Granarium Secures Over €1M to Scale the World's First 100% Renewable Supercapacitor

From Lab to Spinout: The VTT LaunchPad Transfer

The core science was developed at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Scientists Otto-Ville Kaukoniemi and Vesa Kunnari were investigating whether nanocellulose could be used to bind biocarbons into a functioning energy storage structure . The breakthrough led to a formal spinout through the VTT LaunchPad program, an incubator designed to turn deep-tech research into investable companies . Granarium set a goal to complete its spinout by the fourth quarter of 2024 and is now operating independently with the IP licensed from VTT .

Production Capex Cut by Up to 80%

Conventional supercapacitors are expensive to manufacture, partly because they rely on high-cost, finite materials. Granarium replaces those inputs with abundant, low-cost renewable feedstocks like forest industry sidestreams, which the company claims can lower production capital expenditure by as much as 80% compared to traditional methods . By eliminating mined and imported raw materials entirely, the technology also insulates production from volatile commodity prices and supply chain disruptions .

This cost advantage is critical for making supercapacitors viable for grid-scale applications, where price per kilowatt-hour has historically favored lithium-ion batteries. Granarium's approach positions supercapacitors as a complementary technology for short-duration, high-power needs that batteries serve less efficiently.

Designed for Sub-Second Grid Response

The initial product targets 50–100 kWh storage units that deliver instant, high-power discharge for grid stabilization . Supercapacitors excel at rapid charge and discharge cycles, making them ideal for frequency response and fast-reserve power—tasks that are increasingly important as solar and wind introduce more volatility into electricity networks.

Granarium's devices are engineered to provide millisecond-scale balancing to handle the sub-second fluctuations that batteries cannot efficiently address . The company positions the supercapacitors as a complement to longer-duration battery storage, covering the gap for industrial power-quality support and 24/7 reliability in critical operations .

Strengthening Europe's Energy Resilience

The European Union has made energy independence a strategic priority, particularly following supply chain shocks and gas market disruptions. Granarium's technology supports this goal by enabling decentralized, locally produced energy storage that does not depend on imported raw materials . The ability to manufacture supercapacitors from domestic forest and agricultural waste strengthens grid infrastructure while aligning with circular economy principles .

By reducing dependence on fossil-based backup power and imported battery minerals, the technology offers a path to a more resilient and self-sufficient European energy system—one where the raw materials for grid stabilization literally grow in the region's forests.