The startup Form Energy has developed an iron-air battery for the electricity grid, ten times cheaper than a lithium-ion battery and capable of providing energy for around a hundred hours.
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The development of renewable energies has launched a real race for innovation to store the electricity produced intermittently in order to restore it in the event of high demand or failure. After molten salt batteries, the American startup Form Energy has just announced that it is ready to start production of iron-air batteries, ten times cheaper than lithium-ion batteries.
The system is based on a anode in do and a water-based electrolyte. During discharge, the battery uses the oxygen present in theair to oxidize the iron and thus create rust. During the recharge cycle, the operation is reversed. The rust is transformed back into iron and the battery releases oxygen. As a rule, iron-air coils operate with a Fuel cell who consumes thehydrogen produced during theoxidation to generate electricity. The firm, miserly in detail, does not indicate whether this is the method adopted here.
A discharge cycle of around one hundred hours
Each drums is the size of a washer, and they are then assembled to achieve sufficient capacities for the power grid. The firm says it can achieve a density of one to three megawatts per acre (4,046 square meters). These batteries are intended to be used in addition to lithium-ion batteries, and can provide their full power for around a hundred hours.
This technology has the advantage of using inexpensive materials that are easy to recycler. The firm gives few technical details on its batteries, but is currently working on a pilot installation in Minnesota scheduled for 2023. It will be able to provide a megawatt for 150 hours, and this will certainly be an opportunity to learn more about the battery. density and recharge cycle of its batteries. One thing is certain, we must not hope for these batteries to supply smartphones, not even electric cars.
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