ENERGY & STUFF.              Batteries and bottlenecks... Copper and Cooking         

by Saul Griffith

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

AUG 30, 2025.

It isn't all bad news out there in climate land, the technologies we need all get better every day!

Five or so years ago, mid-pandemic, I was working closely with my friend Sam Calisch, and we realised that batteries are a solution to bottlenecks in the wiring of our electrical system - and I mean the larger electrical system from turbines down to toasters. These bottlenecks can happen anywhere, whether it be an under-rated circuit within the house, an under-rated main panel or switchboard, an under-rated local distribution network, or a transmission bottleneck on the bulk power network. We are asking electricity to do more, and it is stretching the capacity of our wiring.

[Energy & Stuff is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.]

Upgrade to paid

Our specific realisation is that the last metre (yard?) of wiring may be even more critical than the last mile (km?), as replacing circuits in a home for high amperage equipment is expensive, difficult, and disruptive. The induction stove is a perfect example. High performance induction stoves — the ones that absolutely outperform natural gas cooking — need something higher than your average 10 or 15 Amp circuit to perform as desired. This is an esepcially big problem in North America and other countries pinned to 110V, but still a problem in 220/230/240V jurisdictions.

In most places cooking isn’t a constant activity however, so why not trickle charge a battery in the stove when it is not cooking, such that we can pour energy into it when necessary later. A few hundred dollars worth of batteries in the stove (or appliance) negates what can be a thousands to tens of thousand dollar wiring upgrade to the kitchen. A whole lot of other benefits accrue to the house, such as the possibility of using this battery to power the fridge in the case of a grid outage. Of course the benefits of significantly lowering indoor air-pollution, and of course making all electric cooking zero emission, as well as lowering the cost of cooking are the huge benefits. Easier cleaning and safer cooking are yet more advantages. Its just better.

With these insights Sam and I filed a patent, wrote proposals to the DOE (Department Of Energy) and started a company. In an America that may not exist anymore after the Trump administration eviscerates science and clean energy we were fortunate enough to get a research award from the DOE to begin proving the benefits of this technology to the homeowner and to the grid at large.

The personal side of Copper (or Channing Street Copper in its previous long-form) is a wonderful story of mentorship and collegiaility. I regularly visit and it is like visiting multiple generations of former colleagues, many of whom had their first internship or first job with me or with Otherlab. Sam Calisch — the CEO — had one of his first jobs with me at Otherlab when I was a new dad, and as well as working on lots of interesting things would sit my infant son on his lap and show him google image searches of blueberries and construction equipment. This would allow exhausted first time dad (me) to nap mid afternoon. That same son is now 16 and just did an internship with Copper and helped design and build some calibration and measurement tools. The circle of life.

Eric who works there was the CEO of another company we built successfully called Instructables.com which was an early internet platform for DIY instructions. Instructables sold to Autodesk.

Tucker, also critical to operations at Copper cut his teeth building a company with me that we ultimately sold to a consortium of vehicle companies and OEMs. Volute invented, designed and pioneered the manufacturing processes for pressure vessels that filled space more effectively than traditional tanks, and thus had application in many things including hydrogen and gas storage in alternative fuel vehicles.

I’ve worked with Dan, Pushan, Mitch, Josh, on multiple projects over multiple years including solar vehicles, wind energy, new fabrication technologies, robotics, and more.

This multi-generational entrepreneurial soup is the kind of thing that thrives in the American innovation ecosystem that includes federal funding for early stage technology de-risking, and the concentrated intellectual capital of cities like San Francisco and Boston that have venture capital and good universities. It is the thing that is at risk under the Trump administration and DOGE’s ideological cancelling of all manner of research funds, projects, universities, and agencies. Copper itself had a new DOE research contract cancelled mid-stream by DOGE. I thought Elon was on team electrification?

Funding of hardware companies in Silicon Valley is extremely difficult. Software returns are faster and more predictable and have growth curves that make the comparatively slow growth by sales of physical hardware look less attractive. Its for these reasons that I’m extra proud that in a very difficult financing environment for climate hardware (the US right now) that Copper just closed a round of financing to bring the technology to scale. I’ll paste in their press release below so as not to butcher their bragging rights. I’m so proud of this company I helped launch as it achieves its mission to make appliances better while solving our climate challenge.

Copper lands $28 million financing to scale technology behind world’s first battery-equipped induction range

Copper’s first product, is a 30inch oven and cooktop.

Copper’s award-winning range is easy to install, offers powerful and precise cooking, supports the electric grid, and creates a healthier and safer kitchen.

Berkeley, CA, EMBARGOED TO 9AM ET, August 27th, 2025 — Copper started shipping its award-winning induction range last fall, officially launching a new category of battery-equipped home appliances. The internal battery not only gives a serious performance boost, but also supports the grid and avoids expensive electrical upgrades to buildings. Now, Copper is closing a $28 million Series A financing to expand its operations into new markets and products.

The financing, a combination of equity and debt, was led by Prelude Ventures, which invests in startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. The round also includes Building Ventures, as well as existing investors Voyager, Collaborative Fund, Climactic, Designer Fund, Necessary Ventures, Leap Forward Ventures, and Climate Capital.

Copper has already shipped nearly a thousand of its ranges to customers around the U.S., with overwhelmingly positive response. NYT Wirecutter called it “the holy grail of induction,” and the product garnered top honors from design outlets Core77 and the IDSA. Copper itself was one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2025.

“Copper has built a category-defining company,” said Mark Cupta, Managing Director at Prelude Ventures. “We were particularly impressed with the team’s relentless execution and capital efficiency, the scale of their vision, and the strength of their patent portfolio covering batteries in appliances.”

While Copper sells directly on its website, the majority of its business comes from B2B sales to owners of buildings and real estate portfolios. These customers often face steep costs to repair aging gas distribution pipes or upgrade outdated electrical infrastructure. Copper solves both problems, saving significant capital and complexity, all while retiring the gas infrastructure and delivering premium performance and resilience to the building residents. In a noteworthy demonstration of demand, the New York Housing Authority recently awarded Copper a contract for 10,000 units, which came with stated interest from related parties for an additional 300,000+.

Once deployed, batteries embedded in Copper’s stoves and other appliances provide support to the electric grid, acting as a virtual power plant (VPP). Copper first piloted its California VPP in the summer of 2024, with a network of distributed energy storage assets providing verified capacity and reducing dependence on expensive gas peaker plants. Deploying batteries inside residential appliances offers a cost-effective way to get energy storage to the edge of the grid, where it’s most valuable.

“This new capital will enable Copper to continue to scale its technology platform into additional products, helping millions of people upgrade their homes, ditch gas, and support the clean grid,” said Sam Calisch, CEO and co-founder of Copper.

About Copper

Copper designs and builds beautiful, high-performance appliances that make electrification the obvious choice. Based in Berkeley, California, Copper’s first product is a battery-equipped induction stove that plugs into a regular 120V outlet, enabling cooks to easily upgrade from gas to induction without costly, complex electrical upgrades. To learn more, visit www.copperhome.com.

[Posted by David Smith for 'Electrifying Bradfield, 30th August, 2025.]