LightSail Energy
Type of site | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Key people | Steve Crane, CEO Danielle Fong, CSO |
| Industry | Energy storage |
| URL | LightSail Energy |
LightSail Energy is a compressed air energy storage technology startup located in Berkeley, California.[1]
History
LightSail was founded in 2008, by CEO Steve Crane and chief science officer Danielle Fong. It was initially focused on using compressed air to power a scooter, but shifted towards an energy storage product for the power grid.[2] As of late 2014, the company had around 55 employees.[3]
Funding
As of February 2016, LightSail had raised approximately $70 million in venture capital investment.[4] Investors in LightSail include Khosla Ventures, Peter Thiel, Microsoft founder Bill Gates,[5] Innovacorp, and oil supermajor Total S.A..[6]
Products
LightSail aims to build a compressed-air powered generator that will fit inside a standard shipping container.[7] In December 2015, co-founder Danielle Fong announced that pilot tests for the system were scheduled to begin in 2016. LightSail also manufactures and sells pressurized gas storage tanks to the natural gas industry.[8]
References
- ^ Frangoul, Anmar (January 12, 2015). "A lot of hot air? Why energy storage matters". CNBC. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Holt, David (October 2014). "Reaching for the moon". Progress Media. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Okyle, Carly (September 15, 2014). "Top 30 Startups to Watch". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Haislip, Barbara (February 21, 2016). "Energy-Storage Startup LightSail Plots Long-Term Game Plan". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Metz, Rachel (November 5, 2012). "LightSail Energy Snags $37M in Funding". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Wesoff, Eric; Trabish, Herman (February 18, 2013). "LightSail Gets $5.5M From Total, Thiel, Khosla, Gates for Compressed Air Energy Storage". Greentech Media. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Fehrenbacher, Katie (November 7, 2012). "In the post-Solyndra era, still some (rare) big bets left for cleantech". GigaOm. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Bergstein, Brian (December 22, 2015). "The Energy Startup Conundrum". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 4 April 2016.