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2021 Women of Technology: Rising after the Storm

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our workforce—in many ways. For one, we have seen women leave the workforce in droves, with some experts suggesting it could be one of the steepest declines in history. Still, this goes deeper than the pandemic. This is only part of a perfect storm that has been brewing in the labor force. Enter the Women of Technology awards, which gives the women in leadership a voice, while also allowing others to see role models who look like them. These individuals are resilient, take initiative, demonstrate bold leadership, embrace membership, and are leading the charge in technology—at a time when we need it the most.

Dr Christina Lampe-Önnerud, Battery Innovator, Energy Storage Pioneer

Christina Lampe-Önnerud is supercharging lithium-ion battery adoption, globally. A pre-eminent authority on battery innovation and a passionate advocate for sustainable policy-making, Christina Lampe-Önnerud previously served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Energy Technologies, and has a reputation for reshaping markets.

Christina has a rare ability to translate the technical aspects of electro-chemical engineering into real world implications. Her intense curiosity, rebellious streak and analytical love of facts, deem Christina a formidable energy transition communicator capable of delivering game-changing technology solutions.

“We will not be able to achieve this if we look through the same lens that we have had for years; if we are stubborn about protecting the current paradigm, we know 100 per cent we will fail future generations.”

CHRISTINA LAMPE-ÖNNERUD

Large-scale batteries, once hobbled by cost, ready for ‘prime time’

UConn professor Radenka Maric, who serves as the university’s vice president of research and innovation, and Christina Lampe-Onnerud, CEO of Wilton-based clean energy startup Cadenza Innovation, have had front-row seats to the evolution of batteries, having driven some of it themselves.

Safe lithium-ion energy storage begins with knowing what to do if things go wrong

Cadenza Innovation has deployed a pilot project based on its Supercell architecture at an office of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), a public power organisation which serves around 25% of the state’s electrical load. NYPA R&D engineer Steven Wilkie was also participating in the panel discussion and said that in urban environments, safety needs to be much more carefully considered than when siting energy storage systems in more remote or rural areas.

Cadenza Innovation CEO in the “Megatrend” of Energy Transformation

Cadenza’s latest project is a prime example of multi-partner benefits. Last month, the Connecticut-based energy storage company unveiled a new battery storage project that uses an innovation in lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology, potentially enabling more integration of renewable energy resources onto the grid.

Safe Storage Breakthrough

This is such an important conversation for you to listen in on. For, if we’re to come anywhere close to net zero carbon emissions, our industry will need to position energy storage everywhere throughout the grid, even in densely-populated cities. How exactly is that supposed to happen — when storage needs to be placed next to schools, senior citizen centers, day care facilities, hospitals, etc. — if the batteries have any safety risks whatsoever? 

‘We think we’ve found the answer’: The ‘Supercell’ that could bring safe energy storage to New York

A couple of weeks ago the New York Power Authority (NYPA) – a public-benefit corporation which serves around 25% of the state’s electric load – began trialing an energy storage system using lithium batteries based around start-up Cadenza Innovation’s ’Supercell’ architecture. Wrapping individual cells into a protective housing, the technology is a low-cost way to prevent thermal runaway from cascading through a battery rack and causing fires.

INTERVIEW: CADENZA CEO SAYS LI-ION BATTERY INNOVATION IS “DISRUPTIVE” MODEL FOR FUTURE ENERGY STORAGE

Located at the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in White Plains and funded in part by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the USD 3m battery project was developed by Cadenza Innovation to showcase energy storage’s role in demand management that could enable more integration of renewable energy resources onto the grid.

New battery technology tested in pursuit of state’s climate change goals

We spoke with Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority, and Alan Ettlinger, Director of Research, Technology Development and Innovation at the New York Power Authority, about a new battery project the organization is working on.

A Danbury battery startup business faces its first big test

A Danbury startup flipped the switch on a bank of batteries in New York that could be built out over time to cap electricity prices — with Connecticut currently studying systems toward the same goal. The New York Power Authority is using a battery array from Cadenza Innovation to provide power at its White Plains headquarters for up to five hours each day. It marks the first real-world test of Cadenza batteries to feed electricity to a facility when power plants charge the most, with the batteries recharging overnight when prices are lowest to repeat the cycle the following day.