Battelle and Gridquant deploying transmission grid management applications to enhance reliability, security of electric grid
Battelle has purchased equity in the specialty grid management company Gridquant to support Battelle’s commitment to bring breakthrough modeling and analysis technologies to the electricity transmission market, including Gridquant’s patented Holomorphic Embedding Load-Flow Method (HELM™).
Gridquant physicist Antonio Trias Bonet invented HELM, which is unlike existing grid management tools that are less reliable as the grid becomes more stressed. The core HELM technology has been proven by utilities internationally for a decade. HELM-based applications are critical for reducing blackouts and saving money today and enabling the next-generation grid.
"HELM technology is now revolutionizing grid operations in the same way that GPS technology revolutionized navigation," said Jason Black, Research Leader in Grid Systems at Battelle. "HELM is the basis of an expanding family of applications that tells grid operators the exact status of the grid, and how to navigate to the safest and most efficient operating conditions."
Marty Toomajian, President of Battelle’s Energy, Environment, and Material Sciences Global Business, sees this investment as a big step. "We are eager to see Gridquant’s technologies make a difference in grid operations," he said. "Our equity stake reflects our confidence in the company and future products we’ll build together on this platform."
"We are excited to have Battelle as a strategic investment partner," said Ross Harding, President and CEO of Gridquant. "Our complementary skills translate to rapid deployment of our products and co-development of the market based on the HELM platform."
This equity purchase follows an agreement with Gridquant that established Battelle as the exclusive provider of consulting services in the United States and Canada utilizing the HELM technology, while end-use licenses continue to be available for grid operators and planners.
About Battelle
As the world’s largest independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management; National Security; Health and Life Sciences; and Energy, Environment and Material Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including eight national laboratories for which Battelle has a significant management role on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the United Kingdom.
Battelle also is one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
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