Ambri Funding Influx Suggests a New Day for Grid Batteries

Progress being made by battery startup Ambri suggests that the market for long-duration grid energy storage is finally taking shape.  Storing wind and solar power using today’s battery technologies is too expensive, but new technologies could make it affordable, enabling wider use of renewables.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company this week said it has raised a $35 million series-C round to fund the production of prototype batteries from an existing factory and finance construction of a commercial-scale plant.  The company intends to test prototypes in the field this year and produce full-size batteries for paying customers by 2016.

For Ambri, the investment marks a shift from demonstrating the science behind its technology—a battery cell that uses two liquid metals as electrodes and a salt electrolyte—to engineering a commercially viable product.  It also reflects a growing confidence that utilities and renewable energy project developers are willing to invest in new energy storage technologies.

Ambri Funding Influx Suggests a New Day for Grid Batteries