Zinc-based Energy Storage Startup Sthyr Energy Raises Seed Funding

Sthyr Energy, the energy storage startup, has raised $1 million in seed funding from Speciale Invest, with participation from Antares Ventures.

Founded by Gunjan Kapadia, Akhil Kongara, and Muhammed Hamdan, Chennai-based Sthyr Energy is developing a mechanically rechargeable Zinc-Air battery system.

The patented battery system uses zinc plates to release power using ambient air and water-based electrolytes. The system is capable of continuous cycling, where one stack discharges and another can charge in parallel, thus delivering clean energy on demand. 

The modular design used by the climate-tech startup enables the system to be deployed at both microgrid and utility scales. 

Battery storage is a vital lever to enable the effective use of renewable energy by addressing its intermittent nature. Since sources like solar and wind don’t produce power consistently, batteries store excess energy generated during peak periods and release it when needed, ensuring a steady supply.

Energy storage offers many advantages; it stabilises the grid, reduces reliance on fossil fuels, lowers energy costs, and supports decentralised energy systems like rooftop solar. By making renewable energy more reliable and accessible, battery storage is key to a cleaner and more resilient energy future.

Though there are different ways to store energy, zinc is emerging as a promising material for energy storage, especially as an alternative to lithium in batteries.

Zinc-based batteries, such as zinc-air, zinc-ion, and zinc-bromine, are considered safer, non-flammable, and often cheaper due to the abundance of zinc. These batteries can also be more stable and have longer lifespans under certain conditions.

While zinc batteries typically have lower energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, ongoing research is improving their performance, making them suitable for stationary energy storage, especially for grid-scale renewable energy integration.

Sthyr Energy, incubated at IIT-Madras, plans to use the funding to expand its research and development efforts, build pilot systems and engage with grid-scale energy and industrial partners to demonstrate the commercial viability of its technology.