SBIR-STTR Award

Energy security and resilience is a paramount concern for the Air Force and the DoD. Zeno Power Systems is developing a next-generation radioisotope power system (RPS) that will be able to provide non-stop power for months to years at a time. RPS have the ability to provide consistent and reliable energy, but their use has been limited in the past due to their low specific-powers and inability to scale. Zeno is developing a lightweight shielding design that will be integrated with an RPS to create a highly-scalable ultra-long endurance, high-density, and low-maintenance power system.The Zeno team participated in the National Science Foundation I-Corps program where we conducted 102 interviews with energy, aerospace, and defense stakeholders. Through these interviews, we determined that the value propositions of our RPS align with problems of the DoD, and received a letter of support from Army Futures Command demonstrating interest in our technology. Through this SBIR, we seek to receive $50,000 in order to perform further customer discovery work within the AF organization, including with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Energy, and Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) - 635th Material Maintenance Group.Radioisotope Power System,Energy Resilience,Clean Energy,unmanned aerial vehicle,Military Installations

Energy security and resilience is a paramount concern for the Air Force and the DoD. Zeno Power Systems is developing a next-generation radioisotope power system (RPS) that will be able to provide always-on, resilient power for years at a time. RPS have the ability to provide consistent and reliable energy, but their use has been limited in the past due to their low specific-powers and/or high costs. Zeno's novel fuel design and lightweight shielding results in an RPS that has a high specific power and is cost-effective. Since receiving our Phase I, Zeno conducted extensive customer discovery work both in the Air Force and the broader DoD and received significant interest in our technology. Through this Phase II, we seek to rapidly prototype our technology in order to conduct trial tests with interested customers.