100-Hour Iron-Air Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) System Piloted Under The European Union’s “StoRIES” Programme
AMSTERDAM, February 10, 2026 (Newswire.com)
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Ore Energy, the Netherlands-based iron-air long-duration energy storage startup, today announced the successful completion of a grid-connected technical pilot of its 100-hour iron-air energy storage system at EDF Lab les Renardières in Écuelles, France, as part of the European Union’s Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System (“StoRIES”) programme. The pilot – among the first of its kind in Europe – demonstrated that the company’s iron-air LDES technology is able to deliver multi-day energy storage in a real-world utility environment.
As part of the StoRIES-supported pilot, Ore Energy deployed its modular iron-air battery system to collect operational data under real-world grid conditions and demonstrated that it can store and discharge energy for up to roughly four days (100 hours). Over several months, the system was cycled under varying load profiles and seasonal conditions to test charge/discharge behavior, system responsiveness, and integration with standard grid management approaches. The technical data generated through this pilot contributes to the broader StoRIES mandate of assessing long-duration storage options suitable for multi-day renewable balancing needs.
“This pilot allowed us to evaluate iron-air performance under European operating profiles and real-world grid conditions,” said Aytaç Yilmaz, co-founder and CEO of Ore Energy. “The data generated through StoRIES gives us valuable insight into how multi-day storage behaves in utility environments, helping us refine the technology and understand its potential role alongside other storage approaches.”
Ore Energy’s systems are designed to maximize the storage and distribution of renewable energy in order to deliver cost-effective grid reliability during extended periods when there is no wind or sun. Its iron-air system relies on only iron, water, and air to drive a reversible oxidation process. During charging, excess renewable electricity converts iron oxide (rust) back into metallic iron, storing energy in a stable solid form for up to four days. When discharged, the iron is re-oxidized by exposing it to oxygen and water, releasing electrical energy as it ‘rusts’ again. Iron-air systems use only safe, abundant resources – no rare earths or critical minerals – enabling a 100% European supply chain from manufacture to end-of-life. Ore Energy’s full-scale system will use modular 40-foot containers, each delivering multiple MWh of multi-day energy storage.
The pilot follows Ore Energy’s recent grid-connected installation in Delft, the Netherlands, which demonstrated the feasibility of integrating iron-air systems into existing European distribution networks.
This activity was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through the StoRIES Transnational Access (TNA) initiative. The objective of the programme is to advance and validate emerging long-duration energy storage technologies across Europe. As part of this programme, participating research infrastructures and technology developers are required to make results available through appropriate communication channels to contribute to Europe’s knowledge base on long-duration energy storage.
About Ore Energy
Founded in 2023 as a spin-out from The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Ore Energy develops grid-scale iron-air batteries for long-duration energy storage. Its systems provide safe, multi-day energy storage using only iron, water, and air, offering Europe a low-cost path to decarbonized, reliable electricity. The company has raised more than €25 million in funding and has plans to scale to full GWh range production capacity by 2030. Follow Ore Energy on LinkedIn and learn more at oreenergy.com.
EU Funding Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101036910.
Media contact
Aaron Endré
Endré Communications
ore@endrecommunications.com
SOURCE: Ore Energy
Source: Ore Energy
