OxEon Energy Receives $36 Million in Hydrogen Energy Funding From The US Department of Energy

OxEon Energy, a cleantech startup located in North Salt Lake, announces it has secured $36 million from the US Department of Energy under the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was passed by Congress in November 2021. $550 billion of the total amount has been allocated over ten years to infrastructure development, $73 billion which is intended to be used improve the nation's power infrastructure, clean energy transmission, and overall energy policy.

The $36 million grant to OxEon is expected to propel the company's solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) manufacturing capabilities to new heights. SOEC stands as a pinnacle of efficiency, producing hydrogen or synthesis gas with unparalleled efficacy for energy storage, sustainable fuel production and for industrial processes. OxEon's proprietary SOEC stack pictured here.

OxEon Energy will use the funding to increase its manufacturing capabilities, targeting 25 MWe annual production capacity, while streamlining processes and decreasing stack manufacturing costs, as a steppingstone for OxEon’s first Gigawatt facility. The project will involve assessing risks, opportunities, workforce, and energy impact, engaging key stakeholders for evaluation and mitigation planning. 

Highlights of the project include:

• Automation Evolution: OxEon Energy will leverage cutting-edge automation technologies to transform key processes, driving down labor costs, and increasing throughput. The automated equipment will be tailor-made for a 25 MWe annual production capacity, with scalability envisioned for a fully automated GWe facility.
• Quality Control Improvements: In-line quality inspection protocols will improve product oversight, enhancing control, yields, and cost-effectiveness.
• Strategic Collaboration: OxEon Energy is partnering with industry leaders like JR Automation, ASYS Group, ONEJOON Inc., and Silverstone Automation to spearhead the development and integration of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. Collaborations with NREL, PNNL, University of New Mexico, University of Utah, Georgia Institute of Technology, Florida A&M University, and the Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) will center on developing quality systems, conducting technoeconomic analyses, and strategizing and implementing community benefits plans.
• Community Empowerment: Prioritizing workforce development, OxEon Energy will champion diverse recruitment, forge robust supplier networks, and foster internships, apprenticeships, and training alliances with educational institutions.

"We are ecstatic about securing funding from the US Department of Energy for our manufacturing automation and scale up plan," said Jessica Elwell, Chief Operating Officer at OxEon Energy and the program's Principal Investigator. "This initiative isn't just about bolstering our manufacturing capabilities. It's about job creation, investment attraction, sustainable growth of the hydrogen economy, and solidifying OxEon Energy's position as a global frontrunner in solid oxide systems."

Founded in 2017, OxEon Energy specializes in cutting-edge energy technologies for a sustainable future. It has showcased groundbreaking technology aboard the Mars Perseverance Rover within NASA's Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE). The company has since successfully scaled the SOEC device for earthbound applications which are the focus of the Department of Energy hydrogen grant.

OxEon strives to address the world’s most pressing energy challenges, from space exploration to renewable energy on Earth. As nations attempt to decarbonize in the coming decades, solutions for “hard-to-abate sectors” must be found. They include: decarbonizing electric power generation using renewable and nuclear energy; phasing out fossil generation from the electric grid; electrifying light-duty transportation with electric vehicles; and electrifying space heating using heat pumps, among many others. These approaches ignore heavy transport and a broad sector of industrial energy consumers, including the “Four Pillars of Modern Civilization”—ammonia, cement, plastic, and steel.

Anticipating this need over three decades ago, the OxEon team developed Cross-Sector Energy Conversion technologies for efficient production of hydrogen, SNG (synthetic natural gas), and liquid transportation fuels from electricity and CO2. Although this process didn’t even have a name when OxEon started working on the problem, it is now known as the "power to fuels" (PtF) or PtX. The same technology OxEon used to demonstrate rocket propellant production on Mars is now being industrialized for sustainable fuels and materials production on Earth. The Department of Energy grant will accelerate the company's earthbound efforts.

On April 11-12, 2024, OxEon will receive the Governor's Energy Pioneer Award at the Utah One Summit at the Grand America Hotel. This award is presented in partnership with the Utah Office of Energy Development.

For more information about OxEon Energy, visit www.oxeonenergy.com.

To learn more information or discuss potential partnerships, please reach out to EIP Ventures at bwestle@eip-ventures.com or info@oxeonenergy.com.