{"id":15583,"date":"2024-09-02T15:08:17","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T15:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1409822"},"modified":"2024-09-02T15:08:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T15:08:17","slug":"swedish-startup-bets-big-on-zinc-ion-batteries-with-worlds-first-megaplant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15583","title":{"rendered":"Swedish startup bets big on zinc-ion batteries with world\u2019s first megaplant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Swedish <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/startups\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">startup<\/a> Enerpoly has opened the world\u2019s first zinc-ion battery megafactory. Its vision is to scale a better alternative to lithium-ion for storing renewable energy over longer periods of time.<\/p>\n<p>The Enerpoly Production Innovation Center (EPIC) facility is located north of Stockholm. Commissioning has already begun and the plant is expected to make the first zinc-ion batteries next year. The company aims to reach a maximum production capacity of 100MWh by 2026 \u2014 enough energy to power around 20,000 homes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409826 size-full js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Facility-entrance_high-quality_enerpoly2.jpg\" alt=\"Enerpoly's new zinc-ion battery factory in Stockholm \" width=\"1235\" height=\"919\"><figcaption>Enerpoly\u2019s new zinc-ion megafactory on the outskirts of Sweden. Credit: Enerpoly<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409826 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Facility-entrance_high-quality_enerpoly2.jpg\" alt=\"Enerpoly's new zinc-ion battery factory in Stockholm \" width=\"1235\" height=\"919\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>In 2018, Dr. Mylad Chamoun made a breakthrough in zinc-ion battery chemistry while pursuing his PhD at Stockholm University. Later that year, he teamed up with his former colleague Dr. Samir Nameer and the duo founded Enerpoly. The partners saw a gaping hole in the market where lithium-ion wasn\u2019t competitive \u2014 offering 2 to 10 hour energy storage. They believed zinc-ion batteries could fill the gap.<\/p>\n<h2>Making zinc-ion batteries work<\/h2>\n<p>Using zinc in batteries isn\u2019t anything new. The AA batteries that power your most precious (read, junk) toys and gadgets are made from zinc and manganese oxide. This chemistry has made companies like Energizer and Duracell a tonne of money.<\/p>\n<p>However, zinc-ion batteries have historically, for lack of a better word, sucked at recharging. This is because zinc-ion chemistries are plagued by dendrites \u2014 crystals that cause short circuits. They also lose capacity fast.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\" readability=\"8.5\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\" readability=\"12\">\n<p class=\"channel-cta-title\">The &lt;3 of EU tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cEnerpoly has innovated across the entire zinc-ion battery system \u2014 including anode, cathode, electrolyte, and separator design \u2014 to solve these inherent problems,\u201d the company\u2019s CEO, MIT-educated aerospace engineer Eloisa da Castro, told TNW.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409827 size-full js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Enerpoly-Founding-Team-2.jpg\" alt=\"the enerpoly founding team \" width=\"1640\" height=\"1093\"><figcaption>Dr. Mylad Chamoun (left), Eloisa da Castro, and Dr. Samir Nameer. Credit: Enerpoly<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409827 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Enerpoly-Founding-Team-2.jpg\" alt=\"the enerpoly founding team \" width=\"1640\" height=\"1093\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>Enerpoly uses zinc metal for the battery\u2019s anode, manganese dioxide for the cathode, and a water-based electrolyte to carry charged particles between the two sides.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike lithium, zinc is globally abundant. Moreover, Sweden is home to the <a href=\"https:\/\/natural-resources.canada.ca\/our-natural-resources\/minerals-mining\/mining-data-statistics-and-analysis\/minerals-metals-facts\/zinc-facts\/20534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">largest zinc reserves<\/a> in Europe \u2014 about 2% of the world\u2019s total. Enerpoly hopes to establish a completely European supply chain for its batteries and make the continent a \u201czinc-ion powerhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Zinc-ion for energy storage<\/h2>\n<p>Different from lithium-ion battery developers, Enerpoly is targeting the energy storage market \u2013 not EVs and smartphones. Use cases include renewable energy storage, shifting energy loads on the grid, and increasing power resiliency \u2014 within the 2-10 hour storage mark.<\/p>\n<p>The batteries are modular \u2014 multiple packs can be placed in parallel to make larger systems. The company claims the packs are non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-explosive.<\/p>\n<p>Because the materials they use are a lot more abundant, Enerpoly believes it can be cost-competitive with myriad other short-to-mid term energy storage technologies under development. These include lithium-ion batteries, <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/silicon-valleys-ai-controlled-hot-rock-batteries-are-coming-to-europe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thermal heat storage<\/a> devices, <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/highview-power-funding-uk-liquid-air-battery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liquid air batteries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/iron-flow-battery-ess-schiphol-airport-technology-startup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iron flow batteries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/scottish-startup-gravitricity-energy-storage-battery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gravity batteries<\/a>, and even this <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/energy-dome-co2-battery-funding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CO2 dome<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And investors seem to agree. To date, the company has raised just shy of \u20ac15mn. Over \u20ac8mn of that came from the Swedish Energy Agency to construct the EPIC factory.<\/p>\n<p>CEO Da Castro told TNW the company is also planning to close its Series A this year, as they look to scale up towards the 2026 target of 100MWh. In July, Enerpoly acquired state-of-the-art dry electrode manufacturing equipment from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pv-magazine.com\/2023\/12\/11\/swedish-battery-maker-nilar-files-for-insolvency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bankrupt startup Nilar<\/a> that it will use in its new plant. Beyond 2026, the startup is eyeing its first gigafactory.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/enerpoly-zinc-ion-battery-factory-sweden-startup\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swedish startup Enerpoly has opened the world\u2019s first zinc-ion battery megafactory. Its vision is to scale a better alternative to lithium-ion for storing renewable energy over longer periods of time. The Enerpoly&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}