To meet the goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C, energy storage capacity must increase from 140 GW in 2014 to 450 GW by 2050. Currently, only 3–4 percent of globally generated electricity is stored by utilities. Hydrogen fuel cells, while suitable for centralized and long-term storage, involve multiple conversion steps and infrastructure challenges. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are often more efficient, especially for short-duration energy storage. However, conventional BESS systems face limitations such as high conversion losses, fixed-string cell connections leading to premature battery failure, and limited scalability. BLIXT's X-Verter® addresses these challenges with software-defined power conversion based on cell-level control technology. This innovation enables BESS to generate AC sine waves directly from the battery pack, significantly reducing energy losses, bypassing weak cells, and extending battery lifespan by up to 80%. The technology is adaptable to all battery chemistries, suitable for various applications, including second-life batteries, Li-ion, supercapacitors, and more. The modular and scalable design caters to diverse capacities and customer needs, from critical infrastructure backup power to grid-scale applications. The project aims to optimize the prototype design, control software, and produce/test the BESS. Compliance and certifications for various applications will be obtained, and an initial software platform for end-users and stakeholders will be developed. Stakeholder feedback during BESS demonstrations and field trials will inform further optimization and lead to large-scale commercialization. Strong letters of support from key stakeholders validate interest in supporting the project and beyond. BLIXT's strengths lie in its motivated founders and team, a proven track record of delivering disruptive innovations, a robust IP portfolio, and recognition from industry metrics and partners.

The use of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from waterborne must be minimised as fast as possible to reach a climate-neutral society by 2050. A vital prerequisite of the decarbonisation is the rapid growth of low-carbon power sources and energy storage. To achieve this, the efficient integration in the shipboard power system requires the development of high-power components and protections, and more specifically DC-DC power converters and DC switchgear. Albeit DC primary grids have been deployed for several vessels, the secondary grid has remained substantially identical to traditional solution based on AC. There is an opportunity to unlock the capabilities and functionalities of novel components for secondary grids that can improve the safety and the operations on the vessel. These components, integrated with the power converters and the protections of the primary grids, will reduce the risks of blackouts connected to faults and improve the reliability of the power supply. ALL-DC-SHIPS has devised a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges faced by shipowners, systems integrators and ship operators that includes: 1) development of new modular power converters with wide bandgap devices for primary DC grids 2) high-density power converters for secondary DC grids 3) innovative DC protection systems for primary and secondary DC grids 4) implementation of advanced algorithms for real-time ship energy management 5) rigorous testing and validation methodologies for the vessel demonstrator 6) providing recommendations for relevant use cases above 5,000 GT. ALL-DC-SHIPS will contribute to enable low-emission waterborne transport and technology transition for a resilient and sustainable future of the maritime sector.

To meet the goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C, energy storage capacity must increase from 140 GW in 2014 to 450 GW by 2050. Currently, only 3–4 percent of globally generated electricity is stored by utilities. Hydrogen fuel cells, while suitable for centralized and long-term storage, involve multiple conversion steps and infrastructure challenges. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are often more efficient, especially for short-duration energy storage. However, conventional BESS systems face limitations such as high conversion losses, fixed-string cell connections leading to premature battery failure, and limited scalability. BLIXT's X-Verter® addresses these challenges with software-defined power conversion based on cell-level control technology. This innovation enables BESS to generate AC sine waves directly from the battery pack, significantly reducing energy losses, bypassing weak cells, and extending battery lifespan by up to 80%. The technology is adaptable to all battery chemistries, suitable for various applications, including second-life batteries, Li-ion, supercapacitors, and more. The modular and scalable design caters to diverse capacities and customer needs, from critical infrastructure backup power to grid-scale applications. The project aims to optimize the prototype design, control software, and produce/test the BESS. Compliance and certifications for various applications will be obtained, and an initial software platform for end-users and stakeholders will be developed. Stakeholder feedback during BESS demonstrations and field trials will inform further optimization and lead to large-scale commercialization. Strong letters of support from key stakeholders validate interest in supporting the project and beyond. BLIXT's strengths lie in its motivated founders and team, a proven track record of delivering disruptive innovations, a robust IP portfolio, and recognition from industry metrics and partners.

Problem The integration of more renewable energy into the grid, creating highly variable, unpredictable and distributed energy production, uneven load and peak demand and transmission losses create significant challenges for utilities to effectively guarantee energy supply. Despite the investing billions of euros in Smart Meters, it is clear they are not the solution. They only collect limited amounts of data for the utility, do not give households greater control of their energy use, and cannot implement demand side management. Solution – Bl!xt DigiBreaker DigiBreaker turns your fuse box into a smartphone, collecting and communicating rich, real time electricity usage data as it passes through the circuit breaker. All the time while maintaining the core function of a circuit breaker, which is to interrupt current flow when there is a fault in the system. DigiBreaker breaks 1000 times faster and is more secure than the mechanical devices. DigiBreaker offers the following functionality: • Enables remote demand side management for the utility. • Direct two-way communication between the utility and the household. • An integrated controller that measures and collects detailed energy usage. • Can be controlled remotely via smart phone or computer. Project The aim of the phase 1 project is to improve our understanding of the value DigiBreaker holds for our target customer and clearly map out the route to market. In phase 2 we envisage to scale up the technology, establish a strategy for compliance in Europe, run pilots with utilities and build a commercial and operational strategic plan to demonstrate these aspects to utilities on a large scale. Impact & Market We estimate that DigiBreakers could replace traditional circuit breakers and fuses, which will have an estimated market size of over 27 billion € by 2020. Reaching 5% of this market by 2025 would provide us with returns of over 60M€ and an IRR of 81%.