Certain Energy raises £10M Series A for long-duration battery storage

Certain Energy, a British company specializing in long-duration energy storage, has successfully secured £10 million in Series A funding. This capital injection will assist in commercializing their innovative manganese flow battery technology, making it ready for grid-scale deployment.

The investment round was spearheaded by the British Business Bank, with additional support from Centrica, Ceres Power Holdings, and Temasek Trust's Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H).

Established in 2017 as a spin-off from Imperial College London, Certain Energy is dedicated to developing Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) systems. These systems are engineered to store surplus renewable electricity and release it during periods of low renewable energy production.

The technology aims to stabilize electricity grids, curb renewable energy waste, and minimize dependence on gas-fired peaker plants. With the surge in renewable energy generation, grids encounter challenges managing energy production versus demand, and scarcity of renewable output.

Certain Energy's solution revolves around flow batteries utilizing manganese, a cost-effective alternative to elements used in other long-duration storage technologies. Unlike traditional batteries, flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes housed in external tanks. The company's system can extend discharge duration by enlarging these tanks, enabling energy storage and discharge over durations from hours to days.

The technology boasts a round-trip efficiency of over 75 percent, positioning it competitively with lithium-ion batteries for grid services, while offering extended storage durations and reserve capacity.

Certain Energy's electrolyte is patented for a 20-year lifespan, exhibiting minimal capacity degradation. Additionally, their materials and design strategy could potentially cut marginal storage costs to about one-tenth of those linked to comparable vanadium flow batteries.

The Series A funding will be utilized to develop a grid-connected MWh-class system in India, expand the company's UK research facility, and establish a supply chain for commercial deployments. The funds will also be used to continue preparing the technology for large-scale production and commercialization.