Relyion

What they do & why the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund invested

Founded in 2021 by CEO Dr. Surinder Singh and CTO Dr. Ratnesh Sharma, Relyion Energy offers stationary battery energy storage solutions for new and repurposed batteries. Relyion refurbishes and optimizes recycled EV batteries in long-lasting battery energy storage systems (BESS), powered by a proprietary system.

Dr. Singh, a clean energy engineer and experienced executive, earned his PhD in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Sharma, an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University with decades of experience in energy management, earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“The mission to address climate change is very close to my heart,” says Dr. Singh, who grew up in India. “We set out to figure out how to make battery storage affordable.”

By creating a pathway for reuse, Relyion can reduce waste and increase the sustainability of the energy system. The team estimates being able to avoid 450 tonnes of CO2 emissions for every megawatt hour of energy produced by their recycled battery energy storage system. After two years of research and development, Relyion now has three signed contracts. Capital from the fund is intended to purchase equipment, inventory, and supplies to fulfill purchase orders.

Managed by Mission Driven Finance, the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund invests in companies working on solving challenges related to climate change. Relyion is in LACI’s 5th incubation cohort and has received equity investment from LACI’s Impact Fund I.