In this episode, I’m joined by Priyansh Mohan and Stuti Kakkar, school friends turned co-founders at MEINE Electric, to talk about their innovations in developing iron-air battery energy storage systems (BESS) for long duration energy storage (LDES).
Renewable energy in India faces a fundamental problem of timing. Solar panels and wind turbines produce electricity when nature dictates, not necessarily when industrial factories require it. For the green transition to succeed, power must be stored for the long hours when the sun is down or the wind is still. While lithium-ion batteries serve short durations, they remain too costly for day-long storage.
Priyansh and Stuti are innovating in the area of controlled, reversible rusting, with the aim of providing energy storage for 16 to 24 hours at prices lower than with current options such as pumped hydro storage and of course lithium-ion batteries. Their approach uses materials abundantly available — iron, air, and water — to avoid the complicated supply chains associated with rarer metals.
“At the core of it, it’s just reversible rusting. We all know that iron rusts — it’s not a reaction that’s unknown to humanity — but to do it in a controlled fashion at a greater efficiency so it acts as a battery is where our innovation and the whole magic lies.”
Stuti Kakkar and Priyansh Mohan
In this episode, we get a peek into the engineering innovations behind their technology and some of the challenges that remain in the way of building deep tech companies from India. Backed by Rebalance, Antler, Venture Catalysts, gradCapital, and Anna Incubator, Stuti and Priyansh have recently raised a pre-seed investment in their venture.
They expect to showcase a pilot-ready version of their first product as early as later this year.
Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to MEINE Electric and Iron-Air Technology:
An overview of the timing problem in renewable energy and the startup’s mission to provide long-duration storage through controlled reversible rusting.
(01:40) The Founders’ Journey and Pivot to Stationary Storage:
Priyansh Mohan and Stuti Kakkar recount their shift from a college project involving electric motorbikes to focusing on the emerging market for long-duration storage (LDS).
(05:40) Why Iron-Air: Solving the Rechargeability and Cost Problem:
The founders explain how customer feedback regarding high operating costs led them to move away from aluminum-air batteries in favor of rechargeable iron-air chemistry.
(08:00) The Science of Controlled Rusting and Fast Charging:
A technical dive into the material science required to prevent iron electrodes from shedding material and the engineering behind matching solar duty cycles.
(11:15) Targeting Energy-Intensive Industries and Solar-Heavy Grids:
Discussion of the 16-to-24-hour “sweet spot” for storage and how the technology can reduce electricity costs for mining and data centers.
(18:00) Global Competition and the Shift to Daily Battery Cycles:
An analysis of the global landscape, including competitors like Form Energy, and why MEINE’s approach is tailored specifically for the APAC region.
(20:10) Scaling Modular Units for Industrial Loads:
Details on the 40kW modular battery units and the company’s roadmap for transitioning from R&D to mass production facilities.
(27:10) Funding Milestones and the 2030 Long-Term Vision:
The co-founders outline their capital needs, current pre-seed funding status, and the eventual goal of developing a software-driven data layer for the energy ecosystem.
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