Installations begin week of April 27 in Ann Arbor, testing a new model for grid reliability and energy affordability
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FranklinWH announced today it will begin installation in participating homes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the week of April 27 as part of a pilot program led by the Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (A2SEU).
The initiative is a first-of-its-kind pilot led by a U.S. city-owned utility to purchase and deploy residential solar and battery systems for behind-the-meter energy use. The program will examine how distributed home energy resources can support grid reliability, reduce household energy costs and expand access to locally generated renewable power.
The opt-in program is available to residents in Ann Arbor's Bryant neighborhood, where many households are energy-burdened, with some spending more than one-third of their income on utility bills. By pairing rooftop solar with battery storage, the program is designed to reduce costs while improving energy resilience at the household and community level.
"Ann Arbor is showing how cities can play a leading role in advancing local energy solutions," said Gary Lam, CEO and cofounder of FranklinWH. "By bringing solar and battery storage together through a city-led program, residents can lower utility costs, improve reliability, and help ease pressure on the grid during peak demand. It reflects how cities and utilities are increasingly using local programs to improve reliability and manage energy demand."
Ann Arbor voters approved the creation of the Sustainable Energy Utility in November 2024. The community-owned utility operates as an optional, supplemental energy provider, delivering 100 percent locally generated renewable energy.
As part of the program, approximately 150 homes will be equipped with the FranklinWH System, including the aPower S battery. The project is expected to expand to 1,000 homes in 2027, with additional scale planned in subsequent years.
"In our evaluation, FranklinWH stood out for both technical performance and customer experience," said Shoshannah Lenski, executive director of A2SEU. "Paired with local solar generation, these systems will help us deliver more reliable, resilient energy across our community."
Under the program, the FranklinWH System, an energy management and storage solution, will be paired with rooftop solar installations from Michigan Solar Solutions, Homeland Solar, and Oak Electric Service. Texture's distributed energy management software will aggregate the systems into a coordinated, utility-scale resource.
FranklinWH currently participates in more than 20 utility-led virtual power plant (VPP) and demand response programs. The Ann Arbor project extends that model into a city-owned residential program designed to evaluate how aggregated home energy systems can function as a coordinated resource at community scale.
About FranklinWH
FranklinWH Energy Storage is the manufacturer of the FranklinWH System, a next-generation home energy management and storage solution. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, FranklinWH's team brings decades of experience across energy system design, manufacturing, sales, and installation. The company is AVL-listed with multiple financial institutions and continues to empower homeowners to achieve true energy freedom. Learn more at franklinwh.com.
Media Contact:
media@franklinwh.com
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
FranklinWH Systems to Power First U.S. City-Owned Residential Solar and Battery Pilot
SAN DIEGO and NEWARK, N.J., April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From April 17 to 22, 2026, ACROBiosystems—a company dedicated to being a cornerstone of the global biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries—presented its comprehensive, AI‑driven protein solutions at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026. Dr. Yu Sun, VP of Product Development, delivered a presentation titled "Leveraging AI and Research Platforms to Accelerate Next‑generation Biological Modalities."
Addressing Core Industry Challenges with AI
To tackle critical pain points—such as the high cost and difficult development of key reagents stemming from low expression titers, protein instability, and solubility challenges—ACROBiosystems developed its AI Protein Dry-Wet Closed-Loop System, Acro-AIx. This system features specialized models trained on proprietary data, including:
DeepExp (AUC=0.95): An AI model that accurately predicts secretory expression levels for full-length proteins in mammalian cells, overcoming a key forecasting challenge.
ProDeSol (AUC=0.94): A model providing high-accuracy solubility prediction for prokaryotic systems, enabling precise optimization.
"By integrating AI with deep biological insights, ACROBiosystems is redefining protein design—turning challenges into opportunities for next-generation therapeutics," said Dr. Yu Sun.
Enabling Advanced Therapies through Engineered Proteins
Leveraging its fully self-developed AI platform, ACROBiosystems engineers thermally stable and highly active proteins, aiming to enable more robust, scalable, and cost-accessible manufacturing processes.
For protein redesign, the company's "AI Box" Protein Engineering Toolkit autonomously optimizes multiple key properties like binding affinity, stability, and solubility. Focused on cell and gene therapy, it has been used to develop essential GMP-grade materials such as the Salt Active GENIUS™ Nuclease, Human FGF basic Superior Stable Mutant Protein, and Human IL-21 Superior Stable Mutant Protein to overcome technical bottlenecks.
This AI-driven focus is part of ACROBiosystems' broader commitment to "Integrated Innovation," a principle that also encompasses aligning with emerging therapeutic modalities, concentrating on pivotal disease areas, and actively collaborating within global innovation ecosystems.
Beyond AI: A Comprehensive Suite of Technology Platforms
This commitment to Integrated Innovation is supported by a comprehensive suite of technology platforms that extend beyond AI-driven design. ACROBiosystems has built a robust infrastructure to support biologics development, including:
A Comprehensive Protein Expression Platform covering prokaryotic, eukaryotic, and cell-free systems.
A High-Throughput Protein Screening Platform for molecular construction, cell culture, and bioactivity analysis.
An Ultra-Strict Protein Quality Control Platform.
A Featured Technology Platform Display, which includes the Star Staining™ Site-Specific Fluorescent Labeling Platform, a Custom GMP-Grade Protein Services Platform, and the "FLAG" Multi-pass Transmembrane Protein R&D Platform.
Underpinning all these platforms and the company's approach is ACROBiosystems' proprietary "Structure & Application Integrated" Protein Development Platform. "Our product platforms are unique to us here at ACROBiosystems. We consider both structure and application to ensure that our products meet and exceed our customers' demands," explained Dr. Yu Sun. The company adheres to the principle of "Quality by Design (QbD)," ensuring high-quality and functional proteins from the outset.
Complementing its drive for innovation, the company's core brand promise is equally built upon the pillars of Reliable Quality and Considerate Service. Its commitment to quality is substantiated by a stringent management system certified to both ISO 9001 and GMP standards. Its service model is designed to provide responsive partnership, featuring expedited logistics and dedicated technical support.
About ACROBiosystems Group
ACROBiosystems Group, founded in 2010 and listed in 2021, is a biotechnology company aimed at being a cornerstone of the global biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries by providing innovative products and business models. The company spans across the globe and maintains offices, R&D centers, and production bases in more than 15 different cities within the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany. ACROBiosystems Group has established numerous long-term and stable partnerships with the world's top pharmaceutical enterprises, including Pfizer, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson, and numerous well-known academic institutes. The company comprises several subsidiaries such as ACROBiosystems, bioSeedin, Condense Capital, and ACRODiagnostics.
ACROBiosystems' brands include Resilient Supply, CytoPak, SAFENSURE, FLAG, Star Staining, Aneuro, ComboX, GENPower and many others. Its main products and services are recombinant proteins, kits, antibodies, scientific services, and other related products. ACROBiosystems employs a strict quality control system for its products that are used in biopharmaceutical research and development, production, and clinical application. This includes targeted discovery and validation, candidate drug screening/optimization, CMC development and pilot production, preclinical research, clinical trials, commercial production, and clinical application of companion diagnostics.
Through the continuous development of new technologies and products, ACROBiosystems Group creates value for the global pharmaceutical industry and actively empowers our partners. The company is dedicated to accelerating the drug development process, including targeted therapies, immunotherapeutic drugs, and their clinical applications, and contributes to global health.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
ACROBiosystems Showcases AI-Driven Innovation at AACR 2026, Empowering Next-Generation Biologics Discovery
