Meine Electric is building fast-charging iron-air batteries to store solar power overnight
The Chennai-based company is developing long-duration storage using iron, air and water, aimed at grids that need to hold daytime solar generation until the evening.
Meine Electric, a startup established in 2022 and previously known as TRI Automotive, is developing a novel iron-air battery technology designed for long-duration energy storage, particularly for storing solar power overnight. The company's CEO, Priyansh Mohan, and COO, Stuti Kakkar, are based in Chennai. Prior to transitioning to energy storage, Meine Electric operated as TRI Automotive, an electric two-wheeler venture.
The primary advantage of Meine Electric's innovation lies in its charge time. The Fast Charge Long Discharge design is capable of fully charging the battery within six to eight hours and discharging over eighteen hours, effectively aligning with the daily cycle of a solar grid. This charging and discharging mechanism is achieved through the oxidation and reduction of iron, a process that utilizes iron, air, and water, all of which are abundant and inexpensive materials.
However, the challenge has always been the speed of charging; conventional iron-air batteries have historically taken 100 hours or more to charge, rendering them unsuitable for a grid that operates on a daily cycle.
To validate its claims, Meine Electric collaborated with Customized Energy Solutions (CES), a US-headquartered energy services company and the parent of the India Energy Storage Alliance. In July 2026, CES conducted a structured protocol to assess the electrical performance and cycle stability of Meine Electric's battery. The results confirmed the company's assertions, marking a significant step for early battery companies that rarely achieve such independent testing and third-party validation.
Meine Electric holds four granted patents and has filed for seven international applications, underscoring its commitment to protecting its intellectual property. The company aims to achieve a storage cost below $0.05 per kilowatt-hour and is targeting systems that operate within a 16 to 24-hour range. With its focus on cost-effectiveness and efficiency, Meine Electric is poised to make a significant impact in the renewable energy storage sector, potentially transforming the way solar power is stored and utilized overnight.
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