Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd. (RNESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Ambri Inc, an energy storage company based in Massachusetts, are in discussions for an exclusive collaboration to set up a large scale battery manufacturing facility in India.

The manufacturing facility could add scale and further bring down costs for Reliance’s green energy initiative.

Ambri can cater to projects that require energy storage systems from 10 MWh to over 2 GWh. The company will manufacture calcium and antimony electrode-based cells and containerised systems that are more economical than lithium-ion batteries, capable of operating safely in any climatic condition without requiring supplemental air conditioning and meant to last for over 20 years with minimal degradation.

Ambri systems are particularly suited for high-usage applications, such as shifting energy from daytime solar generation to evening and morning peak load times. The company is securing customers for large-scale projects with commercial operation in 2023 and beyond.

In another development, Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd. (RNESL) is investing US $50 million in Ambri Inc, an energy storage company based in Massachusetts, to acquire 42.3 million shares of preferred stock in Ambri.

RNESL along with strategic investors Paulson & Co. Inc. and Bill Gates, and a few other investors, has announced an investment of US $144 million in Ambri Inc.

The investment will help the company commercialise and grow its long-duration energy storage systems business globally.

Based on patented technology and designed to last between 4-24 hours, Ambri’s long duration energy storage systems will break through the cost, longevity and safety barriers associated with lithium-ion batteries used in grid-scale stationary storage applications. They will enable a crucial energy storage solution capable of supporting the increasing amounts of renewable energy being integrated into electric power grids.