Dive Brief:
- A $19 million capital infusion will help Mojave Energy Systems scale production of a desiccant-based climate control system that could significantly reduce HVAC energy consumption in commercial and institutional buildings, the California-based company said last month.
- It’s the second significant capital raise for Mojave in less than two years. The company raised $9 million in December 2024 to expand its ArctiDry platform in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.
- ArctiDry systems use 30% to 60% less energy than standard HVAC systems and can pay back their upfront cost in 18 months or less, Mojave says.
Dive Insight:
Mojave’s ArctiDry products use a proprietary liquid desiccant to enable precise humidity control alongside standard temperature control in commercial climate control systems. Since 2024, the company has twice expanded its product line and inked an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to demonstrate its technology.
In February 2025, Mojave introduced the ArctiDry HP, which it said was the first HVAC system to integrate liquid desiccant with a reversible heat pump capable of providing year-round climate control.
The ArctiDry HP has an ISMRE2 efficiency rating as high as 11 lbs/kWh, cuts electricity consumption up to 50% in cooling mode and provides useful heating in ambient temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, Mojave says. ISMRE2 stands for integrated seasonal moisture removal efficiency 2, the energy efficiency rating metric for dedicated outdoor air systems.
In May of this year, Mojave rolled out ArctiDry Hydro, a hydronic air handling system designed to deliver supply dewpoints as low as 25 degrees in commercial facilities with existing chilled water plants.
The combination of low-humidity air supply and a liquid desiccant regeneration system that operates at relatively low water temperatures allows system operators to raise the temperature of the chilled water loop, boosting chiller capacity and efficiency. Raising chilled water temperatures by 6 degrees increases chiller capacity by 12% in chiller capacity and system efficiency by 18%, Mojave says.
“Mojave has turned years of engineering work on liquid desiccant technology into equipment that building facility teams are rapidly putting to use, unlocking energy savings, superior humidity performance, healthier buildings and reduced building carbon footprints,” David Evans, managing director at Fairtree Elevant Ventures, said in a statement. Fairtree Elevant led Mojave’s most recent funding round.
Mojave says its climate control systems are suited to a range of nonresidential environments, including grocery stores, industrial facilities, hotels and educational buildings.
The company is also working to prove out its technology in military buildings in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s environmental research and technology certification units. The project, which runs through 2028, will see Mojave’s desiccant-based dedicated outdoor air conditioning systems replace up to three existing systems at DoD facilities.
“Especially in humid and marine zones, conventional systems overcool and reheat air, resulting in poor humidity control, high energy use, and mold-related maintenance issues,” DoD says in the project brief.
The department plans to study how well the Mojave units remove moisture, maintain humidity within target ranges, improve indoor air quality and operate when retrofitted in existing buildings. The project’s goal is to “generate the validated performance and cost data [energy service companies] need to confidently integrate the technology” and accelerate adoption across the department’s building portfolio, DoD says.
It’s not the federal government’s first show of interest in Mojave’s liquid desiccant HVAC technology. In September 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Mojave $2.6 million to develop 10- to 30-ton dehumidification systems for demonstration in up to 10 buildings representing a range of heating, cooling and ventilation configurations.
