Posted on September 30, 2026
What’s the deal? Photon Marine has received US$647.1K grant, the inaugural MegaBoost award from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. The money funds a commercial-scale demonstration of marine electrification and distributed energy storage in New York State.
What’s the endgame? The project will build an integrated marine electrification ecosystem with three connected technologies: a production-grade electric workboat, new marine fast-charging infrastructure, and a first-of-its-kind floating energy storage and charging platform.
Why now? MegaBoost expands on the Engine’s SuperBoost program, offering larger investments to companies that have proven their technologies and are ready to demonstrate performance, manufacturability, and commercial viability with real customers. Photon Marine will build on operating experience developed with the New York Power Authority.
By the numbers: The $1 million grant lands in the 69th percentile by size for comparable rounds — larger than roughly two-thirds of them, and a marker of the Engine’s stepped-up commitment.
“Commercial marine electrification will only scale when operators can see that the technology works in the conditions they face every day,” said Marcelino J. Alvarez, co-founder and chief executive officer of Photon Marine. He said the project will demonstrate the full ecosystem “from the propulsion system to the charger to mobile energy storage,” starting on the Erie Canal.
Alvarez framed the effort as a replicable model — one that could extend “from international sailing races to Caribbean fishing fleets to dual-use and autonomous applications.”
The signal: The award reflects a shift from backing individual technologies to funding complete, customer-facing systems. “It’s about market-making,” said Meera Sampath, chief executive officer of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, describing an effort to help companies “demonstrate complete systems, with customers, infrastructure and a path to commercial scale.”
