Why should you attend ESBE?

Rick Stockburger Uncategorized Leave a Comment

ESBEArtboard 12Newsletter Insert

I’m very fortunate that I get to go to a lot of conferences around the country, but the chief complaint I always hear is being stuck in a hotel and not getting an  opportunity to experience the city. The Energy Storage Building Efficiency Conference could be held in a hotel but we wanted you to have some adventure and show off a city that you might have never thought of coming to before. We believe  that place is important. We’ve had companies relocate to Warren from across the country because the value the city offered them, not just our incubator.

Our conference is going to be held on Courthouse Square in Downtown Warren, our breakouts will be at cool local venues and you will get to walk, navigate, and adventure through our cool little city. We’re inviting you to learn and be a part of and share our city for two days and we believe this will make the conversations, and the connections even more powerful.

Also, if that wasn’t cool enough, the closing reception will be at the National Packard Museum, so you’ll close out your experience listening to gangster era jazz music surrounded by one of the most innovative cars to ever hit the market. The first Packard rolled off the line in Warren, Ohio in 1899. Innovation isn’t just about the people you surround yourself with, it’s about the inspiration a place can have on the experience.

If you’re a startup in the energy sector, you must be here. Did you want to meet first customers like AEP, Dominion, First Energy, Rockwell and Others? Join us. I promise your company will be better for it.

Manufacturer’s send your plant managers and Chief Technology Officers. Do you want to learn about cutting edge technology that can lower your bottom line significantly, and make your buildings run cheaper and more efficiently? This conference will give you more than something to think about it, it’ll give you the connections to act on those projects you’ve been dreaming about.

Investor’s, do you want to learn about Opportunity Zone investing? We have John Lettieri from the Economic Innovation Group, the guy who partnered with Sean Parker of Facebook fame, here to tell you how to make good deals better and how to invest in companies and projects in places that your money can not only earn a return for you, but make a real impact in communities you care about. Beyond that, meet a plethora of investable startups and learn what they are doing to get your attention. Listen to early stage investors on how they make decisions, and what opportunities are out there. We consistently talk about how important it is to get our companies more access to capital, we need to talk more about how important it is for you to make sound investments into companies and projects that have a real impact. We’re excited to have you.

Testing AC Power with a Regenerative Grid Simulator

Zachary Mazur Uncategorized Leave a Comment

TBEIC can help you test PV inverters and other AC power and frequency products with its regenerative grid simulator located in the Energy Integration Lab.

NHR

So, what’s all the hype about? Why are startups along with small and large companies interesting in the NH Research 9410 Regenerative Grid Simulator? We’re glad you asked.

This machine will help companies of all scales validate their product with peace of mind. Newly released advanced output control features, improved manual control interface, and comprehensive drivers are among the most popular tweaks to the new model. The 9410 can simulate several abnormal AC-grad conditions including: sags and swells, full cycles, sub-cycles, multi-cycle disturbances, and voltage harmonics. Three programmable channels that allow for any combination of DC as well as 1, 2, and 3 phase AC outputs make it perfect for level 1 and level 2 EV chargers, V2G, UPS testing, grid-tied inverter testing, and EVSE systems. The modular design allows for power increase in 12kW increments to simplify compliance testing such as IEEE 1547, UL 1734, CA Rule-21, and LVRT through elite integration and programming adaptability. While the machine is in the regenerative (sink) mode it will send return power back to facility mains rather than being dissipated as heat. NH Research hit the nail on the head with their 4-quadrant, regenerative, rack-mountable grid simulator.

What’s inside the Energy Integration Lab?

Zachary Mazur Uncategorized Leave a Comment

One of the exciting pieces of TBEIC’s Energy Integration Lab is the IoT lab. The lab is filled with useful Keysight equipment that we’re fortunate enough to be provided with. Here are details on just a few of the unique pieces that makeup a portion of our lab.

A

The Keysight N6705C DC Power Analyzer can become a DMM, oscilloscope, arbitrary waveform generator, and datalogger. The interface has been revised to make it even easier to use. It outputs a beautiful dashboard to our desktop with data in units of seconds, minutes, hours, and days to see current consumption of the device under test. A test you can create on the power analyzer!

B

Keysight 34460A 6.5-digit Truevolt Multimeter with 1000V max voltage input and 3A max current input. This device is perfect to test low power devices with low DC current [100 µA to 3 A]. The machine has color, graphical display with built in bar chart, histogram, and math stats to show results. The accuracy of the device allows for calibration of some of our equipment without the use of shunts. The 34460A gives a serious productivity boost!

