Form Energy claims new battery for long-duration storage

Form Energy, a four years old start up, claims it has developed a new inexpensive battery chemistry for long-duration storage using abundantly available iron.

The company’s batteries are heavy for electric cars; however, they will be able to solve renewable energy challenges as they store large amounts of electricity to power grids; when there is no sun or wind.

“That first 80 percent we know the technology pathway, and it is already cost competitive,” commented Jeremiah Baumann, deputy chief of staff at the Energy Department, to the WSJ. “We have a good sense of the technology for the final piece. The real question is which technology is going to get its cost down and get into the marketplace.”

The company explains on their website that each battery is about the size of a washing machine, filled with a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, similar to the electrolyte used in AA batteries. “Inside of the liquid electrolyte are stacks of between 10 and 20 meter-scale cells, which include iron electrodes and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that enable the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity,” they explain.

“Our battery systems can be sited anywhere, even in urban areas, to meet utility-scale energy needs. Our batteries complement the function of lithium-ion batteries, allowing for an optimal balance of our technology and lithium-ion batteries to deliver the lowest-cost renewable and reliable electric system year-round,” the company said.