EGG-energy

Jukka’s trip to our Tanzanian outpost is coming to an end. During the few weeks he spent assisting Jamie in Mvuti and Dar, Jukka designed an incentive plan to bolster EGG-energy’s sales capability, assembled field data to update our financial models, roamed the capital city to find four white polos to be printed with our logo and worn by our highly motivated salesmen, picked up a few more kishwahili words and helped install our systems at customers’ houses. There’s little doubt that the sight of his butterfly sunglasses will be missed by the Tanzanian sun!

In addition to the many stories and energetic enthusiasm that he’ll bring back to Cambridge, MA, Jukka was tempted to toss an old tincan in his backpack before deciding to leave it on Jamie’s bedtable. Yesterday, one of our customers brought it to the station, as a gift to us: a tin can that had gotten a new life as a kerosene lantern. Polluting, leaking, a fire hazard, low quality light. “Now that I’m your customer, I don’t need this anymore. I’m giving it to you as a gift.” He must be happy with our service, confident that he can pay our fees all year round, and sure of our continued presence, him who’s giving away what was lighting up his family’s evenings! We’re betting that seeing this unexpected token of appreciation every morning will help put a smile on each of Jamie’s days!

This side of the ocean is not short of good news. We’re very proud to share that
- we’ve been selected to compete in the next round of the William James Foundation’s socially responsible business plan competitions,
- we’ve progressed to the second round in the Global Social Venture Competiton,
- we’ve been invited to present at the UNC Kenan Flagler’s annual Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition and
- and we will represent MIT at the Net Impact 2010 Walmart Better Living Business Plan Challenge.

Goooooooooooo EGG-energyyyyyyyyy (TM Ben)!

- Blandine

Although power grids are synonyms for gigantic publicly funded infrastructure built as a robust backbone to provide power to later on connected ramifications, our ambition is to build a fully operational “bottom-up grid”.

Since our customers, who live in low-density rural areas, cannot pay for the cost of being traditionally connected to the power grid, they have little experience of the comfort and empowering capacity of electricity. By offering them an affordable ticket to the electrical wonderland, we raise their expectations and hope to create a positive feedback loop in the form of increased demand for electricity, which we can then bootstrap to build a larger power infrastructure.

Our battery inventory, currently used to transport electricity to our clients, can indeed be considered as our first investment in power production. Given the prolific potential of our target countries for renewable electricity production (esp. solar and biomass), the power plants that we plan to build in order to meet the power demand that we presently work at creating will be fueled by renewable energy sources. Their intermittency can be mitigated by establishing a storage system, one that would be charged at energy-bountiful times, and to be drawn from when the sun or the wind are down. What can be better to achieve that task than the very batteries that we currently own?

They are our flexibility card. Thanks to the storage reservoir that they constitute, we can confidently plan on bringing in renewable energy sources into our power distribution adventure. Although the robust sealed absorbed glass-mat lead-acid batteries that we currently use are a perfect match for our distribution purpose, we nonetheless keep an eye on the many technological improvements that the field of electricity storage is certain to experience soon.

Boosted by the need to protect established power grids from the unpredictable variability of intermittent renewable energy (wind & solar) on one hand, and the interest in cheaper and denser forms of portable electricity on the other (small electric appliances as well as batteries for electric vehicles), battery technology is on its way to improving storage capacity and reduce the cost per stored kWh.

What’s on the shelf of a growing number of research groups?
Virus-engineered lithium batteries for portable applications, large-scale liquid batteries to balance grid fluctuations, innovations such as those retained by the ARPA-E’s Transformational Energy Projects Grants, all of which will contribute to creating a greener power infrastructure.

- Blandine

After 6 months of written submissions and valuable interactions with a great team of mentors, today was EGG-energy’s big day: Rhonda and Jukka brilliantly pitched our business proposition to a mesmerized audience at Massachussets State House in Boston.

The only company to innovate without offering a brand new technology, we ranked an amazing 3rd place in this highly competitive contest. That feels good!

Press:
- earth2tech.com
- masshightech.com
- wickedlocal.com (on the semifinals)

- Blandine

Yesterday, EGG-energy presented at the Ignite Clean Energy competition’s semi-finals.  There were last-minute changes as Jukka, one of the scheduled presenters and Tanzania veteran, could not participate because he fell ill with the flu.  Mark and Blandine came to the rescue. Blandine and Rhonda delivered an excellent presentation, and Mark assisted the team in answering questions posed by the judges.  Despite the challenge, EGG-energy rose to the occasion: we are now FINALISTS for ICE and will present at the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston on November 10th!

Being grilled by the judges was an excellent way to receive pertinent feedback, that added to that priorly given by our mentors. Should we be after private or public funding? What profit margin will make us sustainable? Should we bundle the sale of electric appliances with our battery service or not? What management structure will make us most efficient? We’ll make sure we’re ready to give crisp answers to these delicate questions at the finals.

But for now, congrats EGG-energy and thanks all for your support!

- Rhonda and Blandine

EGG-energy's Rhonda Jordan, Mark Yen and Blandine Antoine at the ICE Semi-Finals Competition in Babson College

NAU, a garment firm with an unusual mind about how to do business, launched the Grant for Change to recognize the efforts of those who, around the world, are working at making a positive difference in the lives of people.

EGG-energy is competing for that prize, and needs your support to make it to the next stage (need for 100 + votes by August 31rst to be considered). Please have a look at the different entries, and cast your vote for the EGG if it’s to your liking!

Thanks for your help!

- Blandine

We’re in! EGG-energy will present its innovative battery swap concept at the ICE Semi-Finals on September 17th in Cambridge, MA. Wish us luck!

EGG-energy has been invited to give an elevator pitch at the 7th annual Rice Alliance Energy & Clean Technology Venture Forum, which is very exciting news! So – if you’re in Houston on September 17th, come and check us out!

“The Rice Alliance supports entrepreneurs and early-stage technology ventures in Houston and Texas through education, collaboration, and research.  Since inception in 1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of over 225 technology companies that have raised more than $500 million in funding.”