Clean tech startup scores $35M funding for new aluminum-based energy system
Voya Energy uses aluminum-based metal fuel to power up data centers with zero emissions and less impact on communities.
California-based clean technology startup Voya Energy secured a $35 million investment to create an innovative energy system utilizing aluminum-based metal fuel. This new power source aims to provide zero-emission electricity to large energy users, such as data centers and industrial operators, facing challenges with limited local capacities and permitting issues.
According to Richard Wang, Voya's co-founder and CEO, "Voya is developing an entirely new solution: generators powered by aluminum-based fuel that can deliver clean, quiet, and dependable electricity wherever it is needed."
The funding was led by Energy Impact Partners, with contributions from notable venture capital firms including John Doerr, Mantis VC, StepStone, Founders Fund, Overmatch, Seven Stars, and others. The investment will enable Voya to turn its vision of commercially deployable aluminum-based generators into a reality. As demand for energy continues to rise in the US, concerns over environmental impacts grow, particularly for local communities affected by the construction and operation of new data centers.
Voya's aluminum-based project promises to bring reliable power to the industry without the need for permits, studies, or new infrastructure, while minimizing community impact. Shayle Kann, Managing Partner at EIP, describes Voya's ambition as "one of the most ambitious and consequential ideas in energy: transforming an abundant, globally traded metal into a practical fuel for reliable power."
Voya's system combines a proprietary aluminum-based metal fuel with a specially designed generator that converts the fuel directly into electricity through an electrochemical process. The process uses low-grade scrap aluminum, formed into pellets for storage and transportation, and engineered for use in the generator system. The electrochemical process relies on Voya's proprietary electrolyte and metal-air cell technology, requiring no combustion or air emissions at the point of use, and enabling operation independently of the utility grid.
The company expects its pilot projects in industrial manufacturing, data centers, emergency response, and energy infrastructure will begin in 2027. Ultimately, Voya aims to make metal fuels a viable replacement for fossil fuels in various applications, particularly for on-site critical power generation. The current design of Voya's generator is projected to produce up to two megawatts of electricity from a standard 20-foot container, accompanied by a separate 10-foot fuel container capable of holding approximately 100 megawatt-hours of stored energy.
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