C

Keysight InfiniiVision MSOX4034A Mixed Signal Oscilloscope is the best on the market! Beginning with the massive 12.1” capacitive touch display screen to the Touch Zone Trigger feature. The unit has a built-in help feature that displays information on any button you press and hold down. The scope has an 8-bit digitizer or 256 discrete voltage levels on the screen for maximum signal resolution. The machine also has a consistent and quick update rate. When attached to a frequency counter, it sees 613kHz (waveforms) per second. The best thing is when enabling digital channels and serial decode, the update rate is not affected. This is accredited to the Megazoom IV ASIC Technology which does digital acquisition and serial decode in hardware. This machine handles memory depth automatically, hence the high update rate. The scope uses Segmented Memory feature to capture data you want and ignore the rest to maximize storage.

Interesting in seeing the equipment in action? Contact TBEIC by visiting HERE.

Six Steps to Starting Your Startup, Step Two: Secure Funding

Daniel Sylak Uncategorized Leave a Comment

This post is the second of a six-part series on some recommended steps to launching a startup business. (Here is the first post in the series.) However, there is no one way to start any business, so you should always consult multiple sources and/or authorities on what your business may need before you start it.

Getting Funded

Every business needs money to operate, and startups especially need money to get going. Startups need a business plan (as we mentioned in the first post in the series) to procure the money that can help them get the funding they need to begin work and to continue operating. Once you have made a business plan, you can give it to investors or financial institutions to procure funding or a loan.

Types of Funding

Incubators and accelerators are one form of early-stage funding for startup companies, usually called seed funding. Investors may give you money in exchange for an equity stake in your company if they see value in your company and its ideas. Financial institutions, on the other hand, will give you a loan with a somewhat high interest rate. Because of the lower cost of capital, it’s generally a better idea to get an investor in your business or go to an incubator or accelerator.

Types of Investors

Incubators, accelerators and investors all provide funding, usually for a stake in your company’s equity, but accelerators and incubators usually supply initial funding alongside support services and guidance. Until your idea and business is a little more mature, an incubator or accelerator is likely a better bet for your business to secure funding. After you’ve developed your business and are better able to demonstrate its value, seeking funding from a venture capitalist or angel investor is good idea. An angel investor is usually a single investor looking to invest a little in a company while exercising a somewhat higher risk tolerance. A venture capitalist is usually a large firm with a lot of money to invest which usually has a slightly lower risk tolerance.

Finding Additional Funding

Once you are ready to seek series A funding (your first foray into larger amounts of funding from investors) and beyond, finding venture capitalists is your best bet. For those residing in Ohio, you can seek out funding from Youngstown’s Valley Growth Ventures. VGV is a for-profit investment fund created to support high-growth companies across the state of Ohio. 

More Reading:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mnewlands/2017/03/02/how-to-get-funding-for-your-startup/#70ae3a0c1ccb

http://www.valleygrowthventures.com/

References:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/get-startup-off-ground/

https://startupnation.com/start-your-business/seed-money-entrepreneurs-get/

Six Steps to Starting Your Startup, Step One: Write a Business Plan

Daniel Sylak Uncategorized Leave a Comment

This post is the first of a six-part series on some recommended steps to launching a startup business. However, there is no one way to start any business, so you should always consult multiple sources on what your business may need before you start it.

What is a Business Plan?

In short, a business plan is a plan for what you want your business to become and how you will get it there. It generally outlines the first three to five years of your business. Not only does a business plan help you identify the direction you want your startup to go in, but it allows you do so in a more tangible way that is understandable and approachable by other people.

Why Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan helps other people to understand the purpose and goals of your business. Once people understand your business, you can use your plan to obtain access to important financial resources like investment capital and loans. Access to capital means you now have the means to continue launching your startup.

What Goes Into a Business Plan?

Depending on your needs, you can write either a lean startup plan or a traditional business plan. A lean startup plan covers high-level items and only the key elements of your business, and takes as little as an hour to write. On the other hand, traditional business plan is very detailed, comprehensive and takes a considerable amount of time to write.

Where Do I Start?

Well, a good place to start is with the Small Business Administration’s guide to business plans (see the references at the end of the article). Another helpful tool for people residing in Ohio is the Small Business Builder from Gale. To access it, you’ll need a free library card from the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. You can then go to Research>Business Resources>Research & Information>Business Plans and you’ll find the Small Business Builder. Click, sign in using your library card number and you’re all set to start using the free and intuitive tool for planning your business.

More Reading:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281416

References:

https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/write-your-business-plan

https://neilpatel.com/blog/get-startup-off-ground/