Energy Storage Database
This installment of our SpaceFund Reality (SFR) rating is focused on energy storage.
In space the need for constant and reliable energy is a life and death matter. No matter the source of the energy, the contingency always exists that it will fail, either predictably, as in the long day night cycle of the Moon or in Earth orbit, or in an emergency breakdown of the energy generation system. Thus energy storage is one of the keys to survival on the high frontier. In fact it has been pointed out that the development of battery technology by Tesla – owned by future Mars settler Elon Musk – does not occur in a vacuum – so to speak.
Given electricity is the underlying power source for almost all activities in space, the most common types of storage devices are batteries and capacitors. Also being developed are regenerative fuel cells, basically a standard fuel cell run in reverse when energy is plentiful, that can then, when needed be reversed again when energy is needed. More exotic systems such as flywheels are much more feasible in space than Earth due to the ability of the wheel to spin without gravitational issues, but as yet are not a major focus for commercial use.
No matter the type of battery, they must withstand the extreme rigors of temperature variations and be as long lived as possible, as replacement and resupply are key challenges when beyond Earth.
Of course with the rise of a more electric based transportation and renewable solar energy industry here on Earth, the development of highly efficient, low cost, and high cycle energy storage systems may prove to be a major profit center for any space company able to solve the challenge. SpaceFund sees energy storage systems as a very interesting area of possible growth. The question will be do developments in terrestrial energy storage benefit space, or will research into storage systems for space lead to a breakthrough for markets here on the planet?
The Energy Storage SpaceFund Reality rating (SFR) is a detailed database of over 15 companies from all over the world that are either actively creating, or planning to create, technology and services to improve energy storage in space. Each company has been assigned an SFR rating based on our analysis, publicly available data, and expert insights.
If you haven’t already, please consult our SpaceFund Reality (SFR) ratings page to learn more about the rating, its purpose, and the underlying formula, as well as to view a complete list of the SpaceFund sectors of interest.
How to Use This Table
Sort: Click on the column heading to sort A-Z; click again to sort Z-A.
Search: To search within the entire table, simply type your query into the search area at the top right of the table. If you’d like to search within a specific column, use the search box at the bottom of that column.
Download: You can download this table as an Excel or CSV file by using the icons at the top of the table. You can also print the table.
Screen Size: The database is too big to fit on most screens, so you’ll need to use the scroll bar at the bottom of your screen to scroll right to see additional columns, and continuing scrolling down to see all companies.
Important Note (Alpha Sort Columns vs Numeric Sort Columns): In the Specific Energy Density, Voltage, Max Constant Discharge, and Capacitance columns, any figure listed as a “0” is simply a placeholder for unavailable data. This is due to the nature of this table format, and to ensure that the columns sort properly, a numeric character must be included in each cell. So, for example, if a company is listed to have a Voltage of “0” this simply means that this information is not publicly available and the “0” acts as a replacement for “N/A”.
The Funding column is set to sort alphabetically. Since this column contains alphabetic characters in some cells, it will sort alphabetically, not numerically and so the “-” character has been used to represent unavailable data. All other columns in the table will also sort alphabetically.
Important Note (Companies not Products): This database, and the SpaceFund Reality ratings, are based on COMPANIES, not specific products or technologies.
How to Provide Updated Data
Have we missed your company? Do you feel that your company should have a different rating? Is the listed data inaccurate or outdated? Do you see missing data for your company? The best way to update your information in this database is to reach out to us directly to provide additional information about your technology, management team, funding history, and company progress. We are also eager to learn about any additional data sources that can help us in our ongoing research, so please feel free to share any resources you know of with our team.
Updates will be published as new information becomes available.
