Culham: Battery developer named in Green Tech listing

OXIS Energy, the Oxfordshire-based lithium-sulphur battery developer has been listed in the inaugural 10 Green Tech to Watch list in the 20^th anniversary edition of the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 as part of research sponsored by the BGF, the UK’s most active investor in growing businesses.

OXIS Energy, based at the Culham Science Centre, has been developing batteries that pack up to five times more energy than lithium-ion batteries and is building a factory in Brazil scheduled to open in 2023.

Huw Hampson-Jones, chief executive of OXIS Energy, is pictured below.

High Wycombe-based Monodraught is also in the list. A sustainable ventilation specialist that counts Waitrose, Ford, and IKEA among its customer base, it has created ultra low-energy ventilation, lighting and cooling systems that have saved 400,000 tonnes of CO2 over the past two decades. Led by managing director Andrew McCubbin, 51, the company has raised £2.7 million in funding to date, including from BGF.

Other companies on this year’s 10 Green Tech to Watch list include Highview Power, which stores spare energy by cooling and liquefying air to -196˚C; and Carbon Clean, whose technology cuts the cost of CO₂ capture from industrial emissions by more than half.

Stephen Welton, executive chairman of BGF, who helped judge the finalists, said: “As we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, a major and radical shift to new sectors of the economy is now going to happen much faster. Top of the list is the environment. Turning net-zero emissions pledges into reality is a huge opportunity for investors, but it requires a significant amount of capital. BGF plans to increase our investments into sustainable businesses from 5% today to up to 20% in the next 18 months. The 10 Green Tech to Watch is a great platform to showcase promising companies in this space.”