Certain Energy

RFC Power is developing a low-cost, long-duration flow battery for grid-scale energy storage, designed to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources. The company was established in 2017 as a spin-out from Imperial College London. Its founding team includes Professor Nigel Brandon, Professor Anthony Kucernak, and Dr. Vladimir Yufit, leveraging research from the university's engineering and chemistry departments. CEO Tim von Werne, who has over 20 years of experience in early-stage technology ventures and a PhD in Chemistry, leads the company. He was formerly a sponsored amateur skateboarder in the late 1990s before pursuing a career in science. The company’s core technology is a patented hybrid regenerative fuel cell that functions as a flow battery. Specifically, it utilizes a hydrogen-manganese chemistry, which relies on inexpensive, abundant, and non-toxic materials. This approach aims to deliver a lower levelized cost of storage compared to conventional flow batteries, such as those based on vanadium. The system is characterized by high power density, high round-trip efficiency, and a long cycle life with minimal capacity degradation. By combining aspects of fuel cells and batteries, RFC Power's design separates energy and power capacity, allowing for scalable solutions tailored to specific grid needs. RFC Power's business model is centered on B2B partnerships. The company focuses on developing the core chemistry, cell architecture, and stack components while collaborating with partners for system manufacturing and marketing. This strategy leverages existing production facilities and supply chains to accelerate commercialization. The primary clients are expected to be utility companies, renewable energy project developers, and grid operators. The company has secured seed funding and grants from investors and partners including IP Group, Ceres Power, Shell GameChanger, and Ørsted. These collaborations are critical for testing, validation, and scaling the technology for commercial deployment. In 2022, RFC Power successfully demonstrated a 1kW continuous discharge power system and is working to accelerate the technology to a commercial scale. Keywords: grid energy storage, flow battery, long-duration storage, renewable energy integration, hydrogen-manganese chemistry, regenerative fuel cell, electrochemical energy storage, spin-out, Imperial College London, utility-scale storage, cleantech, energy transition, high power density, B2B technology, grid stability, stationary storage, energy systems, electrochemistry, sustainable technology, Ceres Power partnership, Ørsted partnership, Shell GameChanger.