Form Energy and its iron batteries
Form Energy is commercializing iron-based batteries capable of storing energy for up to 100 hours, addressing the intermittency issues of wind and solar power. The company is scaling production in West Virginia to support large-scale utility projects and data center power needs.
Why it matters
Long-duration energy storage is a key missing piece in the transition to a grid powered primarily by renewable energy sources.
Climate change and energy Form Energy and its iron batteries Form’s 100-hour batteries could make clean energy more weather-resilient and help power data centers.
Form Energy is building iron-based batteries that can store energy for multiple days. The company is ramping up supply at its factory and signing deals for commercial projects.
New solar and wind installations produce electricity more affordably than fossil fuels in most places, but their output varies based on season, time of day, and weather. To compensate, utilities are increasingly investing in battery storage systems, which can charge when power is abundant and discharge when the grid needs a boost.
Lithium-ion batteries are the fastest-growing storage technology. Although light and energy-dense, they require pricey metals and are costly to scale, and few of the large batteries of this type used in industry are designed to store energy for longer than four to six hours.
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