Sandia National Laboratory releases findings on new energy storage systems from Incubator client
Orlando, Fla. (June 29, 2026) – As the demand for energy continues to skyrocket with new data centers and advanced manufacturing locations, the Department of Energy needs technologies to overcome new issues that are becoming more prevalent today.
In 2024, a study was commissioned by Sandia National Laboratory and Orlando Utilities Commission to determine whether the supercapacitors being developed by Orlando’s Capacitech Energy could be the solution.
That study has now been released, showing Capacitech’s technology can mitigate downtime (brownouts and blackout) risks, protect equipment, and enable new control and coordination strategies for grid and microgrid operators.
“The demonstration project shows that supercapacitor energy storage systems can enhance power quality and resilience, reducing operational risk across modern power infrastructure—especially for utilities, data centers, and other mission-critical facilities,” the report concluded.
The report validates the research Joe Sleppy, president & CEO of Capacitech, started at the University of Central Florida and has refined for more than a decade.
“Ten years ago, we started this with an idea of something that could help energy users and to see it validated by the leading energy research organization in the country is tremendous,” he says. “Recently, we’ve seen our nation’s energy demands skyrocket and supercapacitors are going to be a key element to keep our grid operating smoothly.”
Capacitech focuses on making supercapacitor technology practical for and effective in power systems. One of its core offerings is the C-Link supercapacitor module for microgrids, utilities managing distributed energy resources, and large ramping loads and data centers managing AI workload surges.
The pilot project included 36 C-Link units installed at the Orlando Utilities Commission’s research facility in Orlando. The project lasted 12 months.
The project focused on three main areas of concern that have been growing as more heavy energy users come online. Those are:
- Black Starts: Restarting a grid after a power stoppage.
- Voltage Regulation: Maintaining voltage during events such as current spikes when turning on or starting up equipment.
- Load Leveling: Flattening short fluctuations in energy generation and demand.
The report’s conclusions said Capacitech’s technology could:
- “Minimize downtime by managing high inrush currents and transient events.
- “Prevent equipment damage by stabilizing voltage, frequency, and power fluctuations (i.e., improve power quality) to reduce stress on batteries and other generation assets.
- “Enable more efficient system designs and simplified microgrid operation.
- “Provide a cost-effective resilience layer with lower lifetime operating costs compared to battery-only approaches.”
“Compared to batteries, flywheels, and other energy storage technologies, supercapacitors have a high-power density and few charge and discharge rate requirements,” the report said. “Additionally, they exhibit lower relative safety risks compared to batteries, have a long operating life, and require relatively little maintenance.
“Economically, these characteristics result in a lower system cost (including installation, operation, and maintenance) in dollars per kilowatt and dollars per kilowatt-year, which is highly competitive to other short-duration energy storage technologies,” the report concluded.”
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For more information, the media should contact –
For Capacitech Energy: Joe Sleppy, 727-434-1229, joe.sleppy@capacitechenergy.com
For the UCF Business Incubation Program: Alan Byrd, 407-415-8470, Alan@ByrdConnections.com
About Capacitech Energy: Capacitech delivers power resilience for the modern grid by making supercapacitor technology practical, scalable, and easy to deploy. Our fully integrated C-Link modules deliver high-power energy storage optimized for millisecond surges, perfect for AI-driven data centers, microgrid systems, and grid applications. With modular expandability, flexible installation options, and proprietary power management, Capacitech enables engineers to build adaptable infrastructure ready for whatever tomorrow’s grid demands. Founded by engineers, for engineers, we’re the product partner turning power constraints into competitive advantages. For more information, visit capacitechenergy.com.
About the UCF Business Incubation Program: The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high-growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has provided vital business development resources resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.
With eight facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties, and the cities of Eustis, Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. In 2023, current incubator clients supported over 1,000 employees and generated over $120 million in revenue. Nineteen companies graduated from the program and remained in the local community. For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu
