After working in the oil industry, Luca Rossini became interested in energy storage and decided to pursue a Specialized Master's® in New Energy Management (SYSPEC) at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. This year of training enabled him to create RossiniEnergy, a company that develops innovative and competitive energy storage systems to enable self-consumption and distribution of solar electricity.
A battery on wheels?
During his SYSPEC Specialized Master's® year, Luca realized that in many countries, energy storage is of great interest to individuals due to the high cost of electricity. However, the batteries currently on the market do not offer a quick return on investment. Luca then asked himself: why not use objects such as V2G (Vehicle to Grid) to store energy? These have a large storage capacity, are mobile, and are rarely used except during journeys. As cars are still too expensive, Luca is interested in another type of electric vehicle: electric forklift trucks, which are commonly used in industry, transforming them into batteries when they are not in use.
From the research laboratory to the incubator: Support fromArts et Métiers
In order to successfully complete his project, Luca benefits from the resourcesArts et Métiers. Since 2015, he has been incubated at TONIC Incubation, the incubator for innovative companies run byArts et Métiers, Ecole Centrale de Lille, and Skema Business School, where he receives daily support. The first prototype was developed with the Electrical Engineering and Power Electronics Laboratory at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. Frédéric Colas, a research engineer at L2EP , contributed to the creation of this first prototype. "The laboratory mainly helped Luca with the electrical engineering aspects, the choice of components, and the design of the first prototype." The two engineers have since optimized this prototype, and a final version is expected to be marketed before the summer in Australia, Italy, and Belgium. Frédéric Colas confides, "We're not just talking about technical support here, but rather project support, from the idea to marketing, which is what's most interesting."
I am delighted with this collaboration with L2EP and the teams atArts et Métiers. The SYSPEC Specialized Master's® taught me everything there is to know about energy storage. Other projects and future collaborations may soon be considered to develop further innovations.
