On-demand power start-up Anode has emerged from stealth with $9 million in seed funding led by Eclipse. The company will use the funding to accelerate deployments of its mobile battery energy storage system (mBESS) mobile microgrids for utilities, data centre owners and EV/AV fleet operators.

San Francisco-based Anode’s mBESS technology and microgrid solutions aim to improve on power rental services that rely on generators and fuel delivery. The company has a vertically integrated business model to combine purpose-built hardware, proprietary software, and AI-powered services. This is designed to provide energy at greater flexibility and higher performance for large customers such as utilities, data centre owners, general contractors, and EV/AV fleet operators.

Capitalising on declining battery costs and advances in AI, Anode aims to deliver energy at prices competitive with grid electricity, and at a fraction of the cost of fossil-fuel energy.

“US electricity consumption is growing five times faster than recent historical averages, and our electric grid is struggling to keep up. The rapid electrification of our economy is creating transmission bottlenecks and electricity shortfalls, increasing demands for flexible, cost-competitive, grid-independent power,” said Paul Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of Anode. “Anode’s AI-orchestrated microgrid solutions create a new model for large electricity users who can’t wait on the grid or be held back by legacy technologies to scale their operations.”

“Anode is solving one of the most urgent challenges in the energy transition: Access to reliable, clean, and on-demand power,” said Jiten Behl, partner at Eclipse. “Their vertically integrated model and world-class team enable them to scale rapidly and electrify some of the most critical industries of the future. Anode is uniquely positioned to bridge the gaps in existing electrical infrastructure by delivering scalable energy solutions that will unlock growth across transportation, manufacturing, and beyond.”