LAUNCH: Energy

This week, we celebrate ten disruptive innovations with groundbreaking ideas for provision and access to sustainable energy for both the developed and developing world populations. LAUNCH: Energy is a challenge of particular interest to NASA. Issues of sustainable energy are part of every human and robotic mission off of the planet. We have NO natural energy sources off the planet, so the creation, storage, conservation and replenishing of energy is one of our challenges in exploring the unknows of space.

LAUNCH is a unique initiative formed with founding partners are NASA, USAID, Department of State, and NIKE to identify solutions to the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges. For the sustainability forums, we identify innovations poised to create transformational change in critical sustainability issues, connects innovators to thought leaders and advisors. After the forum, we work with the innovators to take recommendations compiled during the 2+ days at the Forum, and work with the innovators to sift through and implement the recommendations to help propel the innovations toward success.

Here are the innovators:

1. Gram Power: Yashraj Khaitan – A micro/mini-grid solution for underserved communities that utilizes modular battery storage technology, energy management intelligence, and a pre-payment model.

2. Hydrovolts: Burt Hamner – An affordable “Flipwing” turbine that enables reliable hydroelectricity generation from canals and other managed-flow water courses. @Hydrovolts

3. Turbococinas: Rene Nunez Suarez – A revolutionary clean and efficient wood combustion cookstove.

4. Point Source Power: Craig Jacobsen – An economical fuel cell for emerging markets that allows battery charging in cooking pits or fires.

5. The Solanterns Initiative: Nina Marsalek, Renewable Energy Ventures – An initiative dedicated to replacing 1 million of Kenya’s kerosene lanterns with solar powered lights. @Solanterns

6. Powerzoa: Jamie Simon – A smart system that allows enterprise-level energy managers to automate control of energy down to the appliance level, stopping power waste. @powerzoa

7. Promethean Power Systems: Sorin Grama – A rural refrigeration system for commercial cold-storage applications in off-grid and partially electrified areas of developing countries. @PrometheanPower

8. NIFTE Pump: Mark Bryan, Thermofluidics – A pumping device that uses low-temperature heat to generate fluid motion with very few moving parts.

9. Flexible Electrochromic Film: Ashu Misra, ITN Energy Systems – A revolutionary flexible electrochromic film that allows active control of transmitted light and solar heating.

10. NanoTune Technologies: Frank Wang – An electrode innovation that produces ultracapacitors with five to seven times greater story capacity as conventional capacitors. @carbonmind

You can join us virtually at LAUNCH: Energy Forum on November 11-13 through U-stream link that will be posted on theLAUNCH website. You can also log on to MindMapr, which will have a twitter stream of the ongoing conversations between the LAUNCH Council and the ten innovators.