In September 2023, ReJoule was named a grand prize winner of the American-Made Solar Prize Round 6. But what’s next for the team and how has the Solar Prize impacted their trajectory?
ReJoule received more than $740,000 in total cash prizes for their innovative solutions to energy access and battery circularity. In addition to the cash prizes, ReJoule received $150,000 in technical support vouchers to use at national labs and other partnering facilities. ReJoule was also named the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest winner for their focus on advancing solar in underserved communities.
ReJoule’s winning technology converts decommissioned electric vehicle (EV) batteries into solar storage that can be deployed in critical infrastructure. Their initial target market is critical infrastructure serving disadvantaged communities like affordable housing, homeless shelters, health clinics, and food banks. According to ReJoule, when EV batteries no longer offer the range required for the road, they can still retain about 80% of their original capacity.
As contestants in the Solar Prize, ReJoule launched a pilot project with the California Botanic Garden to deploy used batteries from eight EV delivery trucks in a solar microgrid. The microgrid could save the Garden $35,000 a year in electricity costs and provide the local community with a cool zone to find relief when the larger power grid fails.
Siblings and co-founders Steven and Zora Chung launched ReJoule in 2017 as a battery diagnostics company, but the Solar Prize allowed them to expand their focus and explore new methods for using batteries to store solar power and dispatch it at peak hours and in emergency situations. With their winnings, ReJoule plans to expand their team and deploy solar with re-used batteries at two new pilot sites.
See ReJoule’s winning Solar Prize submission and learn more about their startup!
