Albany, NY (WRGB) — A major clean-energy gathering is coming to Albany, bringing together hundreds of industry experts focused on modernizing the grid, expanding renewable power and meeting climate goals across New York.
The New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium, known as NY-BEST, is hosting its Capture the Energy Annual Conference and Expo May 12-14 at the Albany Capital Center in Albany. Organizers describe energy storage as a vital technology for enabling sustainable energy use and addressing climate change, and say the transition to a sustainable energy future will require bold, innovative solutions.
Ashlawn Energy is set to be one of the major attendees, exhibiting at the New York Battery and Energy Storage’s (NY-BEST) Capture the Energy 2026 Conference on May 12-14. The company plans to highlight its VanCharg Vanadium Flow Battery, a battery storage system charged from electrical sources like wind, solar, or the electrical grid, and designed to discharge power as needed to support a building’s energy load.
Ashlawn Energy was founded in 2008 by Norma Byron, a former defense contractor who wanted to use her knowledge of hydrogen cells “for something good.” The company says its mission is to empower communities with innovative energy storage solutions by enabling them to take local control of their own power, contribute to reducing the impact of climate change, and provide a better quality of life with cleaner air and less expensive power.
At the conference, Ashlawn Energy plans to bring physical units for attendees to see in person, including a 200-pound battery system, along with a demonstration of an actual VanCharg battery. The company says its VanCharg batteries are non-flammable, water-based and non-explosive, and calls the system the only one of its kind in the market.
The company says the lifespan of its batteries is up to 30 years with an energy storage duration of 4-14 hours, compared with up to seven years and 1-4 hours with lithium batteries. Ashlawn Energy also lists low production costs, lower carbon and environmental impact, and modular, scalable design among the system’s benefits.