Metal-hydrogen battery manufacturer EnerVenue will stand up a pilot manufacturing line, as well as research and development operations, at a 64,000-sq. ft. facility in Fremont, California.
EnerVenue aims to offer the market an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage to support clean power generation. Lithium-ion batteries, which currently dominate the utility-scale storage market, face sourcing challenges and safety concerns due to fire risks.
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EnerVenue plans to use the space to scale and staff additional sales, service, and engineering expertise, while also growing its advanced R&D and manufacturing capabilities.
“We’ve seen incredible growth in our first two years, with global partnerships, significant funding, and a truly differentiated grid-scale energy storage solution,” said Jorg Heinemann, CEO, EnerVenue. “In vetting locations for our long-term future, we considered our aggressive development plans and the facilities we’ll require for what’s to come. We’re proud to be able to continue to build and grow in the City of Fremont.”
A rendering of EnerVenue’s metal-hydrogen energy storage system (Courtesy: EnerVenue)EnerVenue intended to begin shipments of its energy storage systems in May, but a spokesman said a “non-battery-related supplier issue” caused the initial delivery timeline to be delayed. The company’s first EnerStations are now anticipated to leave the facility later this month.
In 2021, EnerVenue raised $125 million in a Series A funding round. In May 2022, the company announced a non-binding agreement with developer Pine Gate Renewables for 2,400 MWh of EnerVenue’s metal-hydrogen battery energy storage systems.
Pine Gate’s director of energy storage, Raafe Khan, said EnerVenue’s battery storage system offers “lower degradation across a wide temperature band, and lower cost for maintenance and augmentation, while posing no fire or thermal runway risk” as compared to traditional lithium-ion battery systems.
Declining costs have made lithium-ion batteries the energy storage solution of choice for many utility-scale renewable energy development around the world. Alternative options, however, aim to address some challenges for lithium-ion batteries like supply chain constraints and safety.
