According to PRNewswire, Ambri, provider of long-duration energy storage, today announced that Earth & Wire, South Africa’s independent renewable energy retail brand, placed an order for Ambri’s Liquid Metal™ battery system to serve a 300-MW, 1,200-MWh combined wind- and solar-powered generation site in the Eastern Cape. To date, this is the largest battery energy storage system to be deployed in South Africa.

Ambri will begin shipping batteries for this project in 2024 with installation expected to be completed in 2026. This announcement represents the largest commercial deployment in the company’s history to date and another step in Ambri’s progress toward commercialization.

Ambri’s liquid-metal battery technology comes in a ready-to-install, 10-foot shipping container, complete with shelves of cells, thermal management, weatherproof outer enclosure, and a battery management system (BMS), for applications that require high energy capacity, frequent cycling, long life and high efficiency. Each containerized system will be packaged with an operating voltage of 550 – 1150 VDC, with up to 1 MWh of capacity and 250 KW output. These containers will be factory assembled and shipped to site fully populated and sealed. Each of these containers will contain no replaceable or serviceable components. This eliminates on-site maintenance and means that the container becomes the modular and replaceable system component.

The Battery Technology

The liquid metal battery is comprised of a liquid calcium alloy anode, a molten salt electrolyte and a cathode comprised of solid particles of antimony, enabling the use of low-cost materials and a low number of steps in the cell assembly process. Much like Redflow’s zinc-bromine flow battery, it has no noticeable degradation over a 20 year lifespan and cannot explode or catch on fire like today’s lithium-ion batteries.

In July 2022, Ambri’s Liquid Metal™ battery received certification for UL 1973, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications, after successfully complying with the applicable requirements of the standard. This certification shows that the technology is not only effective and high-performing, but it’s also incredibly safe.

Last month, Ambri founder, Professor Donald Sadoway Professor Donald Sadoway was also honored by the European Patent Office for Achievements in Energy Storage Technology. He won the European Patent Office’s (EPO) 2022 European Inventor Award for his work in developing the long-duration Liquid Metal™ batteries.

In other words, Ambri is the real deal. Look forward to their continued progress over the coming years.