The concept of “off the grid” might conjure up images of homesteads, rural dwellings tucked into forested landscapes, outhouses or desert shanties. But soon enough, it could mean also easy access to clean electricity.
WattAnyWhere, a Swiss start-up and member of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab accelerator program, has a unique mission to develop off-grid generators. By providing sustainable electricity that’s available anywhere, they’re working toward a goal of ubiquitous, renewable and clean energy to power the future.
Their mission is reflective of growing momentum toward a more generative economy. At Dassault Systèmes, this means the concept of giving back to society, keeping sustainability front of mind all the time. By recycling renewable energy stored as residue of the biomass and generating clean electricity from it, WattAnyWhere is doing just that.
For transportation, this idea is paramount. The industry contributes to CO2 emissions more than any other on an annual basis, although the rate of these emissions has declined over the last 15 years. That’s thanks to commitments to making vehicles cleaner for the environment. As hybrid and electric vehicles rise in popularity, it’s innovative solutions like WattAnyWhere’s that will ensure their future is as green as possible.
Clean electricity anywhere, anytime
WattAnyWhere, as its name suggests, is producing portable, clean electricity generators. Approximately the size of a parking space, it can be easily transported to wherever its user needs it to be. Despite its compact size, it has the capacity for 3000 vehicle charges. It does so by converting renewable ethanol into electricity, relinquishing common energy-producing requirements like external hook-ups or combustion processes, both of which negatively impact the environment.
Like many sustainability-focused companies, WattAnyWhere is also committed to designing and manufacturing their products in a sustainable way. It isn’t enough for the end result to be eco-friendly – its creation needs to be green as well. To achieve this, the company leverages several different virtual twin technologies which allow it to design, test and optimize both the generators themselves and the processes used to manufacture them.
Designs are created in SOLIDWORKS, using requirements laid out in ENOVIA, streamlined through project management tools also found on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The need for physical prototyping is removed, since the programs on the platform enable the company’s engineers to test all of the generator’s intricacies virtually. By maintaining their critical operations virtually and in a singular location, WattAnyWhere is able to optimize their processes and work more efficiently.
While the company sees e-mobility as a starting point, their aim is to identify other solutions for which their product can provide off-grid, sustainable and clean electricity. For WattAnyWhere, electric vehicle charging is simply the beginning.
Shoshana is a Senior Communications Manager on the Corporate Publishing team here at Dassault Systèmes. With experience in journalism, marketing, and PR, her work has been published around the world and across the internet.