Europe is betting big on a battery that runs for four days

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://electrek.co/2026/06/22/europe-is-betting-big-on-a-battery-that-runs-for-four-days/

Michelle Lewis | Jun 22 2026 - 12:01 am PT

Long-duration energy storage startup Ore Energy has landed what it says is the largest iron-air battery deal in continental Europe so far.

The Netherlands-based company announced an agreement with Dutch energy supplier Budget Thuis to deploy 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of iron-air energy storage. The deal starts with a committed 400-megawatt-hour (MWh) first phase that Ore Energy plans to deliver in 2028.

The project is notable not only for its size but also because it’s the first iron-air storage agreement with a European energy supplier. As countries add more wind and solar power, utilities are looking for ways to store renewable energy for longer periods when weather conditions don’t cooperate.

…

Iron-air batteries aren’t perfect. They’re bulkier and less efficient than lithium-ion batteries, so they lose more energy along the way. But for a grid-scale system that’s designed to store cheap wind and solar power for days at a time, size matters a lot less than cost. That’s where iron-air’s simple, inexpensive materials could give it an edge.

…

[multigraincracker]

1. On a smaller scale you might look into

Amish batteries and generators. Crazy cheap electricity.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Wish they'd give more technical details, instead of dumbing it *all* down.

It sounds like a metallic iron - Fe2O3*xH2O system. But there are other oxidation states for Fe, including Fe(VI), which is only stable at high pH, but could conceivably pack a very high energy density. I know there has been research on this, but haven't heard of any progress in years. Fe also has a (IV) state, surprisingly found in the common mineral pyrite (FeS2).