On September 30, 2021, Oregon-based long-duration battery manufacturer ESS announced that it had reached an agreement with SB Energy, a U.S. renewable energy firm that is a subsidiary of Japan’s SoftBank Group, to deploy 2 GWh of iron flow storage through 2026.[1] ESS produces flow batteries built with only iron, salt, and water that can provide up to 12 hours of output. The manufacturer has also developed a large-scale battery system starting at 3 MW with durations of between 6 and 16 hours for power providers and large manufacturers. According to the press release, ESS systems can help customers enhance grid resiliency and eliminate the risk of systems catching fire, especially in wildfire-prone areas likes those in California.

Under the agreement, SB Energy will deploy iron flow battery systems to complement its solar power projects in Texas and California. SB Energy has five utility-scale solar projects totaling 1.7 GW under construction or operation and is developing other solar and storage projects to be built in the near term. The first system has already arrived at a solar generation site in Davis, California, and will be installed later in October 2021.

[1] https://essinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ESS_SBEnergyFramework_release_FINAL.pdf