CalCharge Prepares for Launch

September 16, 2013

September Special Focus: CalCharge

After nearly two years of research and organizational development efforts, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), CalCEF, and other key partners are only weeks away from the full operational launch of CalCharge. By mid-October, they expect to announce the core group of institutional and major corporate members along with the first tranche of emerging company members.

California is home to more than 95 battery and electrochemical storage (energy storage) companies, ranging from startups to global corporations focused on the technologies and components needed for the transportation, grid, and consumer electronic markets. As one of the largest and most dynamic concentrations of energy storage companies in the US, the California cluster has an outsized impact on industry and market development globally. However, as with any emerging industry, there are critical gaps in the existing ecosystem that are impairing its development.

To identify and develop solutions to these challenges Berkeley Lab and CalCEF conducted extensive research from 2011 to 2013. This included not only general market analysis, but also direct engagement and feedback from a broad cross-section of business, public, and civil society stakeholders from across the California energy storage cluster. The result—CalCharge.

CalCharge is a groundbreaking public-private partnership working to accelerate the development, commercialization, and adoption of new energy storage technologies for the consumer, transportation, and grid markets. It will bring together emerging and established companies, academic and research institutions, government agencies, and other key stakeholders to increase the growth of the energy storage sector and spur the creation of advanced manufacturing capacity and processes. Through CalCharge, members will have access to Technology Assessment and Acceleration, Professional Development, Pre-Commercialization Support, and Ecosystem Facilitation programs. The goal—a thriving California energy storage cluster that is a key driver of industry and market growth globally.

For more information on CalCharge and to request membership information when it becomes available, please email membership@calcharge.org