Endua’s Australian clean technology solves the problem of renewable energy interruptions

One of the main problems with renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and water is intermittency. This means that they cannot be relied on constantly, as for example the sun may stop shining or it may be a calm day with no wind. To fill the gap, users often rely on diesel generators or batteries. But diesel generators produce emissions and batteries only last a short time. Clean tech startup Endua says it has found a solution with its modular hydrogen production and storage technology.

The Australian startup announced today that it has raised AUD 11.8 million (approx. USD 7.8 million). Participants in the round included new investors, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), Melt Ventures and 77 Partners, who contributed a total of AUD 7.5 million. The rest of the funding was contributed by return strategic investors Main Sequence (a deep technology fund set up by the government’s science agency CSIRO) and Ampol, Australia’s largest transport energy provider.

Launched in 2021 by CEO and founder Paul Sernia, Endua uses self-contained, modular hydrogen power supplies that it says can drive power loads of up to 100 kW per module. This is enough to power water pumps, agricultural sheds or stand-alone telecommunications infrastructure. The amount of electricity used is flexible because excess renewable energy is stored as hydrogen and converted into electricity by fuel cells when needed.

Sernia told Root Devices that storing excess renewable energy as hydrogen overcomes the challenges of interruptions, as users can draw on their stored energy whenever needed or when renewable energy production is insufficient. Endua serves a wide range of customers including regional communities, agriculture, telecommunications infrastructure, energy distributors and remote infrastructure.

Endua designed and manufactured electrolysers that split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy. Then the generated hydrogen is stored in its modular banks, which are high-pressure storage tanks that can maintain the integrity of the hydrogen for months. When Endua customers are ready to convert the stored hydrogen into electricity, the power banks use electrochemical technologies, mostly through hydrogen fuel cells, which produce no carbon emissions.

Endua founder and CEO Paul Sernia

Sernia said Endua’s power banks are designed to integrate with existing energy systems, including renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines to capture excess energy. This helps ensure uninterrupted power supply to customers.

Endua will use its new capital to expand its pilot systems and hire over the next 18 months. In addition to its funding, Endua also received a total of $4.3 million in thousands, including an Entrepreneur Program Commercialization Acceleration Grant, a Cooperative Research Centers Project, and a Center for Advanced Manufacturing Growth grant. It manufactures all of its products in Australia and is currently establishing manufacturing facilities in Queensland.

In a statement on the funding, Ampol managing director Matthew Halliday said: “Endua’s technology lays the groundwork for off-grid and diesel energy users to meet their decarbonisation commitments and become self-sufficient. We look forward to working with customers as the technology is tailored to further explore applications in our economy.”