California, a leading region in the energy transition

California, a leading region in the energy transition, is pursuing Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) as part of its existing Solar-Wind-Battery (SWB) policy, one of which is said to have provided $30 million in support for the development and installation of iron-air batteries by Form Energy.

The capacity is 4MW/400MWh, which can be stored for 100 hours, so it can be used for 4 days! Various technologies are being developed and commissioned for long-term storage devices, but I think the battery will eventually become a winner due to its advantages such as mass production potential, low price, and short installation period!
=====

Form Energy received a $30 million grant from the California Energy Board to build the state's first multi-day energy storage system.

Form Energy, a pioneer in iron-air energy storage, plans to build a 5MW/500MWh system on the site of a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation in Mendocino County.

The project, expected to be up and running in 2025, aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of multi-day energy storage to help ensure electrical stability and affordability while meeting California's zero-renewable and carbon resource goals.

David Hochschild, chairman of the California Energy Commission, says, "Long-term, days of energy storage are essential to achieving California's clean energy goals."

"Just as California quickly expanded project deployment and jobs in solar, lithium-ion battery storage, and other industries through pioneering policies and investments, California continues to accelerate the market entry of new technologies essential to addressing climate change, air pollution, and equity issues in our state and around the world."

The Commission is supporting this project through its Long Time Energy Storage (LDES) program, which aims to accelerate the implementation of non-bituminous technologies that provide energy storage for more than eight hours.

Form Energy uses these grants to develop and operate projects, and PG&E provides land and interconnection points on substation sites.

Form Energy's technology, which provides 100 hours of storage and discharge capacity at a more competitive system cost than conventional power plants, is essentially based on reversible recording.

When discharged, the battery absorbs oxygen in the air and converts iron metal into rust.

During charging, this process is reversed by flowing current back into rust and releasing oxygen.

The individual battery module, containing more than 50 1m tall cells, is about the size of a washer and dryer side by side. The modules are grouped into enclosures, which are again grouped into megawatt blocks.

Projects currently under development include the 1.5 MW/150 MWh system in Great River Energy, Minnesota, which is due to be operational in 2025.

Other projects scheduled for 2026 include 5 MW/500 MWh systems in Dominion Energy, Va., 10 MW/1,000 MWh systems for Xcel Energy and NYSERDA in Colorado and Minnesota, and 15 MW/1,500 MWh systems for Georgia Power, Ga.

Construction of Form Factory 1, the company's first mass manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia, is also underway.

The first manufacturing and assembly of the iron-air battery system will take place in the second half of 2024, with annual production capacity expected to increase to 500 MW when fully operational.