Tech firm harnessing energy from ambient air secures £2m seed

Ionech, an Oxford-based tech firm that can harness clean energy from ambient air, has received a £2m seed investment.

The company’s technology works by using high voltage pulses and field electron emission to generate superoxide ions and convert the thermal energy of ambient air into electricity.

It is planning to integrate this technology into high-energy demand products including commercial fridges, air conditioners and ventilation units, which Ionech said accounts for over a quarter of global energy consumption.

Now backed by the investment, which came from Elbow Beach as well as a grant from Innovate UK, the company is planning to scale its technology to real world pilots.

The Ionech team.

Ionech is also working on partnership projects including with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). The scheme aims to reduce the carbon footprint of drinks coolers.

 “We are partnering with Elbow Beach to advance the development of our Air Voltaic Cell technology,” said Nathan Owen, co-founder and managing director of Ionech.

“Their investment enables the transition from lab-scale development to real-world pilots, including initial work with CCEP’s cooler fleet.

“It also accelerates our route to market and deployment across energyintensive applications, such as HVAC and data centres, with the potential to reduce energy consumption, emissions, and reliance on the grid at scale.”

Nathan Owen (left) and Jonathan Pollock

Jonathan Pollock, chief executive of Elbow Beach added: “Energy demand is growing, driven by among other things, cooling systems and AI.”

“Ionech is developing ways to harness clean energy from ambient air. Their Air Voltaic Cell technology has the potential to reduce reliance on the grid, lower energy consumption, and deliver tangible benefits across the real economy. We are excited to partner with Ionech as they advance their technology to market.”