A former Tesla executive is kicking off a new venture that could help usher the American power grid into the future. According to TechCrunch, Drew Baglino's new startup, Heron Power, is developing solid-state transformers (SST).
Baglino spent nearly 20 years at Tesla, eventually working up to Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy before leaving the company in April 2024.
For those unaware of what a transformer is, it receives high-voltage energy transmission at an electrical substation from a power plant, decreases the voltage, and disperses the energy for safe consumption.
The problem is that the standard transformer hasn't changed much in the last 100 years. They still run on a low frequency and rely on large iron cores and copper windings, and they aren't designed to handle the transition away from coal, gas, and other dirty energy sources to clean energy sources such as wind and solar.
SSTs, on the other hand, don't rely on iron cores or copper windings, so they're smaller and lighter. At the same time, they work at a higher frequency, making them more efficient while minimizing energy loss. They're better suited to regulate voltage fluctuations that can occur with wind and solar power and quickly switch between different power sources. They can also be easily controlled, helping improve grid stability.
SSTs are also designed for bidirectional power flow, meaning they can receive power from the grid or send power back to it. This could be an extra advantage for homeowners with solar power who live in an area where utilities pay for their excess power.
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Heron Power is in the Series A stage of fundraising, looking to raise between $30 million and $50 million — Capricorn Investment Group, a sustainability-focused investor, is leading the charge. It's not yet known when we might see the first SST from Heron, but there's reason to be optimistic.
One source told Axios: "This combination of opportunity and expertise on the part of the founder doesn't come up everyday."
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