What’s it all about?
Sodium metal batteries have hit the headlines of late, with major announcements from BYD and CATL for use in electric vehicles. I speak to CCO or LiNa, a UK start-up developing Sodium batteries for stationary storage, now beyond TRL6 and making good traction. We talk tech, but also the journey of Will Tope, from O&G to Cleantech, from global corporate to small start-up. Enjoy the episode.
About William Tope:
Will is the Chief Commercial Officer at LiNa Energy, with over 10 years of global experience in the energy industry, working across oil and gas business development, corporate strategy, and power trading where he focused on grid-scale batteries. Will leads the planning, development, and implementation of strategies to commercialize and scale-up LiNa Energy’s technology, forming partnerships with customers in target storage markets and with manufacturing partners. Will has a Masters in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bath.
About LiNa Energy:
At LiNa Energy, we are leading the charge to develop and commercialise high-performance solid state sodium batteries, with a focus on the renewable energy storage market.
Our battery technology is built around proven technology based on 1980s sodium chemistry, with modern materials science and advancements in fuel cell ceramics. As well as improving standards in safety, performance, and sustainability, we can commercialise faster by reducing lab development time and lowering the cost of deployment. Materials are abundant and thanks to our patented design, our batteries are ideal for mass manufacture.
All of which means less risk to investors, partners and customers. Today, we are well on our way to offering a market-ready solution and are seeking additional partners to help us stress test the product and leverage the opportunity.
Our strategy is to target fast-growing economies, such as India, where the performance challenges around lithium are more acute and the potential to make a difference quickly is greatest.