Spider9
| File:Spider9 Company Logo.gif | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Environmental Technology |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Glynne Townsend, CEO Dave Park, COO Bill Beckman CFO |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Advanced control systems for batteries and solar fields |
Number of employees | 10-50 |
| Website | www.spider9.com |
Spider9 Inc. is an American company based in Northville, MI that focuses on environmental technology solutions, specifically in the development of sophisticated control systems aimed at optimizing energy storage and solar power installations. Established in 2011 by experienced professionals including Glynne Townsend (formerly of A123 Systems), Dave Park (ex-VP Production at Wave Crest Energy Systems), Dave Smith (previous chairman of the USABC), and Bill Beckman (former VP Finance at Johnson Controls), the enterprise utilizes patented innovations licensed from the University of Michigan’s Office of Technology Transfer. The firm advances this technology within its operations at the Water Wheel Centre, housed in the historic Ford Valve Plant.
History
Spider9’s inception is rooted in control system patents obtained through a licensing agreement with the University of Michigan Real-Time Computing Laboratory. In mid-2011, the founding team spun off this technology from the university’s Office of Technology Transfer. By July of that year, the company redirected its strategic emphasis from electric vehicles toward grid-scale energy storage and solar field efficiency enhancement. On November 3, 2011, Spider9 was awarded a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to support installation of a solar array atop its Water Wheel Centre location in Northville, MI.
Technology
The technology developed by Spider9 incorporates proprietary hardware coupled with advanced software algorithms capable of dynamically reconfiguring system architectures. This approach facilitates precise monitoring and management at the level of individual cells and panels, ensuring stable voltage delivery by adjusting for performance inconsistencies and component failures.
Facilities
Spider9’s headquarters is situated in a building featuring a historic waterwheel engineered by Albert Kahn, originally designed to supply sustainable hydroelectric power. Although this waterwheel no longer fulfills the facility’s energy requirements, Spider9 is actively developing a control solution for an 85 kW rooftop photovoltaic system complemented by battery backup storage to provide renewable energy generation.