California renewable energy developer Juniper Energy has partnered with Alsym Energy to deploy 500 MWh of sodium-ion battery storage projects across California.
The partnership will use Alsym’s sodium-ion battery technology in battery energy storage systems (BESS), including projects planned for the Mojave Desert and other high-temperature regions.
The companies say the goal is to build storage projects that can better handle extreme heat without the cooling systems typically needed for lithium-ion batteries.
Built for California heat
Alsym says its Na-Series batteries are designed to avoid thermal runaway – the chain reaction that can lead to battery fires – and can operate without active cooling. That could reduce both upfront project costs and long-term maintenance costs, since developers wouldn’t need as much cooling equipment or related infrastructure.
The companies also say the batteries can charge in 30 minutes and support multiple charging and discharging cycles per day, which could help operators generate more revenue from services like solar energy shifting and frequency regulation.
Juniper Energy founder and managing partner Keith McDaniels said the company spent years evaluating alternatives to lithium-ion batteries before choosing sodium-ion technology.
“After several years of evaluating the non-lithium landscape, it became clear that sodium-ion – and specifically Alsym’s Na-Series – is the premier solution for the next generation of California’s grid,” said McDaniels.
He added that Alsym’s US-made batteries could help Juniper qualify for more federal tax credits and improve project economics.
A push for US-made battery storage
The companies said Alsym’s domestically sourced and manufactured battery cells could help maximize federal tax credits and incentives.
Alsym CEO and cofounder Mukesh Chatter said the technology was specifically designed for hotter climates where lithium-ion batteries can require more complex cooling systems.
“Our Na-Series technology was built for exactly this: providing high-performance, fast-charging storage that doesn’t require complex cooling or risk community safety,” said Chatter.
The first phase of the partnership will focus on multi-megawatt projects in California, with plans to expand across Juniper Energy’s broader project pipeline over time.
Electrek’s Take
Sodium-ion batteries are quickly moving from “interesting alternative” to serious contender in grid storage.
California’s grid operators need huge amounts of storage that can survive brutal summer temperatures without adding more complexity and cost.
And unlike EVs, where energy density matters a lot, stationary storage has more room to experiment with different battery chemistries. That’s why we’re starting to see more sodium-ion grid storage projects move from pilot phase to real deployments (though we should point out that sodium-ion batteries for passenger EVs are headed toward mass production in China).
Read more: CATL is launching sodium-ion batteries in EVs in 2026, aiming for 370+ miles range
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