Dive Brief:
- Two startup companies aim to slash the cost of molten salt energy storage technology.
- Halotechnics, based in Emeryville, California, is developing a pilot-scale project that the company says will eventually be half the price of battery storage.
- Terrafore Technologies aims to cut the price of molten salt in half. The company is looking for funding to move beyond the testing phase.
Dive Insight:
Molten salt technology has been around. Most recently it was part of the Solana solar power plant that just came online in Arizona. The molten salt storage allows the facility to store energy during the day and deliver during the peak demand hours in the early evening when the sun is setting. Advances in molten salt, and any storage technology, could make the grid more efficient and provide a boost for intermittent renewable resources.