When neighbours step in: Practical hands-on support keeps battery innovation running
ELIoT’s smart battery powering Voltavate’s research during a local power outage.
(David Hauser (ELIoT Energy) & Amir Hooshang Taheri (Voltavate), photo provided by ELIoT Energy)
An innovation community can achieve more than the individual businesses that make it up. A recent local power outage demonstrated this in a very practical way. As downtime threatened to delay Voltavate's research on its manufacturing-integrated separator platform, Hub member ELIoT Energy stepped in. Taking one of its smart batteries - developed to help businesses reduce energy costs and carbon emissions - from the FB IDEAs Hub to the neighbouring laboratory, the team had Voltavate's equipment back online within minutes, allowing critical work to continue.
The incident showed that ELIoT's smart batteries have a much wider field of relevance than their intended use of helping businesses lower electricity bills through smart load shifting and peak shaving. They can also provide a rapidly deployable backup power supply where downtime is costly or critical. Drug fridges in pharmacies and hospitals, laboratory equipment, cool rooms keeping food fresh, and other operations where interruptions can result in lost time, data or product are just a few examples of where this capability can make a difference.
For FB IDEAs and Area53, it also highlighted the value of co-location. Creating a collaborative, low-barrier environment isn't just about sharing a building. It's about creating opportunities for businesses to support one another when it matters most.
The critical innovation enabler can simply be having the right neighbour, with the right solution, at the right time. In moments like these, it is the practical hands-on support that makes all the difference.
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