The energy storage business Ore Energy, located in the Netherlands, has linked an iron-air battery system to Delft’s electrical grid. This installation is believed to be the world’s first fully operational, grid-connected iron-air battery system. It is also the first multi-day long-duration energy storage (LDES) system that was developed, constructed, and installed fully in the European Union using domestically obtained materials.
The Green Village, a test facility for energy and climate solutions at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), is home to the prototype system, which uses water, air, and iron to store energy. It can store up to 100 hours of data, which allows for multi-day energy shifting to facilitate the incorporation of renewable energy sources. The device uses electricity to charge iron oxide into metallic iron, and it releases energy when it lets the iron oxidize once more.
The facility will act as a testing ground for the feasibility of long-duration storage solutions under actual grid settings and is now gathering operational data. Ore Energy’s commercial system design will use modular 40-foot containers, each capable of delivering several megawatt-hours of storage.
