When it comes to finding an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, plenty of materials, from sulphur and sodium to manganese and organic molecules, have tried to step up. Organic batteries, which are built from some of the most abundant chemicals here on Earth, including carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, have been perhaps the most frustrating failure. They should have been cheaper than today’s batteries that use metals. However, no one has been able to crack the organic battery.
To solve the above challenge, a young start-up called XL Batteries has come up with a new take on the chemistry that it says should be cheaper, safer, and more durable than previous organic batteries and, crucially, lithium-ion batteries themselves. And most importantly, in the words of Tom Sisto, co-founder and CEO of XL Batteries, “The capital cost should be ultra-low.”
In today’s episode of the “start-up of the week,” International Finance will talk in detail about XL Batteries, which is targeting grid-scale storage, which cares more about scale, cost, and safety than weight or density, in terms of storing electricity through a “bulkier liquid.” The scale of XL Batteries’ installations can easily get extra-large.
Knowing Things In Detail
Founded in 2019 by the chemists who discovered the start-up’s revolutionary chemistry at Columbia University, XL Batteries technology has incredible potential to give humanity a powerful tool to achieve “Net Zero 50” (United Kingdom’s climate goal to reach net zero by 2050), by offering safe, reliable and lowest cost grid-scale solutions for every power need. The technology will enable the transition of the grid from fossil fuels to renewable sources.
“We aim to build a global company with a product that can meet any energy storage need. As XL grows, our planet will move closer to carbon-neutral power. Transforming the grid requires durable, reliable and inexpensive energy storage. Using the unique principles of organic chemistry, XL Batteries has designed energy storage technology that can cost-effectively enable 100% renewable power generation,” the start-up added.
The company has commissioned a demonstration unit for Stolthaven Terminals, a company that specialises in petrochemical storage. The first unit will be small, but once the Start-up works out the rough patches around its technology, the company will be able to quickly build larger batteries, said Sisto. A key component of the battery is nothing more than a storage tank.
“If we took two of [Stolthaven’s] biggest tanks, it’d be a 700 megawatt-hour battery. I believe they have 400 tanks on their site in Houston,” Sisto told TechCrunch while adding that the product will be easily able to power around 25,000 homes for an entire day.
XL Batteries is building what are known as flow batteries, consisting of two tanks connected to pumps that flow two fluids past a membrane. Charging the battery pushes ions up a metaphorical hill, storing them in one of the fluids. When discharging, those ions flow back to the other side, releasing electrons in the process.
Flow batteries are an old technology, first invented in the late 1800s. However, their bulk and relatively low energy storage serve as two drawbacks preventing their widespread adoption. Newer models have helped boost energy storage, still, they are relatively expensive because the fluids they use are corrosive, necessitating costly materials for the pumps and other equipment.
“Organic batteries have been posited for a while, but they have proven elusive because when most organic molecules are laden with extra electrons, they tend to quickly break apart. Those that have lasted longer have required refrigeration, and even then, they fall apart in a couple of months,” Sisto said.
Even with a more stable molecule, Sisto knew that XL Batteries had to be cheaper if XL Batteries were to succeed. He got a potential breakthrough during his research at Columbia University when an organic compound he was investigating broke the record for the highest number of electrons accepted into a single molecule.
“At the time, that molecule had to be suspended in an organic solvent, which was pricey and flammable. Eventually, he and his collaborators were able to make it stable in pH-neutral water. At that point, he knew they could build a company around it,” TechCrunch reported.
Since 2019, the start-up has enlisted some of the best and brightest people in industry and academia to work as a team towards fulfilling Sisto’s dream of generating 100% renewables on the grid via a single storage solution. The start-up claims to have demonstrated the fundamental elements to give confidence that its pH-neutral chemistry can be used in flow batteries to achieve their potential, with the resulting systems being durable, reliable and inexpensive. XL Batteries expects to exceed the United States’ Department of Energy target levelized cost of storage goal of <$0.05/kWh by the end of the decade while also meeting the performance demands required of grid-scale storage. Here Is The Key Technology
One of XL Batteries’ installations consists of three parts: One 40-foot shipping container and two tanks. The start-up’s proprietary membrane and other components fit the shipping container, and one or more of those is then hooked up to the storage tanks. The size of the tanks dictates the battery’s capacity, while the number of shipping containers dictates how quickly the battery can charge or discharge.
Because the company is using so much off-the-shelf technology, Sisto says that XL Batteries can start building larger batteries soon. He remarks, “The commercial design is significantly done. The company is working with an engineering firm that has designed other flow batteries before. They have all those pieces in place.”
XL Batteries is also looking to work with independent power producers to build batteries to support the grid, particularly in Texas where such installations have quickly become commonplace.
“Current energy storage technologies are too expensive to fully displace fossil fuel-based power. XL Batteries’ technology solves this problem. To succeed at grid scale, energy storage must be an inexpensive and fast response to provide 10 – 100-plus hours of power at an MW level. XL Batteries’ technology delivers both,” the start-up explained.
As the result of a breakthrough discovery at Columbia University in 2019, XL Batteries’ leadership realised they had found organic molecules that are fundamentally stable in their charged and discharged states. Unlike metal or elemental battery technologies, organic compounds can be modified at the molecular level. This has allowed XL to design unique attributes such as solubility in pH-neutral water.
Deployed broadly, XL’s Organic Flow Batteries will enable the expansion of renewable power generation, reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the effects of burning fossil fuels for energy generation.
The start-up’s patented organic molecules are soluble and stable in pH-neutral salt water and do not pass through the membrane. This solves key challenges faced by metal and elemental-based battery chemistries. Because these molecules are soluble in pH-neutral water, there is no need for complex engineering systems and expensive corrosion-resistant materials. Also, XL’s battery cells achieve nearly 100% electrochemical efficiency, ensuring that energy is stored and released with minimal waste.
“Our Organic Flow Batteries use low-cost materials and inexpensive, high-throughput manufacturing processes designed to scale rapidly. Our molecules are produced from inexpensive chemical feedstocks that are available at commodity pricing and the highest volumes in the world,” the start-up noted.
Since the core chemistry governing XL’s Organic Flow Battery operation is fundamentally stable, it eliminates the safety-related hazards, thereby making the product further attractive, if we bring its other attributes such as low cost into play. The start-up expects XL Organic Flow Batteries to last much longer than the 20-year industry standard.
Image Credits: XL Batteries