Just when it feels like the energy storage landscape is starting to make sense, new technologies keep popping up—often landing in inboxes faster than they can be fully evaluated. From hybrid compressed air systems to radically new battery chemistries, the pace of innovation in long-duration and grid-scale energy storage is accelerating.

We’ve already explored the hybrid pumped hydro + compressed air storage project set to break ground in Kern County. Now, add these emerging storage technologies to your watchlist.

Noon Energy’s Carbon-Oxygen Battery: Ultra-Long Duration Storage

Noon Energy is drawing attention with its novel carbon-oxygen battery, designed for ultra-long-duration energy storage (100+ hours).

Unlike lithium-ion batteries, Noon’s system functions more like a reversible fuel cell:

• How it works: During charging, the system splits CO₂ into solid carbon and oxygen, storing energy chemically. During discharge, the process reverses, recombining carbon with oxygen from air to generate electricity—conceptually similar to photosynthesis in reverse.

• Technology platform: A ceramic, high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzer/fuel cell manages the electrochemical reactions.

• Decoupled power and energy: Like a flow battery, energy duration scales with tank size, while power scales with the cell—making it flexible for grid applications.

• Materials advantage: Uses abundant materials (carbon and oxygen), avoiding supply-chain risks tied to cobalt, nickel, or lithium.

• Cost and performance claims: Noon estimates potential costs as low as $20/kWh of capacity, with higher energy density than lithium-ion for long-duration use cases.

You can read more about Noon Energy’s ambitions in coverage from Latitude Media.

Redwood Materials: Repurposing EV Batteries for Grid Storage

Redwood Materials, best known for EV battery recycling, is expanding into battery repurposing. Instead of recycling all incoming batteries, Redwood is diverting those in the best condition into stationary grid-scale storage systems.

While the idea itself isn’t new, Redwood’s $425 million in funding gives it the scale and credibility to make second-life batteries a meaningful part of the storage ecosystem.

Eos Energy: Scaling Zinc-Based Battery Manufacturing

Eos Energy is ramping up production of its zinc-based battery systems, expanding manufacturing capacity to 8 GWh at a new 432,000-square-foot facility in Pittsburgh.

Backed by a $24 million economic development incentive from Pennsylvania, the plant is designed for high-efficiency, large-scale production, signaling growing confidence in zinc as a viable alternative chemistry for grid storage.

Form Energy: Iron-Air Batteries Enter Commercial Deployment

Form Energy has begun delivering its iron-air batteries to a 1.5 MW commercial demonstration project in Minnesota, supported by 200 MW of contracted capacity.

Iron-air systems are optimized for multi-day storage, targeting gaps that lithium-ion struggles to fill—particularly during prolonged outages or low renewable generation periods.

Peak Energy: Sodium-Ion Storage at Massive Scale

Peak Energy is pushing sodium-ion batteries into the spotlight with plans to deliver what’s being described as the world’s largest sodium-ion energy storage system:

• 720 MWh deployment for Jupiter Power in 2027

• Expansion options bringing total capacity to 4.75 GWh by 2030

• 20-year design life, with estimated 20% lower lifetime costs than LFP lithium-ion systems

• Fully passive cooling, improving safety and reducing operational complexity

Sodium-ion batteries offer a compelling alternative for grid-scale storage by avoiding lithium entirely while maintaining competitive performance.

Big Questions Still Remain

As exciting as these technologies are, none are guaranteed to succeed. Key questions remain across all emerging storage platforms:

• Will they achieve the cost, lifetime, and performance being promised?

• How will their round-trip efficiency (RTE) compare to lithium-ion’s ~85% benchmark?

• Can they scale reliably and bankably?

The current moment feels a lot like the early days of solar PV, when dozens of competing approaches entered the market—only to be narrowed by economics, performance, and real-world deployment.

Join the Conversation: February 26 Energy Storage Meetup

Want to dig deeper into what these technologies mean for the future of batteries and the grid?

Join our expert panel discussion on February 26, where we’ll explore emerging storage technologies and their implications for the evolving battery industry.

📍 Location: Kora Power, Rancho Cordova
🔋 Host: One of our region’s leading battery innovators

Register now and be part of the conversation shaping the next generation of energy storage.