Portage is poised to welcome a new startup manufacturer, the Wisconsin Battery Co., with ambitious plans to employ former Energizer plant workers and pioneer the production of batteries crafted from hemp, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
On Dec. 7, the Portage City Council unanimously approved an option for the Wisconsin Battery Co. to purchase 17 acres in the Portage Industrial Park, earmarked for the construction of a 100,000-square-foot battery manufacturing plant.
The Wisconsin Battery Co., owned by the Sustainable Communities Corp., is a research, development, and manufacturing company committed to advancing sustainable and clean energy storage solutions. CEO Jeff Greene highlighted the company’s focus on hemp carbon batteries as an eco-friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, the company aims to produce industrial batteries to enhance the efficiency and reliability of energy storage solutions for solar and wind power systems.
Hemp batteries utilize the plant’s woody pulp to create carbon nanosheets, surpassing even graphene in energy storage capacity. The company plans to recruit laid-off Energizer plant workers, leveraging their experience to develop an efficient mass production system.
The new facility, designed to be solar-powered to the extent possible, will include a battery recycling facility and a daycare center for employees with children.
