India’s Offgrid raises $15M to make lithium non-compulsory for battery storage

Lithium has grow to be the default alternative for battery-powered techniques, however its limitations — from unstable provide chains to quick lifespans — have gotten more and more troublesome to disregard. Offgrid Power Labs, a deep-tech startup primarily based in India, desires to make lithium much less central, particularly in relation to battery storage.

The seven-year-old startup, incubated at IIT Kanpur, has developed a proprietary zinc-bromine-based battery system as an alternative choice to lithium-ion expertise. Referred to as ZincGel, it delivers 80–90% of the power effectivity of standard lithium batteries, however at a considerably decrease levelized value of storage, the startup mentioned.

As energy demand grows worldwide, international locations are ramping up efforts to develop renewable power storage. India, as a distinguished nation on this regard, goals to extend its non-fossil power capability tenfold — from 50 gigawatts to 500 gigawatts — by 2030. New Delhi can also be focusing on 236 gigawatt-hours of battery power storage capability by 2031–32 and introduced a ₹54 billion (roughly $612 million) funding planin June to develop 30 gigawatt-hour battery storage techniques within the nation. Nevertheless, like many international markets, India faces a key problem: China’s dominance over the lithium provide chain.

Offgrid Power Labs is betting that its ZincGel battery expertise can ease provide constraints through the use of extensively obtainable supplies and providing a less expensive different to lithium-based techniques.

Now, the startup has raised $15 million in Collection A funding to scale up its operations. It plans to construct a 10-megawatt-hour demonstration facility within the UK, anticipated to be prepared by the primary quarter of 2026, and start commercializing ZincGel within the quarters that observe — with a gigafactory in India deliberate as the subsequent part.

“Not solely ought to we be addressing a niche available in the market from an software standpoint, however we must also make it financially viable, as a result of there have been applied sciences and batteries up to now globally, which have the answer, however they’re so costly that they’re not extensively adopted,” mentioned Tejas Kusurkar, co-founder and CEO of Offgrid Power Labs, in an interview.

Kusurkar, who has a Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur, co-founded Offgrid Power Labs in 2018 on the institute’s Startup Incubation and Innovation Middle, together with Brindan Tulachan (additionally a Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur), Rishi Srivastava, and Ankur Agarwal. The crew noticed that whereas lithium batteries are well-suited for mobility, the stationary storage market was underserved — and wanted batteries which can be safer, extra resilient, and constructed on a provide chain that’s simpler to entry, Kusurkar advised TechCrunch.

The startup spent its first six years growing battery expertise and has to date secured greater than 25 IP households and over 50 IP property throughout markets, together with the U.S., U.Ok., India, in addition to China, Australia, and Japan. The battery relies on zinc-bromide chemistry with a proprietary water-based electrolyte, leading to a low threat of fireplace.

ZincGel can also be able to dealing with longer discharges (6–12 hours) a number of occasions all through its lifetime and may final twice so long as a typical lithium-ion battery, Kusurkar mentioned. Moreover, the battery makes use of a carbon-based cathode for each quick charging and discharging.

Zinc in batteries is just not a brand new idea, and a few firms have already provided zinc-bromide-based batteries, together with the Nasdaq-listed EOS Power Enterprises. Nevertheless, Kusurkar famous that Offgrid Power Labs makes use of its patented property that assist deliver down the price. The ZincGel batteries also can cut back the necessity for utilizing graphite, which helps deliver down their manufacturing value.

“In the end, clients care about the identical efficiency, higher value, or higher efficiency, identical value,” Srivastava advised TechCrunch.

Offgrid Power Labs’ expertise can also be designed to permit for tweaking or sub-optimizing the battery primarily based on the applying. Which means that these zinc batteries can function independently of environmental situations and supply power storage even at temperatures as little as minus 10 levels Celsius, Srivastava mentioned.

The startup is focusing on industries with net-zero objectives that wish to maximize renewable power use by integrating battery storage. Its batteries are additionally being explored for purposes equivalent to peak shifting and decentralized, off-grid power options. Shell — which invested in Offgrid throughout its seed spherical by means of its company enterprise arm — and Tata Energy are among the many early testers. The beginning can also be in talks with international gamers, together with Europe’s Enel Group, to develop batteries tailor-made to their particular use instances.

Thus far, Offgrid Power Labs has constructed its battery tech manually at a tinkering lab in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida. Nevertheless, the startup plans to leverage its facility within the U.Ok. to reveal its expertise to early clients subsequent 12 months.

The UK facility may have a carbon footprint 50% decrease than that of a typical lithium battery gigafactory, Srivastava mentioned, including that the startup has opted for less complicated manufacturing processes to cut back each capital and operational bills.

Requested why the U.Ok. — and never India — was chosen for its first facility, Srivastava mentioned, as Europe provides a powerful ecosystem and is already a hub for battery manufacturing. The startup already has co-founders Kusurkar and Tulachan primarily based within the U.Ok. to assist with native operations. Nonetheless, the startup sees India as one among its key markets as soon as the batteries are prepared for commercialization in 2026.

The Collection A spherical was led by Archean Chemical substances, a Chennai-based specialty chemical substances producer, which now holds a 21% stake within the startup, together with participation from Ankur Capital.

Srivastava advised TechCrunch that Archean’s participation is a strategic alignment, because the publicly listed firm has appreciable experience in bromine manufacturing and provide chain administration.

The startup is valued at round $58 million post-money.