Energy storage expert

Kristiansand-based Pixii was founded in 2018 by a group of technologists and business leaders with extensive experience in power supplies for telecommunications and inverters for solar power. They wanted to apply their expertise to battery-based energy storage and develop new, innovative solutions. This required extensive technology development, piloting and market development.

'We and the wider business support system have been essential to Pixii's development, helping us become the competitive player in the global market that we are today,' says Ole Jakob Sørdalen, Chief Innovation Officer at Pixii.

'Pixii’s solutions can play an important role in the green transition and have significant potential for international growth. Energy storage will help address power demand and capacity constraints in the electricity grid. These challenges will grow in the years ahead as cars and society as a whole become increasingly electrified, and as renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are expanded, with energy production fluctuating according to weather conditions,' says Jon Arne Rasmussen, our financing adviser in Agder.

The company has received funding through the Pilot-E scheme, among other sources. The scheme aims to accelerate the development of new environmentally friendly technology and the green transition. It is a collaboration between the Research Council of Norway, Enova and us.

Sørdalen says that Pilot-E was the direct reason they won the tenders to supply 'grid batteries' to two large-scale demonstration projects in Norway. These projects, in turn, led to the company receiving several commercial orders for 'grid batteries' from a number of grid operators in Norway and India.

The energy storage system developed by Pixii is called Power Shaper. A key component of the system is a bidirectional power converter. It consists of advanced power electronics and processors that allow electricity to flow both from the grid to the batteries and back again. The required power output is achieved by adding the necessary number of these components to the system.

Demand for battery-based energy storage comes from distribution grids, commercial buildings and facilities, and microgrids. Elvia, Norway's largest grid company, is one example. They chose Pixii to improve capacity and quality in parts of the distribution grid.

Pixii recently signed a contract with the Yarra Energy Foundation in Australia. After months of technical analysis and assessment, the Kristiansand-based company's system was selected as the preferred solution for harnessing solar power and selling flexibility services to the grid for a neighbourhood in Melbourne.

The 100kW/250kW system will be installed in neighbourhoods to support local infrastructure, store locally generated solar energy and supply power to the grid during periods of high demand caused by electric vehicle charging and similar activities. The battery systems will also be connected to cloud services.

'This system will be the first of potentially several hundred installations planned by the customer. Winning this contract and demonstrating the solution's capabilities will be important for Pixii's future positioning in Australia and internationally.'

In addition to Australia and the Nordic region, Pixii now has its own companies in Slovakia and Germany to serve the European market.

Pixii manages a business network supported by us. Networks like this can help small and medium-sized enterprises strengthen their capacity for innovation and competitiveness, and increase sales opportunities in existing or new markets in Norway and abroad.

This business network targets the Indian energy market and works closely with our office in New Delhi to connect with relevant stakeholders and potential customers. This has already led to the sale of a pilot system to an Indian grid operator and a partnership agreement with an Indian energy trading company. Pixii is also a partner in a new business network targeting the energy market in Vietnam.

Read more about how Pixii presents its solution to international audiences on Business Norway.