PALO ALTO, Calif., March 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Incubatenergy©Labs Challenge selected 17 finalists from more than 130 applicants to participate in the Challenge Pitch Day during EPRI’s Electrification 2020 International Conference & Exposition in Charlotte, N.C.

“The finalists’ applications outline technologies that may provide electric power customers effective energy management solutions and utilities new tools to maintain system quality, reliability, and efficiency while supporting sector-wide decarbonization,” said Erik Steeb, who leads the Incubatenergy™ Network and Labs program for EPRI. “At Pitch Day, our panel of utilities will select startups to test their solutions in the field through the summer of 2020.

”The Incubatenergy Labs launched the 2020 Challenge in December 2019, seeking startups with demonstration-ready technologies in seven innovation categories.

Finalists	Location	Product/Solution
Active Energy Systems	Knoxville, TN	Making buildings dynamic assets for the power grid with advanced ice thermal energy storage
Blue Frontier	Parkland, FL	Cooling-as-a-service using non-vapor compression HVAC systems with 8-hour energy storage
Electriphi	San Francisco, CA	Software solutions for fleet and energy management of commercial electric vehicle fleets, that help reduce operational costs and accelerate vehicle and infrastructure deployment
E-Zn	Toronto, ON	Zinc-based electrochemical, long-duration energy storage
ev.energy	Palo Alto, CA	Wireless platform that aggregates EVs and optimizes their charging to save customers money, fully utilize renewable energy, and deliver flexibility services to the grid
Grid Fruit	Pittsburgh, PA	Grid-responsive compressor modulation to improve efficiency of commercial food service refrigeration
IND Technology, Inc.	New York, NY	Technology that detects electrical faults before they occur, which could prevent power losses, wildfires and other consequences
Kognitiv Spark	Fredericton, NB	Augmented reality-enabled app to help utility workers learn new skills on the job
LineVision	Somerville, MA	Self-powered transmission line monitoring system equipped with integrated solar and battery power
Lumin	Charlottesville, VA	Smart circuit panel for multifamily, residential buildings enabling energy use monitoring with existing equipment
PingThings	El Segundo, CA	Data visualization and analysis for T&D systems that uses real-time data from smart meters, SCADA, synchrophasors, and Point-on-Wave systems to improve power system monitoring and operations
Power Lines Pro	Sydney, NSW, Australia	3-D physical/geospatial grid modeling using LIDAR and GIS data to inform power line placement, improve asset management and mitigate wildfires
ReCurve	Mill Valley, CA	Software using advanced metering infrastructure data to create building energy profiles and to model customer response to prospective demand response programs
RUNWITHIT	Edmonton, AB	Synthetic intelligence systems model complex environments and human behavior to help grid planners integrate distributed energy resources more effectively
Sharc International Systems Inc.	Port Coquitlam, BC	Multifamily building wastewater heat recovery systems
Switched Source	Vestal, NY	Power electronics solutions for dynamic phase balancing to help manage distribution system load and improve power quality
Via Science, Inc. (VIA)	Somerville, MA	Blockchain-enabled software that allows secure data analysis for multiple locations, without transfer of data from decentralized servers

Results of the projects selected at Pitch Day will be presented at the Incubatenergy™Labs “Demo Day” in St. Louis, Mo., this October.

American Electric Power, Ameren, and TVA plan to serve as host utilities of the 2020 Challenge with participation from Consolidated Edison of New York, Nebraska Public Power District, New York Power Authority, Portland General Electric, Southern California Edison, Salt River Project, and Xcel Energy. For more information about the Incubatenergy™Labs Challenge visit labs.incubatenergy.org.

To learn more about Electrification 2020 or to register, visit www.electrification2020.com.

About EPRI

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public, on a non-discriminatory basis. An independent organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to nearly 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.