New “Salt Battery” Proves Energy Storage Exists, Again

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Under the current state of federal energy policy, it’s no surprise to find various high ranking officials denying that energy storage systems exist. And yet, they do. The latest example comes from the US startup Aslym Energy, which has just launched its a new safety-forward sodium-ion battery into the marketplace, with the aim of accelerating the renewable energy transition.

Salt Batteries Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels, Globally

Aslym is one of several sodium-ion battery innovators to pick up the pieces following the high profile collapse of the US “salt battery” firm Natron (see more Natron background here).

The Natron debacle disappointed energy storage fans who were looking forward to an inexpensive alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The cost of Li-ion systems has dropped like a rock since the early 2000s and they are designed with safety features, but they deploy a flammable liquid electrolyte. For battery innovators, the challenge has been to develop a new energy storage formula that eliminates fire hazards from the supply chain, without sacrificing energy density and performance.

That’s a next-level challenge for EV batteries, which prioritize compact footprints and less weight. Stationary energy storage systems have much more flexibility in those areas. Accordingly, Aslym has indicated that its sodium-ion formula is not ready for the EV market — yet. In the meantime, the company has been prepping its stationary system for the market.

On October 14, Aslym announced the launch of its new “Na-Series energy storage battery,” describing it as a “non-flammable, non-toxic, and cost-effective solution to meet the surging demand for power driven by data centers, electrification, and accelerating renewable energy deployment” (emphasis added).

Aslym further notes that its Na-Series batteries are designed for up to 10,000 cycles, or 20 years. That stacks up well against a variety of Li-ion formulas. “Robust hard carbon and stable electrodes reduce the range of mechanisms causing degradation in Li-ion batteries,” the company explains.

Energy Storage & The Global Renewable Energy Market

That thing about renewable energy acceleration applies elsewhere around world. Here in the US, not so much, at least not under the current state of federal energy policy. To cite just one emerging area of explosive growth, other nations around the world are pursuing new offshore floating wind technology like hotcakes, while the US has — oh, never mind.

Alsym already has its eye on global markets. Last year the company nailed a $78 million funding round spearheaded by the global venture catalyst firm General Catalyst and the Tata Limited branch of Tata Sons (Thrive Capital and Thomvest also participated along with return investor Drads Capital), with General Catalyst emphasizing opportunities beyond the US.

“As we continue to see record scaling of renewable energy resources around the world, the practical constraints and supply chain uncertainties of lithium-ion batteries have become more acute, driving demand for alternatives that compete on performance, cost, and availability,” explained General Catalyst partner Genevieve Kinney in a press statement, referring obliquely to concerns over fire safety as well as cost.

In particular, Kinney also drew attention to opportunities in regions that fall into the emerging markets category, “where battery storage will be critical to driving down the cost of clean energy.”

“Electricity generation is shifting to renewables, which are intermittent by nature and must be backed up by battery energy storage systems (BESS) at scale to ensure 24/7 availability as fossil-fuel plants go offline,” Aslym also emphasized.

More Renewable Energy For Emerging Markets

The emerging markets angle is particularly interesting, with the nations of Africa joining China, India, and other areas of growth seeking an alternative to kerosene cookstoves and other unsafe, unhealthy household fuels.

Aslym had its eye on those markets from the start, having been co-founded by MIT professor Professor Kripa Varanasi and the entrepreneur Mukesh Chatter, who holds the post of CEO. Last year, Chatter told MIT News that his search for new technologies with widespread impact led him to co-found Aslym.

“The intent was to light up the homes of at least 1 billion people around the world who either did not have electricity, or only got it part of the time, condemning them basically to a life of poverty,” Chatter said. “When you don’t have access to electricity, you also don’t have the internet, cell phones, education, etc.”

As described by MIT News, Chatter set the bar high. The new battery had to be inexpensive yet safe enough to use in crowded conditions. It also had to be capable of supporting necessary household appliances in warm climates including lighting, a fan for cooling, and a refrigerator, as well as an internet modem.

Since then, Chatter and Alsym have set their sights on larger applications as well, including safety-sensitive and space-limited industrial applications like steel mills and chemical plants, as well as data centers.

Packed into 20-foot containers, Aslym’s sodium-ion solution provides 1.7 megawatt-hours of electricity. The end user can configure it as needed, charging up in as little as four hours with a discharge in the range of 2-110 hours.

“We’re highly configurable, and that’s important because depending on where you are, you can sometimes run on two cycles a day with solar, and in combination with wind, you could truly get 24/7 electricity,” Chatter told MIT News. “The need to do multiday or long duration storage is a small part of the market, but we support that too.”

More Energy Storage For The US, Too

The topsy-turvy (to put it kindly) state of federal energy policy in the US makes it difficult to assess Aslym’s opportunities for domestic sales, but the sun will shine and the wind will blow long after January 20, 2029, when the current occupant of the White House is scheduled to leave office — peacefully this time, one hopes.

In addition, the firm’s prioritization of safety for battery shipping and storage as well as deployment supports its affiliation with the Military Power Sources Consortium and the Defense Industrial Base Consortium, so stay tuned for more on that.

Photo: The US startup Aslym Energy is launching a new sodium-ion energy storage formula into the market, aimed at supporting and accelerating the global renewable energy transition (screenshot courtesy of Aslym Energy).