U.S. power technology firm Form Energy has signed definitive agreements to install its 100-hour iron-air battery systems at two retiring coal plants owned by Minnesota-based utility Xcel Energy.
According to the company, the 10 MW/1,000 MWh multi-day storage systems will be deployed at the sites of Xcel’s Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker, Minnesota, and the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colorado.
The storage technology will enable Xcel to incorporate more low-cost, renewable energy sources into its systems while maintaining reliability as it retires coal plants and moves towards a more sustainable future, the company says.
“We’re on track to reduce our electric system carbon emissions 80-percent by 2030 and to deliver carbon-free electricity by 2050,” Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and CEO of Xcel Energy, said in a statement. “As we build more renewable energy into our systems, our partnership with Form Energy opens the door to significantly improve how we deliver carbon-free energy so that we can continue to provide reliable and affordable electric service to our customers well into the future.”
The projects are subject to regulatory approvals and expected to be operational by 2025.
The companies also partnered to study the power grid using Formware, Form Energy’s next-gen investment and operational modeling tool. The research helped Xcel validate how Form’s multi-day storage will improve Xcel’s capacity to integrate wind and other renewable energy resources efficiently and affordably.
The analysis also showed that Form Energy’s 100-hour iron-air battery technology will improve grid resilience to everyday weather fluctuations and extreme weather events such as winter storms and polar vortex events.
“Xcel Energy operates across some of the richest wind-resource areas in North America,” Mateo Jaramillo, CEO and Co-founder of Form Energy, stated. “We’re very pleased to work with the Xcel Energy team to maximize use of its renewable generation by providing a technology solution that will ensure their customers benefit from reliable and cost-effective service year-round.”
Form Energy is an energy storage technology and manufacturing company that is developing and commercializing a pioneering iron-air battery capable of storing electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with legacy power plants.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Xcel Energy powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states.
