Week 21 | ACAL Energy

ACAL Energy Ltd is a developer of fuel cell systems, modules and consumable chemicals for a range of uses.

ACAL Energy

Founded: 2004

Headquarters: Runcorn, Cheshire

Investors: Enterprise Ventures, The Carbon Trust, Synergis Technologies, NorthStar Equity Investors, I2BF Global Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors

ACAL Energy Ltd is a developer of fuel cell systems, modules and consumable chemicals for a range of uses including stationary, residential and automotive applications requiring larger than 1 kW of power.

Fuel cells are electrochemical systems that convert chemical energy to electrical power directly. The company's innovative designs will help deliver substantial cost savings in fuel cell systems and performance improvements in Proton Exchange Membrane that will accelerate the adoption of PEM Fuel Cell technologies in key markets.

ACAL Energy was founded in August 2004 to research and optimise Dr Andrew Creeth's invention for addressing the inherent technical limitations of the cathode side of membrane based fuel cells. It is based in the North West of England at The Heath Business and Technology Park in Runcorn. Its current laboratory and commercial facilities have continually expanded to accommodate the company's in house chemistry development team and engineering resources. The company also has facilities in the North East of England (at the Fuel Cell Application Lab with CPI at Wilton) to have access to state of the art fuel cell testing and support equipment.

To support its own facilities ACAL Energy has R&D collaborations in place with a number of the UK's leading centres for research on Fuel Cells and its related technologies including The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, The University of Manchester, and C Tech Innovation Ltd.

Enterprise Ventures' RisingStars Growth Fund initially invested in September 2004 and has since increased its investment in the company, against a set of investment milestones. The company raised Series A funding of £3.3m in December 2008 before raising £3.5m in May 2010, and this year has raised £1.5m from I2BF Global Ventures and just last month received £400,000 from The North West Fund for Energy and Environmental (NWF4E&E) which is managed by is managed by long-term backers CT Investment Partners - the VC arm of the Carbon Trust.

www.acalenergy.co.uk