Houston-based distributed energy provider Branch Energy has raised $33 million in Series B funding to scale its behind-the-meter energy storage system. The round was co-led by Piva Capital and Clean Energy Ventures, with participation from Active Impact Investments, Whitecap Venture Partners, Prelude Ventures, Zero Infinity Partners, and Inovia Capital.
The funding targets the growing interconnection bottleneck facing commercial electricity consumers and AI data centers across the United States. Generation projects in the U.S. are facing median queue delays of over five years to connect to the main grid, leading data centers and industrial power consumers to seek alternative routes to secure fast capacity.
Branch Energy’s core offering is Arc, a containerized “grid-in-a-box” system sized to fit within a single standard parking space. The self-contained unit integrates industrial-grade battery storage, grid-interconnection hardware, thermal cooling, and cloud-based autonomous controls. The system is delivered by flatbed truck and can be fully installed on-site within two days.
Unlike traditional energy storage providers that sell hardware directly to building owners, Branch Energy operates under a fully managed services model. Branch covers all upfront capital expenses, permitting, installation, insurance, and ongoing maintenance. In its launch market of Texas, the company also acts as the host site’s retail electricity provider (REP), leveraging the battery system to optimize charging and discharging cycles based on peak and off-peak market rates.
“Hyperscalers need power, and they need it now,” said Alex Ince-Cushman, co-founder and CEO of Branch Energy. “We can do it on the timeline of a delivery, not a construction project. Our customers don’t lift a finger, don’t pay a dime, and get guaranteed savings.”
With its initial market established in Texas under the ERCOT grid, Branch Energy plans to use the Series B proceeds to expand into Illinois within the PJM Interconnection territory. PJM recently updated pathways allowing large-scale energy users to expedite interconnections by deploying their own on-site distributed capacity. Branch Energy estimates there are roughly 1.2 million commercial buildings across PJM’s service footprint, representing an immediate expansion target for behind-the-meter capacity deployment.
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