Data centers, telecom networks, and other commercial sites that have high, variable IT loads depend on battery energy storage for reliability and power quality. As some of the largest electricity customers, they also impact local grid reliability and stability. Existing lead acid batteries do not provide the reliability and power density required for next-generation data center and telecom sites. Natron Energy offers a sodium-ion battery product that delivers double the power density and triple the service life of lead acid with no risk of thermal runaway, dramatically improving the performance and reliability of data center and telecom sites.

Natron provides energy storage solutions for in-rack and centralized power architectures. For in-rack power, a 48V, 8kW battery tray is deployed alongside data servers for local energy management services. For centralized power, a 480V, 500kW battery cabinet is paired with an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) for site-level energy services. For both product architectures, Natron uses a sodium-ion cell containing Prussian blue electrodes. This cell chemistry provides intrinsically higher power, longer cycle life, and better thermal stability than incumbent lead acid and lithium-ion products. Natron packages this cell technology with the balance-of-systems needed to deliver a turnkey energy storage solution to its customers.

Natron Energy was founded in 2012 with a singular mission: to change the way the world’s biggest electricity customers use the power that drives their businesses. Based in Santa Clara, California, Natron has commercialized the world’s first sodium-ion battery based on Prussian blue electrodes. For this project, Natron has partnered with a leading domestic fine chemicals manufacturer to scale up battery-grade Prussian blue production, as well as a leading domestic hardware device manufacturer for product assembly.

This project enables high-volume domestic manufacturing, sales, and deployment of energy storage solutions that enhance the reliability and performance of data center and telecom networks. Additionally, it positively impacts the reliability and performance of the electric grid networks serving those sites. With these achievements, this project also enables a domestic supply chain that allows the U.S. to maintain energy security and technological competitiveness. That domestic supply chain will be based on new engineering and manufacturing jobs created in California and the upper Midwest.

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