SpaceFund Reality (SFR) Rating
Energy Storage Database
Last Update: 13 January 2021
| wdt_ID | Company | SFR | Type | Application | Location | Specific Energy Density (Wh/kg) | Voltage (V) | Max Constant Discharge (A) | Capacitance (uF) | Funding ($M) | Country | HQ Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | AVX | 9 | Capacitor | Spacecraft | Deep Space; Earth Orbit | 0 | 25.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Public | USA | Fountain Inn, SC | A leading manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components |
| 38 | EaglePicher | 9 | Battery | Rover; Spacecraft | Deep Space; Earth Orbit; Mars; Moon | 160 | 3.60 | 250.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | St. Louis, MO | Supplying reliable and high quality batteries for space missions |
| 39 | EnerSys | 9 | Battery | Spacecraft | Earth Orbit | 147 | 3.60 | 70.00 | 0.00 | Public | USA | Reading, PA | Manufacturing spacecraft batteries to supply mission-critical power for platform and payload systems |
| 40 | Presidio Components | 9 | Capacitor | Rover; Spacecraft | Deep Space; Earth Orbit; Mars | 0 | 16.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | San Diego, CA | Leader in the manufacturing of ceramic capacitors |
| 41 | Amprius | 8 | Battery | - | - | 450 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 172 | USA | Fremont, CA | Manufacturing the highest energy density lithium-ion batteries in the world |
| 42 | FastCap Ultracapacitors (Nanoramic) | 7 | Capacitor | Spacecraft | Earth Orbit | 0 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 460,000.00 | 40 | USA | Boston, MA | Developing high performance ultracapacitors and energy storage technologies |
| 43 | Teledyne Energy Systems | 7 | Regenerative Fuel Cell | Surface | Mars; Moon | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Public | USA | Hunt Valley, MD | Developing advanced energy systems for space applications |
| 44 | Giner | 6 | Regenerative Fuel Cell | - | Mars; Moon | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Newton, MA | Developing regenerative fuel cell designs for Mars/Lunar exploration programs |
| 45 | NGK Spark Plug | 6 | Battery | - | Moon | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Public | Japan | Tokyo | Aiming to supply the burgeoning lunar industry with a stable energy storage solution |
| 46 | ADA Technologies | 5 | Battery; Other | Rover; Spacecraft; Surface | Earth Orbit; Mars; Moon | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Littleton, CO | Developing energy storage technologies for space applications |
| 47 | Infinity | 5 | Regenerative Fuel Cell | Surface | Mars; Moon | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Windsor, CT | Developing regenerative fuel cell systems for human settlement |
| 48 | AlumaPower | 4 | Battery | - | - | 4,000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.5 | Canada | Sarnia, Ontario | Developing a new aluminum-air battery |
| 49 | he3da USA/Power Orbital | 4 | Battery | Spacecraft | - | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Reno, NV | Pioneering 3D lithium battery technology, enabling full utilization of renewable energy sources |
| 50 | NDB | 4 | Battery | Life Support; Spacecraft | - | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Pleasanton, CA | Creating an innovative, long-lasting green battery made from carbon-14 waste |
| 51 | PolyCharge | 4 | Capacitor | Spacecraft | Earth Orbit | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Tucson, AZ | Pioneering the development and production of high energy density, high temperature, capacitor products |
| 52 | Direct Kinetic Solutions | 3 | Battery | Spacecraft | Earth Orbit | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | El Paso, TX | Developing a radioisotopic battery solution to offer continuous power, anywhere |
| 53 | PolyMaterials APP | 3 | Capacitor | Spacecraft | - | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Tampa, FL | Developing supercapacitor technologies for commercial applications |
| 36 | Saft (Total S.A.) | 9 | Battery | Rover; Spacecraft | Deep Space; Earth Orbit; Mars; Moon | 117 | 14.60 | 5.00 | 0.00 | Public | France | Levallois-Perret | Designing and building lithium-ion batteries for space |
| 35 | Space Vector | 9 | Battery | Spacecraft | Earth Orbit | 69 | 29.60 | 125.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Chatsworth, CA | Producing a variety of batteries used in launch vehicles and spacecraft |
| 54 | Piersica | 2 | Battery | Spacecraft | - | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | USA | Sunrise, FL | Developing a safe, solid state battery with 2x the energy of commodity Li-ion |
| Company | SFR | Type | Application | Location | Specific Energy Density (Wh/kg) | Voltage (V) | Max Constant Discharge (A) | Capacitance (uF) | Funding ($M) | Country | HQ Location | Description |
SpaceFund Sectors of Interest
SpaceFund is interested in a number of sectors of the space economy, specifically Transportation, Communication, Human Factors, Supplies, and Energy. In the coming months we will post SFR ratings for companies from all of these sectors, providing a robust overview of the state of frontier-enabling companies across the industry. Please check back frequently to view new sub-sector databases, and sign up to receive our emails to be notified of each new release.
Click on the black buttons below to view the available SFR databases.