Xcel Energy, an American utility manufacturer, has recently obtained the approval of the Minnesota regulatory authority to deploy a 1GWh energy storage project in the state using the iron air battery Energy storage of Form Energy.
The energy storage project deployed by Xcel Energy near Becker Town in central Minnesota covers an area of 5 acres and will be co located with the ongoing 710MW Sherco Solar power plant.
The energy storage system aims to use iron air batteries instead of lithium batteries, which can provide electricity without generating harmful emissions.
Xcel Energy claims that Form Energy will begin deploying this energy storage project in the second quarter of next year, with completion expected as early as 2025. Form Energy will also deploy an equally sized energy storage project for Xcel Energy in Colorado.
These two energy storage projects are part of Xcel Energy's grid plan, which will triple the solar power generation capacity of the Midwestern United States grid by 2028.
Form Energy claims that the iron air battery will continue to discharge for up to 100 hours and will improve the resilience of the energy network. This technology relies on the rusting or reversible oxidation of iron. When an iron air battery is discharged, the oxygen in the air oxidizes the metal iron into rust. When charging, the rust in the battery will be restored to iron, which means that only oxygen will be generated during the charging and discharging processes.
Recently, Form Energy signed an agreement with utility company Georgia Electric and began deploying a battery storage project in West Virginia. In addition, several states in the United States hope to adopt this Energy storage.