India Tests Fast‑Charging Iron‑Air Battery at NTPC Simhadri to Boost 24×7 Renewable Power

A pilot project has been planned at NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Station to evaluate an indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology for Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) applications. The project will be implemented by Atal Incubation Centre – Anna University (AIC-AU) at NTPC Simhadri through its technology partner, Meine Electric, with the objective of assessing the technology under utility operating conditions.

The pilot project will evaluate the technical performance, operational reliability and operational characteristics of the indigenous Iron-Air Battery system under real-world conditions. The study is expected to generate valuable operational data and insights into the suitability of the technology for long-duration energy storage applications, enabling reliable 24×7 clean energy, enhancing grid flexibility and supporting future applications that require enhanced operational flexibility.

Meine Electric is the first company in APAC and the third globally to pioneer Iron-Air Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) technology. Its proprietary Fast Charge Long Discharge (FCLD) technology, which enables a six-hour charge and 18-hour discharge, has also been independently validated by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), the parent company of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). CES Battery Laboratory testing assessed the technology's electrochemical performance, capacity retention and operational stability under a 6-hour charging and 18-hour discharging cycle, providing third-party validation as Meine Electric advances towards larger-scale demonstrations and commercial deployment.

As India continues to expand its renewable energy capacity, long-duration energy storage is expected to play an increasingly important role in improving grid reliability, managing renewable energy variability and supporting a more flexible and resilient power system. The pilot project is expected to contribute towards the development and evaluation of indigenous energy storage technologies while generating valuable learnings for future applications.

Through the AIC-Anna University initiative, Meine Electric will be responsible for the development, system integration and performance monitoring of the Iron-Air Battery system. The operational data and technical insights generated during the pilot will provide an important benchmark for further technology development and future commercial-scale deployment.

Speaking on the collaboration, Mr. Priyansh Mohan, Co-Founder & CEO, Meine Electric, said "We are honoured that our indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology has been selected for implementation under this pilot project planned at NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Station. The project provides an important opportunity to demonstrate the technology under utility operating conditions and generate valuable performance data that will help accelerate the development of cost-effective long-duration energy storage solutions for India's evolving power system."

Speaking on the partnership, Shri Kishore Kumar.S, CEO, AIC - Anna Incubator, said, "Our mission is to catalyze high-impact innovations that solve critical national challenges. Supporting Meine Electric in deploying India's indigenous Iron-Air Battery technology at NTPC Simhadri is a major step toward achieving scalable, long-duration energy storage. This collaboration highlights how academia, startups, and public sector leaders can work together to strengthen India's clean energy ecosystem and accelerate our transition to a resilient, sustainable grid."

The initiative reflects the growing emphasis on indigenous innovation, advanced energy storage technologies and collaborative research aimed at supporting India's clean energy transition and strengthening long-term energy security.

About Meine Electric

Meine Electric is an Indian deep-tech startup pioneering the world’s first fast-charging Iron-Air battery for Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES). By shrinking traditional charge times from 100 hours to just 6 hours, paired with an 18-hour discharge, the company utilizes a proprietary, low-cost "reversible rusting" chemistry to provide reliable & affordable 24/7 baseload power. Engineered specifically for the daily-cycling demands of modern power grids, Meine Electric's systems enable renewable firming and thermal asset flexibilization at a fraction of the cost of alternative storage technologies. As a first-mover in the high-growth APAC and MEA markets, the company is now working towards partnering with utilities and heavy industries to build the critical infrastructure required for a secure global energy transition. Backed by leading investors and institutional partners, Meine Electric is pioneering India-built, practical engineering to drive the shift to a future of limitless renewable energy. Meine Electric has won several industry awards, including The National Startup Award 2026, Nasscom Emerge 50 Award, besides others.

Vision: Limitless renewable energy.

Mission: Make iron-air batteries the backbone of long-duration storage and lead globally in this category.

Long-term goal: Enable $1B in revenue by 2032 through grid-scale Iron-Air Battery deployments.
About AIC – Anna Incubator

AIC-AU Incubation Foundation (AIC- Anna Incubator) is a Section 8 non-profit organization established under the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and hosted by Anna University, Chennai. Positioned as one of South India's leading startup ecosystems, Anna Incubator nurtures deep-tech and high-impact startups across sectors such as Clean & Sustainability Tech, Electric Mobility, Health Sciences, AI, and Advanced Manufacturing. To date, the incubator has supported over 91 startups, generated 1,100+ jobs, facilitated 125+ patent filings, and built a portfolio valuation exceeding ₹1,500 Crore. Leveraging a strong network of corporate, government, and investment partners, Anna Incubator translates academic research into market-ready technologies that support India's strategic growth goals.

Indian Deep-Tech Startup Meine Electric's Fast-Charging Iron-Air Battery Clears Independent Validation, Paving the Way for 24/7 Renewable Energy Storage

• Independent validation by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), the parent company of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), confirms the performance and cycle stability of Meine Electric’s breakthrough Fast-Charge Long-Discharge (FCLD) Iron-Air battery technology.

