Luminous Power Technologies — a subsidiary of Schneider Electric — today announced a formal evaluation agreement with Gridtential Energy, the inventor of Silicon Joule® bipolar battery technology. The partnership is another milestone in the continued adoption of Silicon Joule in the fast-growth residential energy storage solutions market. The demand and growth of energy storage in the Indian market will drive the need for low-cost, safe and recyclable storage batteries for years to come.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Luminous Power Technologies — a subsidiary of Schneider Electric — today announced a formal evaluation agreement with Gridtential Energy, the inventor of Silicon Joule® bipolar battery technology. The partnership is another milestone in the continued adoption of Silicon Joule in the fast-growth residential energy storage solutions market. The demand and growth of energy storage in the Indian market will drive the need for low-cost, safe and recyclable storage batteries for years to come.

Under the agreement, Luminous will evaluate a combination of 6V and 24V Silicon Joule reference batteries and, using Gridtential's development kits, build prototype batteries in preparation for future production. Luminous brings decades of experience to the validation process as it evaluates impact on cycle life, energy density, battery efficiency, charging rates and manufacturability. Luminous sells batteries in 35 countries outside of India, spanning South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Luminous will evaluate 6V and 24V Silicon Joule reference batteries and build prototype batteries.

The International Energy Agency estimates in its India Energy Outlook 2021 report that India could double its renewables capacity to 900GW by 2040. Silicon Joule is a revolutionary battery technology that substitutes treated silicon wafers, like those found in solar panels, for conventional lead grids to create an advanced silicon-lead battery that delivers up to 5X the power density, 2X the discharge rate at a 75 percent lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) than conventional lead batteries. By producing Silicon Joule batteries, Luminous will be able to deliver lighter, more powerful, longer-lasting batteries that require far less maintenance -- while leveraging its existing production lines and expertise in solar materials.

"India is an extremely important market for us and we're proud to be working with the country's top battery manufacturers to support demand for renewable and reliable energy in homes, businesses and vehicles," said Gridtential CEO John Barton.

"Advanced lead acid batteries like bipolar are an exciting breakthrough in lead battery technology, and Silicon Joule's innovation in this space provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to bring more added value to the customer in energy storage in Indian homes. Energy storage is also going to be key for scaling up solar energy and this promises to be a suitable technology for our product development endeavors toward our customers in the future," said Luminous Managing Director Vipul Sabharwal. "This partnership represents a significant growth opportunity for Luminous with a commitment of working toward sustainable energy."

Gridtential has development agreements with 14 battery makers, including the second largest U.S. manufacturer East Penn, which is currently making Silicon Joule reference batteries on a prototype line.

Industries from automotive to energy storage systems are searching for lower-cost, sustainable power solutions to meet diverse energy needs. Silicon Joule combines the environmental benefits of lead batteries (99 percent recyclable) with the proven high-performance characteristics of silicon wafers from the solar industry.

To inquire about the Silicon Joule Evaluation Program, contact Gridtential here.

About Gridtential

Gridtential is the creator of Silicon Joule®, breakthrough advanced AGM battery technology that provides a lower-cost, safer, greener alternative to lithium-ion. Inspired by solar technology, Silicon Joule dramatically improves power density, discharge rate and cycle life while reducing weight by 30%, delivering superior performance for deep-cycle and power applications including personal electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems and hybrid automotive.

Gridtential Energy provides Silicon Joule reference batteries, development kits, bipolar materials and non-exclusive licenses, enabling manufacturing partners to easily adapt their factories to provide high-performing, higher voltage 24V, 36V & 48V batteries to their customers for the hybrid-automotive, Low-Speed EV (LSEV), energy storage system (ESS) & telecom backup markets, all without giga-scale capital investments.

Silicon Joule is in use today by 14 battery partners and several OEMs. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Gridtential's investors include The Roda Group and 1955 Capital.

Gridtential Media Contact:
Josh Green
Firebrand Communications
gridtential@firebrand.marketing
+1 415 848 9175

About Luminous

Luminous Power Technologies, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, produces a wide range of innovative products in the power backup, home electrical and residential solar space. Products like inverters, batteries, home solar storage solutions, fans, modular switches and LED lighting are aimed at making life more comfortable and efficient.

With seven manufacturing units, more than 28 sales offices in India and a presence in 36 countries, Luminous' 6,000 employees serve more than 60,000 channel partners and millions of customers.