PRESS RELEASE: Branch Energy today announced a $33 million Series B funding round led by Piva Capital and Clean Energy Ventures, with participation from Active Impact Investments and Whitecap Venture Partners, and existing investors Prelude Ventures, Zero Infinity Partners and Inovia Capital.
Electricity availability has become a major constraint on growth in the American economy. Power needed for AI data centers and electrification (EVs, HVAC, advanced manufacturing, etc.) is driving energy demand up faster than the aging grid can accommodate. The traditional solution to meet new demand is to build new power plants and the wires to carry their output, which takes years. Generation projects completed in the United States now wait a median of over five years from request to connection.
Branch’s answer is the Arc: a proprietary, self-contained “grid in a box.” Everything needed to store and deliver electricity fits inside one container about the size of a parking space: an industrial-grade battery, grid connection equipment, cooling, autonomous controls, and the software that lets Branch run it safely and securely from the cloud. Branch installs Arc on-site at commercial buildings (warehouses, hotels, factories, retail, etc.). The systems are delivered by flatbed trucks and can be installed in just two days.
Branch’s model enables the building owner to avoid upfront payment for the system, with Branch handling permitting, installation, insurance, and operations. Branch also becomes the retail electricity provider for the host business, locking in lower rates for future years by optimizing the battery’s charge and discharge cycle. The host provides a parking-space-sized plot of land and receives guaranteed savings on their energy bill, in addition to backup power during outages. Branch’s revenues come from the electricity market by dispatching the battery’s stored capacity to the grid or to contracted offtakers such as hyperscalers, and shifting energy from low-cost periods at night to high-cost periods during daily evening peaks.
“Hyperscalers need power, and they need it now,” said Alex Ince-Cushman, Co-Founder and CEO of Branch Energy. “We can do it on the timeline of a delivery, not a construction project. Our customers don’t lift a finger, don’t pay a dime, and get guaranteed savings.”
The company is now expanding its services from Texas to Illinois, among other markets. PJM, the regional grid operator for Illinois, has recently opened a path for large energy users like data centers to connect sooner when bringing their own capacity to the grid. Branch builds the most reliable way to deploy this capacity quickly: via Arc autonomous batteries deployed across unused parking lots, behind meters that already exist, and with no new land, permits, or transmission lines required. PJM’s territory holds roughly 1.2 million commercial buildings and covers 20% of US national electricity demand, representing an extraordinary market opportunity for Branch.
“Grids around the country need the distributed capacity that this system can supply, especially in states with fast-growing power demand, like Texas and Illinois,” said Lee Larson, Principal at Piva Capital. “Branch Energy is an essential solution for business owners to reduce their monthly electricity bill, and their optimized battery fleet reduces system-wide costs for all of us. We’re thrilled to partner with Alex and the excellent team he’s built at Branch on the next phase of scaling.”
Branch is building toward tens of thousands of Arcs across the United States under long-term capacity agreements. A fleet that size carries billions of dollars of annual revenue.
“With utility-scale generation and storage challenged by interconnect and siting constraints, behind-the-meter commercial and industrial storage sites have become the ultimate market opportunity with ease of interconnect, ability to combine distributed AI data centers, and identifiable savings in rapidly growing markets,” said Daniel Goldman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clean Energy Ventures. “We believe the Branch Energy team has built the architecture and business model to be a multi-billion company and the leader in this emerging market.”
To learn more about Branch Energy’s solution and inquire about their services, check out their website: https://branchenergy.com/
About Branch Energy:
Branch Energy is a distributed energy company that makes it easy for commercial buildings to lower their energy bills while providing backup power at no cost.
PR Contact:
press@branchenergy.com
piva@launchsquad.com
