enabled, modular concentrated solar technology aims to cost-effectively deliver near 24/7 carbon-free energy in the form of heat, power, or green hydrogen fuel at scale - for the first time in history. Heliogen was created at Idealab, the leading technology incubator founded by Bill Gross in 1996. For more information about Heliogen, please visit heliogen.com.

On July 6, 2021, Heliogen entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: ATHN). Upon the closing of the business combination, Heliogen will become publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "HLGN". Additional information about the transaction can be viewed here: heliogen.com/investor-center/.