Peak Energy Launches First Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion Battery System in U.S

U.S.-based startup Peak Energy has launched what it claims is the world’s first fully passive, grid-scale sodium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS), marking a significant breakthrough in energy storage technology. The system, now being piloted with nine utilities and independent power producers (IPPs), incorporates a patent-pending passive cooling design that eliminates moving parts and drastically cuts lifetime energy costs.

The sodium-ion phosphate pyrophosphate (NFPP) system, said to be the largest of its kind globally, removes key components identified in most battery storage fires, according to third-party analyses. It offers cost parity with leading lithium-ion systems, while slashing operational and maintenance costs by eliminating active cooling and ventilation—components often cited as failure points.

A Breakthrough

"This isn't just another product launch – it's a breakthrough in energy storage," said Paul Durkee, VP of Engineering at Peak Energy. "We’ve designed a dead-simple, ultra-reliable system with no moving parts and negligible auxiliary loads."

With this milestone, Peak Energy becomes the first company to deploy sodium-ion battery storage at grid scale in the U.S. The system is positioned as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which require complex thermal management systems. Sodium-ion chemistry, by contrast, operates efficiently across a broad temperature range without external cooling—particularly valuable for remote or hot environments.

Peak Energy projects its ESS will deliver:

• Annual operational cost savings of over $1 million per GWh installed

• 20% lower lifetime cost versus lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries

• 33% less battery degradation over a 20-year lifespan

Economic & Strategic 

CEO and co-founder Landon Mossburg said the system supports both economic and strategic objectives. “We see energy storage not only as an economic imperative, but also as a national security priority. We’re committed to onshoring manufacturing and building a domestic battery supply chain.”

The U.S. holds the world’s largest soda ash reserves—a critical input for sodium-ion batteries—and Peak Energy emphasized that its entire supply chain can be sourced domestically or from allied nations.

Peak's pilot paves the way for nearly 1 GWh of commercial contracts under negotiation. Following the pilot, the company aims to deploy hundreds of MWh of storage with multiple IPP and hyperscaler partners by 2027. It also plans to launch its first U.S. cell factory in 2026.

Founded in 2023 by veterans of Tesla, Enovix and Apple, Peak Energy raised $55 million in Series A funding last year. The company says it is focused on securing America’s energy future through low-cost, scalable battery technologies.