Ore Energy makes history with first grid-connected iron-air battery system

"Rust battery" now operational in the Netherlands; first multi-day long-term energy storage system designed for implementation using only European manufacturing and materials

Ore Energy, the Dutch iron-air long-term energy storage startup, announced today that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery to the Delft power grid - the world's first known iron-air system connected to the power grid and fully operational. The pilot system is also the first multi-day long-term energy storage system (LDES) designed, built and installed entirely within the European Union using materials that can only be sourced within Europe. This unique implementation represents a major technological milestone in long-term energy storage and marks a decisive moment in European energy sovereignty and resilience.

Ore Energy's pilot system - which uses iron, air and water to store clean energy for up to 100 hours - was deployed at The Green Village, a living lab for next-generation climate and energy innovations at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The system charges by using electricity to convert iron oxides (such as rust) back into metallic iron. During the discharge, the metallic iron reacts with oxygen from the air to form iron oxides again, releasing electrical energy. The plant is now collecting operational data from field operations and will serve as a test bed for multi-day energy shifting, an important milestone on the road to full integration of renewable energy grids. Ore Energy's entire system will use 12-meter modular containers, each providing several MWh of multi-day energy storage, optimized for low-cost and compact deployment.

"This achievement proves that Europe can lead the world in energy innovation and energy power. We have shown that breakthrough solutions like iron-air can be taken from the laboratory to the power grid in just two years and built entirely with a European supply chain," said Aytaç Yilmaz, co-founder and CEO of Ore Energy. "Our battery not only stores clean energy, it also solves three of the biggest problems of the power grid: it reduces renewable energy switching, replaces fossil backup and reduces the need to overbuild wind and solar power. Long-term storage like ours makes renewable energy reliable, affordable and sovereign. And now it's ready."

"The Green Village wants to bring bold ideas from the lab to the real world. Ore Energy's iron-air battery is just such a breakthrough," said Lidewij van Trigt, energy transition project manager at The Green Village. "The connection of the first grid-ready iron-air system here in Delft shows what is possible when research, regulation and industry are aligned. We are proud to provide a testing ground for technologies that will shape the future of Europe's energy system."