Alternō – ASSIST
About
The Alternō – ASSIST is a Vietnam-based partnership that harnesses the power of sand to capture, store and distribute heat providing agricultural businesses with a cost-effective method that can save them up to 50% in drying costs.
Investing in Impact
P4G has awarded the partnership US $357,275 in grant funding.
Alternō is a venture capital backed Vietnamese startup that uses sand battery technology to efficiently convert electricity to thermal energy that can be stored in the sand at 600°C. The technology can have several uses including drying agricultural products such as tea, coffee, rice and cocoa, and heating residential and commercial buildings.
Sand is heated to high temperatures using high-efficiency heating systems. A thick layer of insulation preserved the high temperature of the thermal energy that is stored in the sand. An air blower pushes air through a series of tubes inside the battery and the hot air that leaves the battery is heated to 100 - 300°C. The air is circulated in a drying chamber to dry agricultural products and saved up to 50% in drying costs. There is only an estimated thermal loss of 5% a day.
ASSIST, an international nonprofit, has experience in the energy sector and will help Alternō find customers in agro-processing. It will also support the startup with promotional activities and targeting marketing and communications campaigns to increase awareness of the technology and increase the customer base.
Between April to June 2024, Alternō hosted a climate change workshop with Fulbright University for 30 young Southeast Asian leaders. The company has made notable strides, including securing multiple agricultural and automotive clients and upgrading the Alternō Air 2 battery to boost capacity by 300%. Additionally, a new Tray Dryer Machine has been introduced, featuring enhanced heat flow and 50% less heat loss.
In April 2024, Alternō announced that it secured over US $1.5 million in funding co-led by leading impact and venture capital funds The Radical Fund in Singapore and Touchstone Partners in Vietnam.
Active in regional events, Alternō participated in the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Program, pitched at the Decarbonization Summit in Thailand and attended the Future Energy Asia Exhibition and Summit 2024. In June 2024, Alternō joined the "Investment Policy for Startup" discussion in Hanoi, hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In August 2024, Alternō co-organized the Green Energy Transition Showcase, funded by P4G and organized with ASSIST, EBOOST and Stride. The event gathered over 180 participants to explore renewable energy solutions and foster partnerships for a sustainable energy future.
Alternō aims to raise almost US $4 million in additional investment. It will reduce or avoid more than 124,000 metric tons of carbon emissions and will onboard 10 new customers.
The partnership comprises the following partners: Alternō (lead business partner); ASSIST (lead administrative partner); New Energy Nexus; Antler; The Radical Fund; Touchstone; Impact Square; GlocaLink Singapore; JICA; Temasek Foundation.
Partners
