Introduction

It’s time to get specific. In the power industry “long-duration energy storage” could mean anything from 4 to 10 to 100 hours of energy. But Form Energy’s Mateo Jaramillo argues that batteries in the ballpark of 100 hours hit a sweet spot, and that sweet spot deserves its own term: multi-day storage.

In the 15 minute to 12 hour range, lithium-ion batteries shine, effectively displacing natural gas peaker plants that run less than 5% of the year. But they don’t displace higher-capacity generation. Nor do they meet the needs of the grid during significant weather events, like heat domes, Nor'easters and freak Texas winter storms that can last upwards of 75 hours. And for that, Mateo says we need multi-day storage. 

Form Energy’s iron-air batteries made headlines back in 2021 for promising to deliver tens of hours of storage at a low cost per kilowatt hour. (Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle is a partner, invests in Form Energy.) So what role could multi-day storage play on the grid?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Mateo about real-world examples from Form’s experience with utilities like Xcel and Georgia Power. They also cover topics like:

• The strengths and limitations of lithium-ion batteries on the grid today, and why Mateo thinks lithium-ion is here to stay.
• The competitive landscape for mulit-day storage, including iron-air, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and transmission.
• What role multi-day storage plays for utilities beyond balancing renewables, such as meeting load growth and resilience goals.
• Plus: Shayle’s idea for bitcoin mining on a barge.

Recommended Resources:

• Canary Media: Form Energy closes its biggest deal yet for long-duration energy storage
• Carbon Copy: A groundbreaking long-duration battery nears industrial scale
• Wall Street Journal: Old West Virginia Steel Mill Becomes a Green-Energy Powerhouse

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Catalyst is a co-production of Latitude Media and Canary Media.

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