Urban Electric Power and Alchemy Industrial announced a design and engineering partnership to launch Ohm Core, a residential energy storage system based on rechargeable alkaline batteries.
Alchemy will serve as the strategic development and manufacturing partner while Urban Electric Power launches and scales its innovative energy storage solution, part of a series of easy-to-assemble modular products for homes, businesses, and grid-scale installations.
Since 2012, Urban Electric Power has fine-tuned an ingenious but simple non-lithium battery solution, based on the same AA battery technology safely used for decades in everyday devices such as smoke detectors and remotes.
“Urban Electric Power’s Ohm Core batteries boast what other batteries cannot,” said Ann Marie Augustus, VP of Operations. “We offer non-toxic energy storage that is rated for indoor use with no thermal runaway fire risk, at a cost and environmental footprint less than standard lead, lithium-ion batteries, or diesel generators.” Alkaline batteries also solve supply chain complications by using recyclable materials that can be extracted safely and are abundantly found throughout the Earth’s surface.
The technology has already been tested and proven for larger uses in data centers and infrastructure projects for the energy grid. Now, Ohm Core offers this backup power solution for homes. The batteries are assembled in Pearl River, New York.
Alchemy Industrial is a Houston-based contract manufacturing company that leverages advanced manufacturing technologies (“Industry 4.0”) to produce innovative and market leading products for its customers. The company will help bring Urban Electric Power’s new battery technology to more homes on a quicker timeline.
“The Alchemy team is honored to be working with the Urban Electric Power team to help launch and scale the manufacturing of the Ohm energy storage system,” said Mush Khan, CEO of Alchemy Industrial. “This relationship also represents Alchemy’s commitment to bringing advanced manufacturing to Houston, and to help the city become a leader in energy storage system manufacturing and energy transition.”
The Ohm Core system is easy to install and recharges from the grid. The batteries can provide power for one to three at a time, and last upwards of 10 years.
“As we phase out fossil fuels and add distributed renewables, demand will only grow for replacing old battery technology with cost-effective energy storage that is safer, longer-lasting, and more environmentally friendly,” said Augustus.