RELIABLE POWER EVERYWHERE.
ANYTIME.
SUSTAINABILITY AT A REASONABLE PRICE.
THE STORY OF IRON ENERGY
Born as an ETH spin-off, IRON ENERGY builds on Swiss excellence in innovation and engineering. We developed a long-duration energy storage solution feasible for seasonal storage — enabling communities and industries to achieve energy self-sufficiency. By combining sustainability with resilience, we are helping to transform today’s energy system into one that is ready for the future.
WE POWER IRON ENERGY
IRON ENERGY is powered by a team of four entrepreneurs who bring together diverse backgrounds and complementary strengths. From cutting-edge research in energy systems to hands-on experience in engineering, business strategy, and project execution, we combine the competencies needed to turn vision into reality. What unites us is a shared drive: to build solutions that make sustainable, self-sufficient energy a reality for communities and industries.
Innovative Technology
Swiss Quality
Integrable Solution
Durable Design
Meet the Team (left to right):
Dr. Lauri Lethonen – COO
Brian Petrus – Head of Engineering & Projects
Dr. Samuel Heiniger – CEO & CTO
Daniel Bloch – CFO
Our mission is to develop the cheapest and safest energy storage for seasonal needs
How does our technology work?
Our storage technology is based on the steam-iron process
CHARGING
Hydrogen is introduced into the storage vessel, which is filled with iron oxide (FeO), under atmospheric pressure. At around 500 °C, the hydrogen reacts with the iron oxide, producing water vapor and metallic iron (Fe). The water vapor leaves the vessel and is then condensed.
STORAGE
The iron now serves as a stable, solid energy carrier. The chemical energy originally contained in the hydrogen is now locked within the metallic iron. This charged state allows for indefinite and safe storage, with the material ready to be triggered to release hydrogen on demand for later use.
DISCHARGING
During discharge, steam is introduced into the vessel, where it reacts with the metallic iron to produce iron oxide and release hydrogen. The storage material remains stable — the iron oxide stays inside the vessel and can be reused for the next charging cycle. This process enables the recovery of almost 100% of the injected hydrogen.
27 %
of solar power is sold at negative prices
7.2 bilEUR
of electricity was curtailed in Europe in 2024
up to 900 hours
of electricity was sold at negative prices in Europe in 2024
Did you know?
INTEGRATION OF IRON ENERGY'S STORAGE SOLUTION
up-stream
1) HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
Green hydrogen is generated from renewable electricity during times of surplus — typically in summer when power is abundant and inexpensive — using an electrolyzer.
IRON ENERGY
2) STORAGE
The energy of the produced hydrogen is chemically stored in solid iron using IRON ENERGY's system based on the steam-iron process.
down-stream
3) ENERGY CONSUMPTION
When hydrogen is needed, the storage system is discharged. Depending on the application, the hydrogen can be converted back into electricity and heat using fuel cells or turbines, or used directly as feedstock for green steel, green ammonia, and other industrial processes.
Over the years, we have successfully developed, patented, and validated our novel technology based on the steam-iron process. Our products are designed with a reversible system design that can chemically store hydrogen in iron for hundreds of hours and release hydrogen again.
Energy
Our storage systems achieve energy efficiencies of up to 80%, offer lifetimes of more than 50 years, and deliver outstanding energy density of 2.8 MWh/m3 (8x higher than Li-ion battery).
Advantages of Iron Energy
Sustainability
The process relies entirely on naturally abundant resources, and it is designed in a way that avoids the use of any harmful, hazardous, or toxic materials.
Safety
The system operates safely in a solid state at ambient pressure, with only minimal amounts of hydrogen present — eliminating the risk of explosion.
Costs
The usage of iron oxide allows to cut costs by factor 10 compared to compressed hydrogen storages and 20 times cheaper than Li-ion batteries (incl. cost of electrolyzer and fuel cells).
Integrability
The technology integrates effortlessly and harmoniously into the existing energy and hydrogen infrastructure.
Scalable
A well-established global market already exists for all components and materials involved, ensuring large-scale availability, reliable supply chains, and cost efficiency.
About our products
STANDARDIZED
MODULAR
The system is designed for a 1'000-hour cycle life on our standard configuration. Thanks to our modular architecture, we can precisely tailor the system to your operational needs, enabling optimized cycles as short as 100 hours.
The IRON ENERGY systems are built on a Two-Component Design:
Periphery: Houses all balance-of-plant components, including thermal management and control systems.
Storage Unit: The self-contained vessel where the core iron-oxide chemical reaction takes place.
For small-scaled demand, we offer containerized solutions start at 200 MWh, capable of storing about 6 tons of hydrogen. For large-scale industrial demand, our onsite installations can exceed 1 GWh of storage capacity, securing over 50 tons of storable hydrogen.
Where to integrate our systems
GREEN INDUSTRY
Cutting cost of green hydrogen making green derivatives cost competitive and securing reliable supply
ENERGY COMMUNITIES
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT
PETROCHEMICAL
Enabling full self-sufficiency by bridging inexpensive summer energy into the winter
De-risking investment facing volatile market prices and ensure security of supply
Large-scaled and inexpensive buffers with high safety standards for reliable hydrogen supply
Let's talk storage solutions
Have a question about our technology, or interested in a feasibility study for your energy needs?
Reach out today.
What we do
10 MWh PILOT PLANT ETH HÖNGGERBERG
In 2023, we successfully commissioned our third pilot at the ETH Zurich Campus Hönggerberg. This system features 10 tons of stored commercial iron ore across three stainless steel tanks.
Core Function: It uses an integrated electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from water, which is then chemically stored in the iron ore.
Energy Output: The plant stores about 10 MWh of energy — enough to cover the winter electricity needs of 3 to 5 typical households.
DEMONSTRATOR (20 MWh) - ONGOING
To validate our product’s lifetime at scale, we are initialing a scale-up project. This involves testing a demo unit (FOAK) with 650 kg of hydrogen storage capacity (20 MWh) for 50 cycles. This allows us to reduces time to market by 1-2 years and boost our technology from TRL 6 to TRL 8.
Our Gen2 prototype of the energy storage system was built on a small scale in the laboratory at ETH Zurich with an internal volume of 210 liters. This provided valuable insights into the process and design of the system, which will contribute to the optimization of future storage tanks.
250 kg iron ore
Approximately 250 kWh of energy storage capacity
LABORATORY-SCALE REACTOR (GEN2)
More than CHF 150 millions in project opportunities around the world already backed
Zurich
tbd
Zurich
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