TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--e-Zinc, the company enabling sustainable, long-duration energy storage with its zinc-air battery, announced it has entered into a collaboration for a pilot project with Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc. (TTCI) to further test and validate how commercial scale e-Zinc energy storage systems can reliably provide long-duration energy storage. This project will validate e-Zinc’s capability to store 24 hours of energy, which is approximately 10x that of traditional batteries.
The TTCI project is slated for spring 2023 and is one of several upcoming e-Zinc field demonstration projects, including e-Zinc’s $1.3 Million USD project with the California Energy Commission.
The project will be hosted at Eurus Energy America Corporation’s (EEAC) Bull Creek wind facility in Borden County, Texas (Bull Creek). The pilot program will store excess wind generation capacity in the e-Zinc battery system at Bull Creek. EEAC can then use the stored energy to power buildings at the local facility. e-Zinc’s system is expected to store power for 24 hours, an order of magnitude longer than typical batteries, and is better suited to the intermittency of wind generation than typical batteries.
The pilot project will deliver firsthand experience with e-Zinc’s disruptive technology, and potentially lead to future manufacturing, supply chain and commercial opportunities between TTCI and e-Zinc. Additionally, TTCI will apply its unique capabilities to support installation, integration, and system O&M.
“The most important aspect of this relationship is that TTCI’s interest extends far beyond this initial project – TTCI has identified e-Zinc as a high potential company with strategic alignment to its business,” said James Larsen, CEO at e-Zinc. “This project sets the stage for TTCI to support e-Zinc with manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, sales, and distribution support, as well as project deployment and service for a variety of market applications (e.g., remote mines, off-grid car dealerships, hospitals on weak grid, etc.).”
“This pilot demonstration between TTCI and e-Zinc is a key step in validating e-Zinc’s value proposition for integration and firming of renewable power,” said Sara Chamberlain, Managing Director of Energy Foundry, an early investor in e-Zinc. “The combination of e-Zinc’s innovation and TTCI’s project implementation expertise will propel the company forward into commercialized success.”
To learn more about e-Zinc, please visit www.e-zinc.ca.
About e-Zinc
e-Zinc is a zinc-air battery company based in Toronto. The company’s energy storage system can be up to 80 percent less expensive than comparable lithium-ion systems for long-duration applications. Importantly, its energy storage system can operate in cold and hot climates, and is made of abundant and recyclable materials. www.e-zinc.ca.
About Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc.
TTCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho America, Inc. which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the trading affiliate in the Toyota Group companies. The Toyota Tsusho group has been involved in the trading business in Canada since the 1980’s and founded TTCI as a trading and supply-chain specialist in Canada in 2002. Over the past two decades, TTCI has evolved from a trader in a limited number of commodities and finished goods to a multi-business enterprise which combines international trading with an expansive range of domestically targeted functions, such as supply chain services and intermediate goods processing. TTCI seeks to invest in technologies that promise long-term benefits for health, well-being, and sustainability. https://www.toyota-tsusho.com/english/
About Eurus Energy
Eurus Energy Holdings is a Tokyo-based corporation owned jointly by Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated, and its group is actively pursuing renewable energy projects in Asia, USA, and Europe to meet the social needs for energy supply and reduction of environmental burdens. Eurus Energy Group also expanded operations into Australia, Egypt, Uruguay, and Chile in the southern hemisphere.
Eurus Energy Americas Corporation (“EEAC”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eurus Energy Holdings and is responsible for renewable energy investment in the Americas, now comprising more than 567 megawatts of wind and solar power generation. https://eurusenergy.com/
About Energy Foundry
Energy Foundry, a Chicago-based venture capital platform, invests in today’s most promising energy innovators, and works with the world’s leading energy companies to build and scale new ventures. Their approach merges venture capital with the perks of partnership and includes an arsenal of essential tools and relationships to help bring great ideas to market. www.energyfoundry.com
