Form Energy, Inc., an American technology company developing and selling a new class of economic, multi-day energy storage systems, recently announced that it had signed definitive agreements to install its iron-air battery systems at two of Xcel Energy's retiring coal plant sites. The storage technology will enable Xcel Energy to incorporate more low-cost, renewable energy into its structure while maintaining reliability as it retires coal plants and transitions to a more renewable future in the coming years.
The Sherburne County Generating Station, located in Becker, Minnesota, will receive a 10 MW / 1,000 MWh multi-day storage system from Xcel Energy-Minnesota. The Comanche Generating Station, based in Pueblo, Colorado, will also deploy a 10 MW / 1,000 MWh multi-day storage system provided by Xcel Energy-Colorado. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction in 2025 and depend on regulatory approvals from their respective states.
Form Energy and Xcel Energy worked together on comprehensive modeling with FormwareTM, Form Energy's next-generation operational and investment modeling tool for power grids. This modeling aided Xcel Energy in validating how Form's multi-day storage will improve Xcel Energy's ability to integrate many renewable resources, such as wind, into its system reliably and cost-effectively. Furthermore, this analysis demonstrated that Form Energy's 100-hour iron-air battery technology would protect the grid from normal weather variability on a day-to-day basis, as well as extreme weather events such as severe winter storms and polar vortex events.
Co-Founder and CEO of Form Energy, Mateo Jaramillo, shared, "Xcel Energy operates across some of the richest wind-resource areas in North America. We're very pleased to work with the Xcel Energy team to maximize use of its renewable generation by providing a technology solution that will ensure their customers benefit from reliable and cost-effective service year-round. This partnership highlights Xcel Energy's commitment to ensuring grid resiliency and reliability, energy security, and access to low-cost clean energy when and where it is needed – every day of the year."
(Source – Business Wire)
About Form Energy

Headquartered in Somerville (Massachusetts), Form Energy is an energy storage manufacturing and technology company developing and implementing an innovative iron-air battery. It was founded in 2017 by energy storage experts, who came together with a common goal of reshaping the global electric system. The company aims to provide year-round availability of a dependable, resilient, and entirely renewable electric grid through its cost-effective, multi-day storage systems.