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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
  • Project

LIFE CLEANAIRMM

Clean power supply devices in construction and urban green care to reduce emissions from portable machines.

LIFE CLEANAIRMM. All rights reserved.
Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

NEW LIFE CLEANAIRMM project fiche.

Replacing fuel-driven combustion generators

Everyday, millions of people around the world rely on small combustion engines for off-grid power. While these generators provide mobile energy in crucial sectors, including construction and agriculture, they have a massive environmental impact.

In one hour, a small portable gasoline generator produces an amount of exhaust emissions equivalent to driving a typical passenger vehicle for around 250 km. According to the latest update to the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, based on data from 2019, industrial and commercial heat and power generation is expected to surpass road transport as the leading emissions generator by 2025, producing 29% of total NOx.

Modern battery technology has already shown immense potential in decarbonizing various sectors. However, with most efforts still focused on reducing carbon emissions from road transport and grid electricity, little has been done to address the problem posed by traditional mobile generators.

Clean, mobile power for a breathable city

Instagrid provides a sustainable alternative to old-fashioned, polluting combustion generators. At an early stage, in 2019, the company received funding and support through the LIFE CleanAiRMM project. This allowed Instagrid to conduct intense environmental, social and economic impact assessments that were crucial to validate their technology and to help them tackle not one but two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7) and Climate Action (SDG 13).

Their flagship product, Instagrid ONE, is a portable, long-running power supply with the potential to revolutionize mobile power. Instagrid ONE works differently from conventional mobile battery-based power supplies, which typically consist of a bank of batteries connected to a central inverter. In Instagrid ONE, this central inverter is broken down into multiple micro-level inverters, each connected to an individual battery module. Using software and electronics, these modules work together to generate a pure AC sine wave. This is a significant advance in power conversion technology and enables Instagrid’s solution to be smaller, lighter, and more powerful than traditional battery-based power supplies.

With LIFE, Instagrid was able to validate the large-scale use of this technology for the power supply of small electric machines and pilot 90 portable Battery-Power Supply Systems (BPSS) to replace conventional fuel-driven generators in European cities.

Since this remarkable first step in their journey, Instagrid has come a long way. As of June 2024, the company is valued at over €360 million and has received around €125 million in funding from private investors. With over 30 thousand units shipped so far and 104kilotons of CO2e emissions saved thanks to its technology, these LIFE beneficiaries are truly powering the clean energy transition.

How did LIFE help Instagrid power clean, off-grid energy?

Sarah Fichtner explain us

  • News article

At an early stage, Instagrid received funding through the LIFE CLEANAIRMM project. Today, they are worth more than €350 million and have shipped around 30 000 units of their product. We spoke to Sarah Fichtner from Instagrid, to learn more about their journey as a LIFE beneficiary.

  • 4 min read

Quote from the Coordinating Beneficiary

Dr. Sebastian Berning, CEO and Co-Founder of Instagrid

“At an early stage of Instagrid's journey to replace combustion generators with a better alternative, the EU LIFE project gave us a strong network of partners and resources. With this backing, we conducted an in-depth assessment of our innovative technology's economic feasibility and environmental and social impact. This first-of-a-kind, comprehensive analysis was integral to our success, as it put us in a position to scientifically prove that our products significantly lowered emissions and costs for our customers." 

 

  • 2 OCTOBER 2023
LIFE cleanairmm