Today, more and more solar cells and wind turbines are being utilized to generate clean electricity. To store their electrical energy, rechargeable batteries have been deployed to increase the efficiency and reliability of these intermittent renewable energy technologies.
Lithium-ion batteries are a mature technology. They have been used to store energy on the grid that is integrated with intermittent solar and wind energy. However, the high cost and undesirable lifetime of lithium-ion batteries prevents their widespread use to store energy on the grid. Additionally, it is reported that several dozens of lithium-ion energy storage systems have resulted in explosions or fires.
Several companies are developing low-cost, efficient lithium-free rechargeable batteries that could be a better solution for grid-scale electricity storage.
Avanti Battery
Avanti Battery utilizes aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts to produce aluminum-sulfur batteries with rapid charging, high capacity, and fire resistance. Aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts are earth-abundant, low-cost resources. The capital cost of aluminum-sulfur batteries is only 10 to 15% of that of today’s lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, the volumetric energy density of aluminum-sulfur batteries is comparable to that of lithium-ion batteries.
Avanti Battery has raised a total of $8.1M in funding over 1 round. Their latest funding was raised on April 28, 2022 from a Series A round. Avanti Battery is funded by 3 investors.
Luis A. Ortiz is CEO.
Ambri
Ambri provides low-cost and safe grid-scale energy storage systems based on the technology of UL 1973-certificated liquid metal batteries. The certification indicates that the battery is not only high performance but also safe. In addition, Ambri’s batteries are competitive because they use earth-abundant raw materials of calcium and antimony.
Ambri has raised a total of $211.4M in funding over 7 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Aug 24, 2021 from a Series E round with an undisclosed amount. Ambri is funded by 11 investors.
Dan Leff is Executive Chairman.
EnerVenue
EnerVenue develops nickel(II) hydroxide-hydrogen batteries based on low-cost bi-functional catalysts that exhibit performance comparable to the battery based on the costly platinum catalyst. Additionally, EnerVenue develops a variety of cathode materials for high-performance metal compound-hydrogen batteries. Their batteries cost less than $100 kWh⁻¹.
EnerVenue has raised a total of $112M in funding over 2 rounds: a Seed round and a Series A round. Their latest funding was raised on Sep 15, 2021 from a Series A round. EnerVenue is funded by 4 investors.
Jorg Heinemann is CEO.
Natron Energy
Natron Energy develops sodium-ion batteries utilizing inexpensive prussian blue materials and natural abundance of sodium. The open-framework nature of the cubic structure of prussian blue, which contains open channels and interstitial sites, enables rapid solid-state diffusion of sodium ions. Their sodium-ion batteries have a lower cost, a lower fire risk, a longer cycling lifetime, and are more environmentally friendly than commercial lithium-ion batteries, making them a future energy storage alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
Natron Energy has raised a total of $57.1M in funding over 7 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Sep 6, 2022 from a Corporate round. Natron Energy is funded by 9 investors.
Colin Wessells is CEO.
