Inlyte Energy, a manufacturer of iron-sodium battery energy storage systems, announced it has successfully completed a factory acceptance test of its first field-ready battery at its facility near Derby, UK, witnessed by representatives from Southern Company, one of the largest energy providers in the United States. The test demonstrated the performance and integration readiness of Inlyte’s battery storage system, combining advanced sodium metal chloride cells, inverter, and control electronics. a major milestone on the company’s path to commercialization.
Global demand for energy storage is accelerating rapidly, with the industry projected to expand from $70 billion in 2025 to more than $150 billion by 2030. The U.S. Department of Energy projects that reaching a future U.S. grid requires more than 225 gigawatts of long-duration energy storage (LDES) by 2050, far beyond what current lithium-ion technologies can economically deliver. For electrical utilities and their customers, LDES is essential to maintaining reliability, improving resiliency during extreme weather, and reducing long-term costs. Breakthroughs like Inlyte’s iron-sodium batteries are critical to closing this gap. The tested system represents the world’s largest sodium metal chloride battery cells and modules ever constructed, capable of storing over 300 kilowatt-hours of energy each.
“To win the future we need abundant and secure supplies of energy in the U.S., and at the same time we need to make costs go down, not up,” said Antonio Baclig, CEO of Inlyte Energy. “We can’t do that by building the same thing as China. We need to make better technologies, with batteries that are fundamentally lower cost, safer, and longer lasting. By leveraging a breakthrough in the use of iron in the proven sodium metal chloride battery, Inlyte can scale rapidly.”
During the factory test, Inlyte’s battery achieved 83% round-trip efficiency, including auxiliaries, which is competitive with high-performance lithium-ion and well above the 40 to 70% range typical for other LDES technologies. Southern Company’s research and development team witnessed the test firsthand, observing the system’s performance and integration, a key milestone in project acceptance. Following the successful test, Inlyte’s first energy storage systems will be installed at Southern Company’s Energy Storage Test Site in Wilsonville, Alabama, in early 2026.
“Energy storage is essential for creating a reliable and flexible energy grid,” said Steve Baxley, Southern Company energy storage and use research and development manager. “As the grid evolves toward longer-duration storage, developing solutions that are both low-cost and safe is critical to ensuring affordable, dependable service for customers. Inlyte’s successful system test represents a meaningful step in validating the iron-sodium battery technology for future applications. We look forward to continuing our research collaboration with Inlyte as this technology moves close to real-world deployment.”
With technical readiness proven and customer demonstrations in motion, Inlyte is now advancing toward U.S. manufacturing and commercialization. The company is finalizing site selection for its first domestic production facility in 2026. To accelerate this move, Inlyte recently announced a strategic partnership with HORIEN Salt Battery Solutions, the world’s largest and most experienced producer of sodium metal chloride batteries, with more than 25 years of commercial deployment across a range of applications, including critical power, remote industry, and battery energy storage. Together, the companies will leverage HORIEN’s proven manufacturing expertise and Inlyte’s system integration capabilities to bring domestically produced sodium battery systems to market, with commercial deliveries planned for 2027.
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