Inlyte Energy, a pioneer in energy storage, unveiled breakthrough results in its iron-sodium battery technology. These advancements position the company to address the most critical electricity megatrends: low-cost renewable energy integration, efficient industrial electrification, and electric capacity needs for high-performance computing.
Presenting at the recent 9th Annual International Conference on Sodium Batteries (ICNaB) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Inlyte's Founder and CEO, Antonio Baclig, shared: "We're excited to announce that our iron-sodium chemistry has demonstrated stable cycling in commercial-size cells, proving its readiness for scale-up. This technology combines the best of high-performance daily cycling and low-cost long-duration storage, making it uniquely capable of addressing today's energy challenges."
Dual Capability: Daily Cycling and Long Duration Reliability
Inlyte's iron-sodium batteries achieve what other technologies cannot: high efficiency for both daily cycling (4–10 hours) and affordability for long-duration storage (24+ hours). This dual capability maximizes utilization of low-cost renewable energy while offering a cost-effective replacement for fueled standby generation.
"Our technology fills a critical gap in the market," said Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Kaun. "While other solutions specialize in either daily cycling or long-duration storage, our batteries are differentiated in their ability to do both—offering an unmatched combination of performance, cost, durability, and safety."
Breakthrough Efficiency Results and Long Life Performance
In a significant advance, Inlyte has revealed that its cells have achieved over 700 cycles with no loss in energy capacity and 90% roundtrip efficiency, using its iron-sodium chemistry in today's commercially-produced sodium metal chloride cell format. These results, representing over a year of testing, project a battery life of at least 7,000 cycles or 20 years — matching the proven performance of traditional sodium nickel chloride batteries, but at a fraction of the cost.
"Our proprietary iron cathode innovation and optimized operating conditions make this milestone possible," added Will Gent, VP of Engineering. "By leveraging earth-abundant iron and table salt, we are transforming economics and enabling domestic supply chains for energy storage."
Proven Technology, Reimagined for Scalability
Originally developed for electric vehicles in the 1980s and 1990s, sodium metal chloride batteries have proven their performance and commercial viability over decades, but cost reductions and scale have been held back by its cost structure. Inlyte's team, which includes some of the technology's pioneers via Inlyte's 2022 acquisition of UK-based Beta Research, is now optimizing this proven technology platform for long-duration energy storage, replacing nickel with iron to achieve unprecedented cost reductions while maintaining high performance.
Accelerating Toward Commercialization
Founded in 2021, Inlyte Energy has rapidly advanced its technology with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E Seed program - which funded early work contributing to this iron-sodium advance - as well as early-stage venture funding and accelerators such as Activate and Joules. Following the achievement of key company milestones, Inlyte secured additional follow-on investment in September of 2024 to accelerate the scale-up of its technology.
Looking ahead, Inlyte is targeting commercial demonstration projects in 2025 and large-scale U.S. manufacturing by early 2027. This milestone positions Inlyte to meet growing demand for resilient, long-duration storage solutions while supporting robust expansion of a burgeoning U.S. energy storage industry to serve explosive market growth, both domestic and international.