Indian deep-tech startup Meine Electric has developed the world's first fast-charging iron-air battery system, marking a significant technical advancement for long-duration energy storage (LDES). The technology, which features a proprietary Fast Charge Long Discharge (FCLD) capability allowing the battery to charge in 6 hours and discharge over 18 hours, has been independently validated by Customized Energy Solutions (CES), a US-headquartered global energy services and technology company and the parent organization of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

The independent testing was conducted by the CES Battery Laboratory through a structured testing protocol designed to assess electrochemical performance, capacity retention, and operational stability. Testing two iron-air electrochemical cells, the assessment validated the system's operational stability under an asymmetric duty cycle comprising a rapid 6 hours of charging followed by 18 hours of discharging per cycle.

Historically, iron-air battery chemistry has been limited by longer charge cycles, with existing approaches focused on multi-day storage applications. According to DataM Intelligence’s Iron Air Battery Market Size, Long-Duration Energy Storage Forecast 2035; 2026 Report, Iron-Air batteries are emerging as a promising solution for long-duration energy storage due to their ability to provide reliable and scalable storage using abundant materials such as iron. Global players, including Form Energy (US) and Ore Energy (Europe), have built Iron-Air systems focused on long-duration applications, with existing approaches demonstrating storage durations of up to 100 hours. However, these longer cycle times have restricted its suitability for daily renewable energy balancing.

Meine Electric has addressed this limitation through its proprietary Fast Charge Long Discharge (FCLD) technology, electrode development processes, and new system architecture. The technology enables a 6-hour charge and 18-hour discharge cycle, making it the world’s first fast-charging Iron-Air battery technology designed for daily-cycling renewable energy applications. The chemistry also offers fundamental advantages including inherent safety, reliance on abundant raw materials, and lower system costs compared to lithium-ion.

"Traditional iron-air systems are restricted to multi-day cycles, making them largely incompatible with the intermittent nature of renewable energy generation. Furthermore, solar-heavy grids don't need a 100-hour battery. Unlike regions that require seasonal storage, the renewable challenge across Asia and MEA is fundamentally a daily balancing problem. By engineering our system to capture a full charge within a tight 6-to-8-hour window, we are finally turning iron-air batteries from a sluggish backup chemistry into a foundational, daily-cycling asset," said Priyansh Mohan, Co-founder and CEO of Meine Electric.

This daily-cycling capability aligns precisely with the requirements of rapidly growing renewable energy markets like India, where the grid demands storage technologies that can consistently capture excess solar generation during the day and discharge it reliably overnight. For Meine Electric, it reinforces the company’s progress from laboratory-scale development towards real-world deployment of next-generation storage solutions.

Founded in 2023 by Priyansh Mohan and Stuti Kakkar, Meine Electric is the first company in APAC, and the third player globally, pioneering iron-air long-duration energy storage. As India races towards its 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030, Meine Electric is positioned to deliver key strategic advantages:

• Market-Leading Costs: The proprietary technology operates at a levelised cost of storage (LCOS) of less than $0.05/kWh (~₹5/kWh).
• Daily-Cycling Capability: Affordable, daily-cycling batteries that seamlessly complement lithium-ion to unlock true round-the-clock renewable power.
• Grid Infrastructure: Systems capable of functioning as foundational assets to firm renewables and flexibilize thermal assets.

"The energy industry prioritizes lower costs and higher reliability, and iron-air technology is structurally positioned to deliver on both. We are betting on iron-air as a foundational infrastructure play to support the renewable grid," stated Stuti Kakkar, Co-founder and COO of Meine Electric.

The validation by CES adds critical third-party credibility to Meine Electric’s technology roadmap as the company moves towards larger-scale demonstrations, pilot deployments, and continues developing indigenous energy storage solutions to secure India’s transition to renewable energy.
About Meine Electric

Meine Electric is an Indian deep-tech startup pioneering the world’s first fast-charging Iron-Air battery for Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES). By shrinking traditional charge times from 100 hours to just 6 hours, paired with an 18-hour discharge, the company utilizes a proprietary, low-cost "reversible rusting" chemistry to provide reliable & affordable 24/7 baseload power. Engineered specifically for the daily-cycling demands of modern power grids, Meine Electric's systems enable renewable firming and thermal asset flexibilization at a fraction of the cost of alternative storage technologies. As a first-mover in the high-growth APAC and MEA markets, the company is now working towards partnering with utilities and heavy industries to build the critical infrastructure required for a secure global energy transition. Backed by leading investors and institutional partners, Meine Electric is pioneering India-built, practical engineering to drive the shift to a future of limitless renewable energy. Meine Electric has won several industry awards, including The National Startup Award 2026, Nasscom Emerge 50 Award, besides others.

Vision: Limitless renewable energy.

Mission: Make iron-air batteries the backbone of long-duration storage and lead globally in this category.. 

Long-term goal: Enable $1B in revenue by 2032 through grid-scale Iron-Air Battery deployments.