Meine Electric’s iron-air battery enters utility-scale pilot in India

Indian deep-tech startup Meine Electric said its iron-air battery technology for long-duration energy storage (LDES) has been selected for a pilot project at NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Station in Andhra Pradesh.

The project, led by Atal Incubation Centre – Anna University (AIC-AU), will evaluate the technology under utility-scale operating conditions.

The pilot will assess the technical performance, operational reliability and operational characteristics of the iron-air battery system under real-world conditions.

According to Meine Electric, the project is expected to generate operational data and insights into the technology’s suitability for long-duration energy storage applications, helping enable round-the-clock clean energy, enhance grid flexibility and support future applications requiring greater operational flexibility.

Meine Electric said its fast-charge, long-discharge (FCLD) technology enables a six-hour charge and 18-hour discharge. The company said the performance has been independently validated by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), the parent company of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

CES Battery Laboratory testing assessed the technology’s electrochemical performance, capacity retention and operational stability under the charging/discharging cycle, providing third-party validation as Meine Electric advances towards larger-scale demonstrations and commercial deployment.

As India continues to expand its renewable energy capacity, long-duration energy storage is expected to play an increasingly important role in improving grid reliability, managing renewable energy variability and supporting a more flexible and resilient power system. The pilot project is expected to contribute towards the development and evaluation of indigenous energy storage technologies while generating valuable learnings for future applications.

Priyansh Mohan, Co-Founder & CEO, Meine Electric, said the project provides an important opportunity to demonstrate the technology under utility operating conditions and generate valuable performance data that will help accelerate the development of cost-effective long-duration energy storage solutions for India’s evolving power system.

Founded in 2023 by Priyansh Mohan and Stuti Kakkar, Meine Electric has developed an iron-air chemistry based on abundant materials. The company says its technology uses a reversible rusting process: during discharge, iron reacts with oxygen to form rust and release electricity, while charging reverses the reaction to regenerate metallic iron.

Meine Electric claims that its technology can achieve a levelized cost of storage below $0.05/kWh (INR 4/kWh).

Engineered for the daily-cycling requirements of modern power grids, Meine Electric’s systems are designed to support renewable energy firming and thermal asset flexibilization at a lower cost than alternative storage technologies. As an early mover in the APAC and Middle East and Africa (MEA) markets, the company is working to partner with utilities and heavy industries to build the critical infrastructure required for a secure global energy transition.