Baltimore-Based ACTIVEcharge Receives $25,000 Strategic Sponsorship from Exelon Corporation for Wind Energy Innovation

The Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator (MEIA) is excited to announce that Exelon Corporation has awarded a $25,000 Strategic Sponsorship to MEIA Cohort 1 participant ACTIVEcharge. These funds, along with mentorship from Exelon's wind energy generation team, will accelerate ACTIVEcharge's business launch into the commercial market. 

Baltimore-based ACTIVEcharge is a provider of innovative blade monitoring hardware and software for wind turbines that can be sold as a service. ACTIVEcharge offers a device that is embedded in the blade and powered by the motion of the blade, eliminating the need to replace batteries or to run power wires. The system communicates monitoring results over a wireless mesh network and delivers those results to their proprietary software platform that proactively identifies anomalies in order to trigger maintenance events before catastrophe strikes. ACTIVEcharge uses licensed technology developed by Professor Soobum Lee in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

"Exelon's open innovation model enables us to work creatively with companies of all sizes who are developing solutions that will lower the cost and increase the reliability of renewable energy resources," said Eric Helin, Senior Manager of Innovation at Exelon. "ACTIVEcharge is working on a proactive blade monitoring platform that will reduce maintenance costs and reduce turbine downtime. We look forward to assisting ACTIVEcharge with developing its go-to-market strategy as the technology matures."

"This Sponsorship validates Professor Lee's vision for self-powered, connected sensors embedded into the blades of wind turbines. We are thrilled to start our next chapter in partnership with Exelon, one of the leaders in energy generation in the U.S.," stated Pranay Kohli, CEO of ACTIVEcharge.

ACTIVEcharge joined MEIA's first cohort in January 2020 and will be participating in MEIA's capstone event this summer. MEIA is a project of the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC), designed to facilitate early-stage technology commercialization in partnership with Maryland-based Universities and Labs to support Maryland's Clean Energy and Climate Goals. 

"MEIA is a key part of MCEC's efforts to advance energy innovation, technology commercialization and business development in Maryland," said Geoff Oxnam, MCEC Board Chair. "We are grateful to have engaged partners like Exelon demonstrating their support for clean energy innovation by investing in local startups that are developing technologies to push the industry forward." 

A Fortune 100 company, Exelon is America's leading competitive energy provider, with one of the cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. With six utilities that deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in six states, it is also one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric generating capacity in 25 states and Canada. Its Constellation unit serves approximately 2 million residential, public sector, and business customers.

ACTIVEcharge will present at the MEIA Cohort 1 Finale on June 23, 2020, at 2: 00 PM.

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