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ESS, a U.S. manufacturer of long-duration batteries, announced that it has entered into a framework agreement with SB Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp, to deploy two gigawatt-hours (2 GWh) of ESS batteries through 2026.
The agreement demonstrates ESS and SB Energy’s shared commitment and vision of a global shift to renewables and decarbonization of the grid.
In connection with the agreement, the first ESS system has already been delivered to an SB Energy location in Davis, California, and will be commissioned in October 2021.
SB Energy plans to install additional ESS flow battery systems to complement its expanding portfolio of solar power projects in Texas and California, two of the fastest-growing markets for long-duration storage in the U.S. With its iron-, salt-, and water-based batteries, ESS systems help customers enhance grid resiliency while eliminating the risk of the batteries catching fire, particularly in wildfire-prone areas such as California.
“ESS’s unique ability to manufacture and ship batteries using iron, salt, and water is a game-changer, enabling SB Energy to offer our customers safe, sustainable and low-cost energy storage today,” said Rich Hossfeld, Co-Chief Executive Officer at SB Energy and ESS Board Member.
“Long-duration storage is absolutely critical to providing flexible, affordable renewable energy at scale and aligns perfectly with the Biden administration’s ambitious clean energy initiatives. SB Energy is excited to continue its partnership with ESS and deploy the company’s domestically manufactured batteries into the vast and rapidly growing market for energy storage”, he added.
“The energy transition will require massive amounts of storage capacity in the coming years and we are focused on scaling up our manufacturing capacity to help meet that demand. We are fortunate to have such great partners as SB Energy and Breakthrough Energy Ventures and look forward to a long and expanding partnership,” said Eric Dresselhuys, ESS CEO.
