Massive iron batteries could be the key to moving natural gas from the grid

VoltStorage's iron-salt batteries help it land $24 million Series C from diesel engine giant Cummins

Tim De Chant 2 p.m.

With the looming passage of the Cut Inflation Act, renewable energy is about to get another jolt in the United States. They are already some of the cheapest sources of electricity to build and operate, but they haven't been taken care of because they're often dependent on the weather.

The simple solution is to store any excess electricity produced, but this increases the overall cost of renewable energy. It's sparked a race among startups to find the cheapest way to do it, from batteries to compressed air and even giant concrete blocks.

The favorite so far seems to be batteries, many of which use the same lithium-ion chemistries found in electric vehicle batteries. The scale of electric vehicle battery production has made it easier to obtain lithium-ion, giving it a foothold in the industry, but its long-term prospects for grid-scale storage are darker given the high cost of materials.

Competition for battery materials is heating up, and there are many uses for batteries beyond electric vehicles, which is why some companies, like VoltStorage in Germany, are trying to make batteries using the cheapest and most widely available materials, mainly iron.< /p>