Ohio State students create “Electrion” startup focused on sustainability

Andrew Horne
Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:41:08 +0000
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The Electrion team working with their equipment. Credit: Courtesy of Anita Nti

Hot dogs, alcohol, corn hole and gas-powered generators are all staples of game-day tailgates, but a group of Ohio State students are looking to replace the emission-producing machines with a cleaner, more sustainable option.

Electrion is a sustainability-focused startup aimed at replacing gas-powered generators with portable batteries. The group received $89,000 from the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State and $250,000 from investment firm MegaJoule Ventures in January, according to a Sustainability Institute press release. Anita Nti, a fourth-year in computer science and one of the founders, said the group came up with the idea in fall 2019 after noticing how many gas-powered generators, which emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases harmful to the environment, were used at tailgates on football game days.

“We saw that was a significant problem we could be a solution to, from not just that one Saturday, but even over a season, that’s a lot of [carbon dioxide] being emitted into the environment or into the community,” Nti said.

Nti said according to their research, upward of 120,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted by generators on any given game day.

After talking to party hosts, the group realized many people prefer gas generators because of their cost. Danny Freudiger, a graduate student in mechanical engineering at the Center for Automotive Research and group member, said battery packs cost three to five times the amount of a gas-powered generator to produce the same amount of energy.?

“That’s how we decided to be a solution, is by offering or by delivering battery packs in place of those diesel generators that are emitting [carbon dioxide] and delivering them on an on-demand basis for when people need it,” Nti said.

The group has also been looking to make an impact in the Columbus community, particularly through education. Nti said the group has partnered with nearby school districts in downtown Columbus and Upper Arlington to teach children and teenagers about sustainability.

Caleb Buaful, a third-year in industry and system management and group member, said the group wants to not only teach students about sustainability, but inspire students to use their strengths — such as understanding technology — to solve environmental issues.

“We don’t want to make it just a one-time thing,” Buaful said. “We want it to be a reoccurring thing where we go back, we actually help these kids learn something.”

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Danny Freudiger’s surname name as Freudinger. This story has been changed to reflect the correct spelling.