To Meet Our Ambitious Clean Energy Goals, the Grid Needs a Scale-up, Not a Start-up.

By Landon Mossburg , Co-founder & CEO, Peak Energy

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It is incumbent on all of us to act with urgency, and it is the driving force behind the creation of Peak Energy. With the recent closing of our Series A funding of $55 million, we’re all systems go on our mission of providing safe, affordable and sustainable green energy storage solutions that will have a significant impact on the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. — the electric power sector.

Energy production has an unfortunate legacy of harmful practices — fire risks and toxic pollution near and around small communities (often biased against underserved communities), which is why we are going all in on Sodium-Ion batteries as the best responsible energy storage solution for large scale grid storage of clean energy. Here’s why.

Mind the Gap

In the U.S., most of us take for granted the readily-available electricity that powers our lives; however, it comes at a great cost to our planet because the grid is powered mostly by fossil fuels, and our demand for more energy is only increasing. The good news is solar energy is now the most affordable energy source available in the U.S., and more and more Electric Vehicles (EVs) are replacing gas-powered vehicles on the road. Today, we have both solar and wind energy sources tied into the grid; however, they only produce energy intermittently when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. This leads to the counterproductive scenario where EVs use energy from gas-powered peaker plants when charged overnight. For green electrification, we need safe, affordable and sustainable batteries for the grid, and Sodium-Ion is the key to bridge the energy storage solution gap.

Sodium-Ion for the Win

Due to its high energy density, lithium-ion has become the dominant battery chemistry that powers our smartphones and EVs, driving unprecedented lithium demand and pricing volatility. Most of the world’s lithium extraction and battery manufacturing exists outside of the U.S. This adds levels of geopolitical, supply chain and sourcing complexities that impact the cost and availability of energy storage for Independent Power Producers and electric utilities. With the U.S. having already ceded leadership on lithium-ion manufacturing and investment to other countries, it’s critical that it invests in, and leads, the development of what we believe is the best solution for grid-scale energy storage. Sodium-Ion is a safe, stable and proven battery chemistry that offers cost, sourcing and emission advantages over lithium-ion, and I believe will have the biggest impact at the speed and scale the climate crisis requires.

Sodium-Ion technology is not new, and our team of battery experts is focused on the unique application of grid-scale energy storage systems using NFPP (sodium iron pyro-phosphate), a proven formulation. This variant provides the unique characteristics of lower energy density in exchange for improved cost, safety, sustainability and cycle life.

The Planet Can’t Wait

The climate and energy challenges we face are urgent, and likewise, we are driven by this urgency not just to bring a solution to the market, but to bring a solution in time to make a meaningful difference. By the end of 2024, we will have developed our first deployable systems, with plans to test and deploy on a pilot scale in 2025. By 2026, our goal is to scale up to larger installations, and by 2027, our domestic cell manufacturing facility aims to be operational, allowing us to make meaningful advancements toward the 2030 goal.

In just a few years, we aim to be the U.S. leader in sodium-ion manufacturing, deployment and innovation. I believe this is the key to unlocking the power of renewable energy, fully decarbonizing the grid and improving our energy security. The planet can’t wait and we’re ready for the challenge.

To learn more, check out our white paper and follow our progress right here on LinkedIn.