A pilot project is being planned at NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Station to evaluate an indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology for Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES), as India looks to strengthen its energy storage capabilities to support the growing renewable energy ecosystem.
The project will be implemented by Atal Incubation Centre – Anna University (AIC-AU) at NTPC Simhadri through its technology partner Meine Electric. The pilot aims to assess the performance of the technology under utility operating conditions and generate operational data for potential future deployment.
The project will evaluate the technical performance, operational reliability and operating characteristics of the indigenous Iron-Air Battery system under real-world conditions.
The data and technical insights generated through the pilot are expected to help assess the suitability of the technology for long-duration energy storage applications, including supporting reliable 24×7 clean energy, improving grid flexibility and enabling applications requiring greater operational flexibility.
Six-hour charge, 18-hour discharge
Meine Electric claims to be the first company in the Asia-Pacific region and the third globally to pioneer Iron-Air LDES technology.
Its proprietary Fast Charge Long Discharge (FCLD) technology enables a six-hour charging cycle followed by an 18-hour discharge cycle. The technology has been independently validated by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), the parent company of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).
Testing at the CES Battery Laboratory assessed the technology’s electrochemical performance, capacity retention and operational stability under the six-hour charging and 18-hour discharging cycle.
The third-party validation comes as Meine Electric moves towards larger-scale demonstrations and eventual commercial deployment of its Iron-Air LDES technology.
Data to shape commercial-scale deployment
Under the AIC-Anna University initiative, Meine Electric will be responsible for the development, system integration and performance monitoring of the Iron-Air Battery system.
Operational data generated during the pilot will provide a benchmark for further technology development and help inform future commercial-scale deployment.
As India expands renewable energy capacity, LDES is expected to become increasingly important for managing renewable power variability, improving grid reliability and creating a more flexible and resilient power system.
The Simhadri pilot could therefore provide valuable real-world insights into the performance of an indigenous storage technology in utility conditions.
Industry-academia-startup collaboration
Meine Electric Co-Founder & CEO, Priyansh Mohan said the pilot would provide an opportunity to demonstrate the company’s indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology under utility operating conditions and generate performance data to accelerate the development of cost-effective LDES solutions for India’s evolving power system.
AIC-Anna Incubator CEO Kishore Kumar S, said supporting Meine Electric in deploying indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology at NTPC Simhadri represents a step towards scalable, long-duration energy storage.
He added that the collaboration demonstrates how academia, startups and public-sector leaders can work together to strengthen India’s clean energy ecosystem and accelerate the transition towards a resilient and sustainable grid.